Inspired to be better

Today I read this post on one of the few blogs I actually read on a regular basis. As a fellow educator and somewhat of an amateur athlete I can relate to some of her stories and adventures.

Today I jogged 4 miles. Instead of psyching myself out of running like I have been doing I tried to look at it as something that's not supposed to add any additional stress to my life. I just told myself to keep an easy pace, not to worry about the time, and git-r-done.

School has been stressful lately; I've been working very hard keeping my gradebook up to date and planning the entire year. On top of that I'm on a couple of committees, have a student teacher, am the captain of my team, and have the normal teacher paperwork/emails/pressures.

This morning we were all told to keep our doors locked and closed as there was a shooting in the neighborhood last night and the perpetrator was still at large.

So, after a small snack and a little Debbie Travis I suited up and went jogging. The sun was getting low and the clouds were high. I jogged to the edge of town where there is a small park along some bluffs. I jogged along them back to the beach where the tide was low enough for me to run on smooth, packed sand, enjoying the wonderful scenery of waves, birds, campfires, and sun.

At the end of my run I realized I had found the calm, relaxed feelings I had been searching for in front of the tv.