Thanksgiving Loop with Thoughts of Gratitude

One of my Thanksgiving traditions is to run.  I bet you would have never guessed.    And so that is exactly what I did today.  I woke at 5:30 AM and hit the dirt about 6:40 on a cold Thanksgiving morning.  Usually, I try to not think when I run.  Today however, I dedicated my run to thinking about all that I am thankful for.  And there is so much – too much to put in a couple of pages.  First and foremost, I am thankful for being born.  And I am thankful for my husband and three wonderful sons.  I am thankful for my health.  And I am thankful for my mom and dad.  They taught me so much – one of the most important being to never give up, and also the importance of family – that we are here to help one another. 

As I ran down an empty Aliso Creek Trail bundled in gloves and beanie, I thought about how lucky I was to grow up with one sister, and now I have 5 sisters!  And they are all top-notch women.  In addition to my 3 great brothers, I gained 3 more – as well as another mother and father who also are quality, loving people.  For these people I am truly thankful.

I am thankful for my friends as well:  my writing friends, my running friends, and my friend friends.  I am especially thankful for one of most wonderful people that I have met on this earth, my friend, Bernadine Fraser.  Though we haven’t seen each other face-to-face in a few years, I still am affected by her overwhelming love and sweetness and great humor.  And to think, we met at a job that I was laid-off from many, many years ago (after putting in 9 years there).  Though I was devastated over losing that job, I could never say or feel that I wish that I never worked there.  I met many great friends at this company, one of them, Bernadine.  We laughed together, we cried together, we read great, great books together.  For these friends I am thankful for.  (I wish I could list them out, but I fear to do so because I am bound to forget to type a few names). 

I am also  thankful for my students.  They have taught me so much.  They taught me to smile even when I don’t feel like it.  They taught me the importance of kindness.  And they taught me that people learn in many ways.  (After getting laid-off from the job mentioned above I became a teacher – so I have to say that I am thankful also for getting laid-off from a long held job). 

When I turned down Wood Canyon this morning the ground was muddy and I was still alone.  The run felt effortless as I thought about my children – and though it’s tough, tough, tough being a mom, I appreciate each of their special gifts and especially their love.  I am also thankful for our middle son’s surgeries – not grateful that he had to go through them so much, but in a way, I suppose so, because they have made him who he is.  But I am more grateful that doctors could do something to save his life.  I am especially thankful for Dr. Louden.   And I am so thankful my boy has been seizure free as well, for more than a year.  But more than that, I’m thankful that if he does have another seizure or even surgery, we can get through it.  He is a strong boy.  We are strong, despite our weakness.

Aside from these very important aspects of my life, I am so, so thankful that I became a runner.  I hated running.  IN A MILLION YEARS, I would have never thought that I would HAVE TO RUN.  More than that – I am grateful that I stumbled, and I mean stumbled upon trail running.

I am thankful for Meadows Trail:

I am thankful for green meadows and ridiculously steep trails (like Mentally Sensitive):

I am even thankful for snails, because I know they have some purpose (I just don’t know what it is):

I am thankful for the skies and mountain views:

I am thankful that I learned the patience to run long distances:

I am thankful for reaching the top of a climb, and taking the time to take goofy, sweaty pictures, because I sometimes still can’t believe that I did it!

I am thankful for ocean views:

I am thankful for Cholla cactus on Cholla Trail:

I am thankful for breaking through countless spider webs on isolated trails like Wood Creek Trail:

I am thankful for creek side runs:

I am thankful for spotting deer in a grove of trees (and many, many other wildlife):

I am thankful for the final stretches, and also seeing that there are other psychos out there doing the same thing:

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

13 miles (20.92 km) run this morning:  Aliso Creek Trail, Wood Canyon, Meadows, Mentally Sensitive, Top of the World, West Ridge,  Cholla Trail, Wood Creek, Wood Canyon, Aliso Creek – this was my Thanksgiving 2011 loop.