Relative Worries

Jun 17, 2016

There was a time when I was young that a friend and I would go out into the woods and play out scenes of a fantasy game, today we’d call it LARPing. I fondly recall these days, they remind me of a simpler time when my biggest worry was that the vacation would end in 3 weeks as opposed to yesterday, when it still was 3 weeks and a day. Today I have more worries, some trivial, such as when to fill the car with gas and that my alarm works properly every morning to go to work. Some worries carry more weight, like my personal health. Then there are worries that are effectively annoyances, whether some idiot would cut me off on my way home from work. All these things will keep me busy until I go for a run.

When I run, these worries effectively fade. I put on my gear and stretch, I lock the door behind me and take my first deep breath, cross the street, and run. The first 100 meters are on the road. I look out for cars and pay attention to my breathing. A turn left and not much later a turn to the right. I look through a tunnel of trees, broken by the sun. I leave behind a few houses and the grass fields to my left and right open up. The warm sun caresses my face and a gentle warm breeze comforts me. The cars and sounds of civilization give way to my own breath and the sounds of nature. Crickets chirp, birds fly by, the leaves rustle and when I take a small break, I can almost hear the cows graze.

A familiar serenity comes over me and my small break becomes a bit of a daydream. The same breeze and sun that welcome me now were those that we enjoyed when I was young. Doing this run a couple of times a week is not just good for my physical health, but it’s more than anything a treat for the mind. The beauty of nature and the serenity of my surroundings push me back to a simpler time, reminding me that all these things I’m worrying about are all relative. When I return back home, my mind is clear and I come back a bit more fit and a lot more balanced than when I left.

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