“Your life’s course will not be determined by doing the things that you are certain you can do. Those are the easy things. It will be determined by whether you try the things that are hard.” – Sheryl Sandbery

I spotted mamma owl napping in Forest Park this morning. She’s such a pretty girl. I can’t wait to get a glimpse at the babies.

And I also saw something new this morning. It was my first double-digit run of my training plan, and I was anxious. These long runs always make me feel a bit unsure of myself. But I set out anyway, and halfway through, I noticed a pair of runners approaching me. They were holding hands, seemingly sharing a glove made for two. Confused, I wondered if they were helping to keep each other from slipping on an ice patch or if they were impractically affectionate. But as they got closer, I realized that one of the runners was visually impaired and the other runner was his guide. And they were FAST. I literally gasped. I marveled at the scene for the remainder of my run, and eventually finished my 10 miles. Even now, I’m still grateful for this man and his extraordinary reminder that we can do really hard things when we are brave enough to try.

And if that wasn’t enough, I got home and discovered this little love on my front porch.

“You are great“

It was almost as if the gift giver knew I had done something I needed to be proud of today. It made my heart swell and my eyes a bit teary.

Somehow life knew exactly which messages I needed to hear today.