Running Into Joy

Happy Monday, friends! A quick content warning: this post deals with some body image issues. Lately, I've been thinking a lot about my "why" for running. What keeps me lacing up my shoes and hitting the pavement or the trails week after week. The "why" is something we talk a lot about when we get into the mental aspect of running, and it can shift for each of us from day to day and year to year. For a long time, I've told my "falling in love with running" story as the day I ran my first 5K. The atmosphere of a cheering crowd, a sense of camaraderie as we ran as a pack along the closed-down streets of Evansville, Indiana. Never before had I done anything like this, where simply by putting one foot in front of the other, people cheered me on with handwritten signs, and I felt connected to strangers in friendly competition as I passed them or--more likely in those days--they passed me. And yet... 2020 is the year with no races. Without the forma

Happy Monday, friends! We are, somehow, in the month of August. The days are shortening, and the march to new student orientation has begun in earnest for those of us who work in Student Affairs. When you work in higher ed, as I do, there is a certain flow to your year. August and September are months of flurried, rushed action. It can be difficult to remember self-care. Last week, I worked long days, rushing on through without a lunch break in the panicked frenzy to try and prepare for the ever-shifting potential situation that will be the Fall 2020 semester. My grocery trip consisted of picking up contact solution and a stack of frozen meals to take for lunches. Yes, August is a challenging time for me to remember how to care for myself. I just finished a session of Yoga with Adriene titled fundamentals of ease, and am reminded of the importance of trying to find balance, find ease, even in the challenging moments. To just slow down, when you can, however you can. As she always