The Lavender 5K Race #470

I DID IT!!! First, let me say that I am NOT a runner. Oh, how I wish I had the knees & feet cut out to be one, but have accepted ( a little defeated I might add) that I am not a runner and nor will I ever be one! But the thought of getting up at sunrise, watching the sun rise over the majestic Mount Nebo and going for a morning run through the blooming lavender fields was just too much to resist! Plus I got a shirt!! Honestly, I have not run since I have gotten here. Don't get me wrong-I have my daily little exercises that I do, but running is not one of them.

We had a huge rain storm here Friday night. Rare, but seems like we have been getting more rain than last year. This is good, the farm girl in me hopes for a second crop of alfalfa. Anyway, as I pulled out of the dirt road this morning, the sun was just beginning to peak over the adjacent mountains, creating a beautiful reverse sunrise behind me. There was an enormous puddle at the end of the driveway and the reflection of the rising sun was beautiful; soft clouds rimming the tip of the mountains, all sprinkled with pink, the canyon beyond beginning to glow with the first bit of morning sun. Just wonderful!

I got to the Young Living Lavender Farm, got myself signed in and was ready to go. My cheering section stayed home. Scott has actually had the flu the past couple of days, was up most of the night with a fever and the idea of getting the kids up, fed and out the door by 6am was just not going to happen this year. Although I have already talked Katie into joining me next year, so am excited because I do think this will become a little summer tradition for us, sort of a rite of passage, something you have to wait for.

The roads were rather muddy, somewhat rocky and with my terribly bunion plagued feet, I just had to keep keepin' on!!! My goal was to finish in 30 minutes~ I thought that was reasonable seeing as I am not a runner and we are at about 6500 feet above sea level, a little different than running in Wisconsin! I finished in 30.59 ~ and I was proud of myself.

I suppose I could have shaved that time down a bit, BUT there I was in the center of some kind of lavender heaven, the scent of blooming lavender all around, the sun gently shining over the snow capped Mt. Nebo illuminating the vivid purple everywhere I looked. So, I did commit to myself that I wanted to truly take in this moment, all this lavender love, and I did ~ and I slowed down to do it.

Sometimes, I think we all rush through our day, our weeks, ultimately our lives and no matter what, we will all end up at the same place – the end, when it is all over. So, within all these moments I am blessed to have and experience, if I do not tell myself to slow it all down, pay attention, breath it in, I know I will be missing something. That something will be all the things in my life I missed because I would have formed a habit of looking fixedly over its shoulder (whatever that “it” might be) anticipating the next thing instead of just recognizing my moments as they happen. Who knows when the end will come, so I ask myself why live as though I have all this time, endless time, full of moments that I may or may not remember versus just aiming to be here ~ right now ~ today ~ in THIS moment.