One foot in front of the other

Running has been my constant companion through the decades.  I run for fun.  I run for fresh air.  I run to breath. I run when I am happy and when I am sad.  I run when I am angry, and I run to process.  Running gets me through.  It's no surprise, then, that one of the small joys I have found this week is in my new running route.

I find myself alone in a little Vietnamese house facing the river.  John and I have gone our separate ways, and we are splitting time in the rice paddy with the kids and alone in this little riverside retreat.  I am sad but trying to focus on the life lessons I have learned from running: if you keep on moving - putting one foot in front of the other - you will eventually make it to the finish line.  I am confident that there is a finish line out there somewhere, even though I can't see it from where I am today.  I can feel the burn and the shortness of breath that remind me that I am alive.  I can feel the exhaustion in my bones that tells me I deserve a rest.  I remind myself to just keep moving.  Running will get me through.

Discovering a magical running route just outside my front door is like a message from the running gods: Get out.  Keep running.  Enjoy the beauty around you.  Keep breathing.  Put one foot in front of the other, and don't forget to smile at the Happy Buddha.  When life gives you lemons in this little paradise, Vietnam gives you a Happy Buddha and a pink sunset on the river to remind you to just keep moving forward.

The view through the front door

From the front gate...



Basket boat in the front yard

A new neighbor

More new neighbors...

Porcine digs next door

Peaceful river scene in the front yard

Good morning greeting from another neighbor

Pink is my new favorite color.

Palm trees on the shrimp farm

River Running

Tranquility

Peace

Rural rice paddy shrine

Scenic countryside

Shrine in the rice

Waiting for the shrimp

Fish collecting from the ro cho at sunset

Happy Buddha elicits a smile every time