Our church is partnering with the Fort 4 Fitness this September in an effort to save girls from human trafficking in Thailand. We do this as part of a project called Destiny Rescue. What an important mission. I cannot imagine the lives these girls would have without intervention.
I was asked to write a paragraph (I think a means one…hmm) answering the simple question of “Why do you run?”
The following is what my fingers just typed before asking my brain for any permission:
Why do I run? That question is like answering my favorite poem: Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s Sonnet 43. How Do I Love Thee? Let me count the ways.
Running is my constant, my respite, my “me” time. It is my friend, my solace, my peace in the face of all life’s adversities, even the unintentional ones. It frees me from monotony and the mundane, for no run is ever the same. Some are easy, some are not. Some leave you smiling, while others leave you bruised. Some leave you feeling capable, while others leave you feeling humbled by ineptitude. It keeps me fit, healthy, and strong, reminding me that I’m tougher than certain situations and unclarity would lead me to believe. Running brings me a joy that can only be understood if you compare it to an instant transport back to the innocence of childhood. Because truly, that’s what it is – time spent in complete honestness and goodness, whether alone or side-by-side in total camaraderie with those who are on the same path…both literally and figuratively.
Running is my forever.
How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
I love thee to the depth and breadth and height
My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight
For the ends of being and ideal grace.
I love thee to the level of every day’s
Most quiet need, by sun and candle-light.
I love thee freely, as men strive for right.
I love thee purely, as they turn from praise.
I love thee with the passion put to use
In my old griefs, and with my childhood’s faith.
I love thee with a love I seemed to lose
With my lost saints. I love thee with the breath,
Smiles, tears, of all my life; and, if God choose,
I shall but love thee better after death.
I love thee to the depth and breadth and height
My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight
For the ends of being and ideal grace.
I love thee to the level of every day’s
Most quiet need, by sun and candle-light.
I love thee freely, as men strive for right.
I love thee purely, as they turn from praise.
I love thee with the passion put to use
In my old griefs, and with my childhood’s faith.
I love thee with a love I seemed to lose
With my lost saints. I love thee with the breath,
Smiles, tears, of all my life; and, if God choose,
I shall but love thee better after death.
–EBB
