Horizontal Running

I love the movie "Pitch Perfect." I firmly believe that years from now it will be just as quoted and integrated into everyday life as "Mean Girls" has. Not sure what date we will be celebrating like October 3,but whatever day we choose it will be aca-awesome.

After over-dosing watching the movie 3 times the first week I saw it and a total of 4 times since it came out, I can't get over the wit, humor, music and most of all our dear friend: Fat Amy.

One of the funniest moments in the movie is when Fat Amy is avoiding running around the gym "Yeah. No. Don't put me down for cardio" and is found on a chair laying down. When asked what she is doing she responds on beat "horizontal running."

I can't help but appreciate all of the hilarity that movie brings and the character of Fat Amy. And like Fat Amy, I can relate to horizontal running.

Every break and transition, I kick into high gear and get into running and working out. I enjoy the runners high that it brings and simply just working out. Some semesters at school I've been better than others about making time for the gym, but this semester for a variety of reasons I didn't go as much as I'd like to. But funny thing, as soon as I got home I began to frequent the gym nearly everyday and I love it like I always do.

But in many ways I feel like working out for me is a bit like "horizontal running." (Bear with me for this analogy. I'm not saying I go to the gym and actually do "horizontal running" I'm not Jillian Michaels, but I do a real work out haha. Although I am tempted to try that motion just for the funny looks I'd get) When I go running in every break and transition in my life, it is a great coping mechanism. When I'm in a new place after moving, I like to run around to see the sights. I also like to simply just be in motion and feel like I'm being productive and getting something accomplished. By just like running on a treadmill or horizontal running, you never actually physically go anywhere. But for me I'm making progress.

I'm on the brink of my last semester of college. I've always been a student even though I've worked in between and I'm about to start going full swing into the unknown or as they say "commencement" with the rest of life. In the midst of that, I still have a full semester of being at school that I want to cherish and make the most of where I'm at while preparing in many ways for the future. This awkward middle and in-between makes me feel like I'm running full speed but laying down in the process because I'm not quite getting up yet and moving forward because it's not quite time yet, which is perfectly okay and I'm happy about. Yet, it's still a confusing place to be. Running has never intended to be "horizontal."

In an attempt to process it all, my initial reaction to facing anything is to run and remove myself from it. I never claimed this was the best coping mechanism. It's landed me sometimes in some really awkward situations of walking away from people to avoid conversations and that doesn't work because it looks strange and weird haha. But when I go on a run I can actually process and pray through each step and do something about my situation: get up and move. The other option is to continue being overwhelmed with being stagnant and avoid my situation completely. A run gives a fresh perspective and is a great method. Lately I've been listening to podcast sermons on my runs instead of music. I've had to mentally work through life situations and in that process I must continuously speak truth into my mind so that I don't believe the lies that are easy to latch onto. With that, I am learning to embrace exactly where I'm at and the pace I'm at.

So my conclusion about horizontal running? Well, every time I write those words is I laugh a bit to myself. In regards to my life situation, that's exactly what I'm going to continue to do-- continue to cherish the funny things and face life when step at a time and push forward even if for now I'm horizontal....next thing ya know, I'll be vertical running in the trajectory of what life brings.