Water Lilies

We have had more visiting runners than usual this summer, and it is always interesting to run with them.  Today we met Sonia, who found our website weeks ago and e-mailed me; she did not want to miss any training for her first marathon at Disney World in January.  We ran six mile with her, and in the process took her round and about Highlands - the quiet neighborhoods where we normally run, the Nature Center where we stopped for water, and the Biological Station where she planned to hike with her husband in the afternoon.  "What a beautiful place to run!" she said.

I have often found it interesting that, while showing visitors Highlands, we seem to see it more clearly ourselves; it takes the perspective we have when running with others to notice once again how cool and beautiful it is in the morning with the mist drifting away over Satulah Mountain, and the sounds of katydids and morning birds all around.  When my sister visits us, for example, I find myself noticing more than ever how nice it is to dine on our deck in the evening, and then watch the fireflies come out and slowly rise and fall on the evening breeze.  She doesn't want to do much else but sit and simply soak it all in, and I find myself thinking, "Yeah, it is pretty wonderful, isn't it?"

And today Sonia stopped short on Lower Lake Road and simply dropped her jaw at the lovely water lilies on Ravenel Lake.

How many times have I run by this lake, engrossed in conversation or lost in my own thoughts, and not noticed how many more there seem to be this year than in the past?  To take the time to pause and be thankful for living and running in this beautiful place.