Out In the Country

This was one of those days where I just kept putting things off and when 8:30 rolled around, I knew it was now or never. I missed a running day somehow this week and needed to run a four-miler before attempting five miles on Saturday. Romie stuck his head in the door and asked, "Are you running tonight?" and I went upstairs and changed clothes, put my shoes on, got myself psyched for running and we were off.

I tried to focus on things other than the running and how far I had yet to go before completing four miles and this is what I noticed:

* The smell of ripening wheat - It's pleasing enough just to look at those "amber waves of grain", but the smell is pretty darn good too.

* Two deer leaping through the bean field - We see deer on a regular basis here, but somehow it's different when you don't have a windshield between you and them. Later, on the way back home at about the 3-mile mark, we saw another one leap-frogging its way through the three-foot tall wheat. First we'd see it, then we wouldn't, then we'd see it again, then we wouldn't. It was the picture of grace.

* Wild roses - They are in full bloom right now at the edges of the woods and along the ditch banks. As a flower lover, it makes me smile when I see their beautiful bubble gum pinkness.

* The cardinal's song - Probably the most recognizable song of all the birds here, except for the Killdeer. The cardinal is our state bird and no wonder - we have lots of them. Red is my favorite color and I like that in a bird.

* A glorious sunset - I hope I never take for granted the oodles of beautiful sunsets we see here. Living out in the flat, open land like we do, there is nothing to get in the way of the shades of oranges, pinks, reds, violets, and yellows that make up a Midwestern sunset. No photo I take can even begin to capture the sky above the western horizon as I run towards it.

* No traffic - It took us 46 minutes to run four miles tonight and during that time, not a single car went by. Once we ran from the cluster of houses where we live, there were only two houses located on the rest of the way. There is something strangely calming about that kind of solitude. Alone, yet not.

I only stopped to walk for two minutes during the run tonight. It was a good run.

Whenever I need to leave it all behind
Or feel the need to get away
I find a quiet place, far from the human race
Out in the country.

Before the breathin' air is gone
Before the sun is just a bright spot in the nighttime
Out where the rivers like to run
I stand alone and take back somethin' worth rememberin'

Whenever I feel them closing in on me
Or need a bit of room to move
When life becomes too fast, I find relief at last
Out in the country...

~ Three Dog Night