Rolling on the River

When I was in High School, I loved to jog. I got up every morning and ran before the sun came up, with fog still misting the ground. It was very peaceful, pushing my body forward through the damp pre-morning darkness. I loved that everybody else was still asleep (as determined by the dark windows in the houses along my path) while I was out pushing the limits. I felt a little bit superior to those sluggards. grin.

I haven't jogged in thirty years. Yet, today, I experienced that same feeling of endurance and rhythmical motion by rolling along the river trail in my town. It was an achingly beautiful spring day with sunny,Caribbean blue skies, gentle breezes and lovely 70something degrees. East Tennessee in the springtime is as beautiful as anywhere in the world, and a day like today, rolling along a trail beside a wide river flanked by woods... let's just say, heavenly. Hoards of joggers, bikers, and outdoor enthusiasts flocked to the river today. I felt very much at home among the athletes while rolling my wheelchair down the path. (Afterwards, I clocked my distance on my car odometer and was pleasantly surprised that I had covered about two miles of terrain.)

Afer a good decade or more of very little physical activity, it is amazing to feel like I used to feel after a good run... fatigued, happy, satisfied, athletic, and even a little bit superior to the sluggards who lounged away the day in front of the television. ;) (Hey, let me have my moment of gloating, okay!)

So very, very, very grateful to be able to move in this way.

(Funny little addendum on April 5: While telling my therapist about rolling on the river, I noticed that he visibly blanched. A second later he said, "OH! You are talking about rolling beside the river at the trail!!! I thought you were talking about rolling on the water!" For an instant, I guess he was wondering if he had the therapeutic skills to deal with my Messiah-complex. We had just been talking about how my self esteem has grown over the years, and he said, "When I pictured you rolling on the water, I thought, 'Well, I guess she has good reason for the increased self esteem!'" Too funny!)