I just kept going...

Today was not a good day. Today was horrible. Today was filled with moments where I just stared out my office window and tried not to cry. Today was one of those days that rocks your core and rattles your cage just a little bit. I don't like that.

I figured I'd eat a little dinner when I got home and go for my run. I was only planning to do a short run. Somehow, around mile 5, I turned into Forrest Gump. The heat has broken in Phoenix and the nights are actually getting cool. I live out in no man's land so it's quiet. The area has soft trails and you can still smell the mesquite trees and creosotes in the air. Perfect conditions to just keep running. So I did.

I was armed with my iPod and enough music to run across the state if I wanted to. There is just something about being totally alone with nothing but your thoughts and any music you want at your fingertips. There were a few moments I didn't think about anything, just the moment. Joe Cocker's Feelin' Alright came on and it felt so good I had to listen to it twice. I found a hidden version of Wave on Wave at the end of the last song on Pat Green's album. It's amazing. Beenie Man got me up the first hill.

The best, and when I'm hurting tomorrow I'll be thankful for it, was climbing back up the small hill going to my community, toward the end of the run, with the sound turned up as loud as it would go, was Mahalia Jackson singing Precious Lord. I had to actually stop running for a minute. I've annihilated my body but I think my soul feels a little better. Not a lot, but enough.

23 songs. 10 miles. 1 hour. 50 minutes.