longing to run

I figured it is about time I blog again after taking over a month off. I have not had much to write about or at least I have not been able to turn my daily routine into something thoughtful or interesting. I decided I might as well give it another go and see what I can get down on the page.

This is the time of year where I want to be outside all day and I have fantasies of running off into the wilderness to live a simply, remote life. There are no phones, no emails and no tv. Something about the simplicity of it all calls to my soul and I long to run off to a life that lacks complexity. I want to hike through the woods, sleep in, drink coffee, write, read and talk with friends.

Then I pause, take a deep breath and remind myself that I have created my own complexity and that running away from it all is not a cure. Thanks to God given free will I am master of my own life in at least some ways and I am responsible for what I make of it. I am not a victim of a busy society but a full participant in it. I can turn off my phone, computer and tv and I can go out and walk in the woods.

I am blessed to live in a town and a country where I have easy access to the beauty of creation and the opportunity for quiet and solitude. I was just talking about God’s command to us to ‘be still’ and how that heals and restores our souls. Being still looks different for different people I know but for me it means turning off the many distractions and giving up another week of American Idol to get out of the apartment and walk in silence.