#Remember

I've been wasting time lately. I don't really have it to waste, but yet there I sit, crushing candy, guessing the phrase and trying to come up with the most points on words with friends.  The big surprise in my laziness is that lessons can be learned in such a back door fashion.

Guess that Phrase has the trending category #firstworldproblems. This category usually makes me laugh. Then there was a bombing at the Boston Marathon. Now it highlights so much more.

Our country seems to be having growing pains there are so many huge events, laws and movements gaining steam and drawing attention it's hard to keep up. The issues are polarizing and if you have an opinion, you tend to be labeled for it. Forever. It's on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, and Istagram so it MUST be who you are. FOREVER. (Or at least for our 20 second attention span.)

We get frustrated because we have to wait in line, be on hold, our parents won't pay for a smart phone. We don't want to be inconvenienced and we are impatient to have what we want, when we want it. Want to try a new recipe? Let's jump in the car and go buy marzipan.

Hard times hit. They inevitably will. Our "easy" living intersects with searching for a deeper understanding of who we are and who we've become in light of the "event". We spend time trying to figure out how to assimilate who we were into who we (mostly involuntarily) are becoming. We stretch, (hopefully grow), and look for "something" to aid us in the discoveries we make about ourselves. We seek  and search for goodness to prevail and for life to become stagnant again.

I lean on God. I Run. I try to help others. I Pray. I Run. I Give my ideals over to what God wants me to do. I Run. I Pray while I Run.

Running is great. It's right out the door. Literally. It's healthier than drinking, drugs, binging on food, giving in to the anger that is sure to come with the involuntarily change. It's a chance to disconnect. It's a chance to work out the emotional pain, which is far greater than the physical pain from running.

Running provides camaraderie, service and a chance to accomplish something you never thought possible. It doesn't matter the distance, the time or if you have to take a walk break. It's YOUR accomplishment. It's about encouragement, and supporting each other. It's not always about when you cross the finish line, but why you did and who is there to share in that moment.

So I Run. I do the best I can in that moment. I Run to support a cause, to support a friend, to remember that Eric and  Ava never could make the energy so they could live.

4.15.2013 Tens of thousands of people who, just like me (with a lot more natural talent and sheer determination and drive), took their first steps onto the pavement for their own personal reasons. These people kept on trucking to their BQ and were, in that moment, experiencing their dream come true.

The bombs exploded and lives, countless lives were changed in a heartbeat.
The country is reeling. The FBI is searching. Families are crying in agony.

My heart is deeply wounded and bleeding for all who are affected. I can't comprehend the place you have to get to to think that violence is the answer.

I escape on my phone. My phrase is "I'm thirsty and I only have water."

We are Americans. We mostly fight against each other in opinion, law making and who is ultimately right. We are so blessed that the ever present threat of a bombing does not loom daily. We are so blessed that we had first responders and hospitals with in reach so those injured could have medical attention as quickly as possible. One life lost is devastating. Living in constant fear of the potential of something going wrong is debilitating.

While we groan and moan and feel entitled. Let's remember that in America we are blessed to worry about the miles we get in. We are blessed that we don't have to always worry about if a bomb will go off in our front yard. We are blessed to have a military full of men and women who are willing to lay down their lives and separate from their families so we can can live the way we do.

In America, we can get the water. We can run and we are free to worship. We do not need to be debilitated by fear of "what if".

I am ready. I am ready to step out of fear and dark shadows. I am ready to unite and take my steps out the door.

I will Pray. I will Follow Him. I will be Free. I will get my water from my race belt when I'm thirsty. I am grateful and I will  #RememberBoston.  I will RUN.