Life is busy, but good. This year has been like a pendulum swinging back and forth, a test of patience and perseverance. So many things that seemed out of control for many months are slowly coming into balance again, my weight, fitness, my marriage, the overall flow of life and my job. The only aspect of life that ever stays in focus is my son. He’s not oblivious to everything that has gone on, but his life remains as stable as possible.

I stayed the course throughout the ups and downs. I reached out for help. I switched directions about a million times. I slowed down, I sped up. Sometimes I just stopped. I wrote, I thought, I meditated, I cried and talked. I took leaps of faith and I trusted in myself.

Today I ran 16 miles, my longest run since marathon training last spring. I’m training again and running double digits. I’ve slowed down a lot, but I don’t care because I’m running again!

This is the beautiful scenery I’ve been so lucky to take in on my runs lately. If there is anything this year has taught me it’s to appreciate the small things and take nothing for granted.