What are the odds, really? As you know by now if you have continued to read my stories, I believe in signs, especially those which come so unexpectedly from nature such as this one. I was on my way up the hill to start my run. Listening to music, head down and hoping for a good run on this day. It was Monday morning, the beginning of a new day and a new week – no mistakes…..Seeing this heart in my path was one of the few times I have wished to have brought my cell phone so I could take a picture. There were dark clouds in the distance, the possibility of rain in our future. I contemplated going back, but decided I had time and would get the phone after my run. I did not consider the ground would dry in this moment, as I stared at the black clouds rolling in over the mountain, possibly removing my heart.
It was a good day for a run, not very hot as the sun had not been out much, the cloud cover making for a cool morning. I did have a really good run, feeling as if I might actually be getting in shape at long last. Then I had a spectacular fall on my return route. The fall itself was strange for a couple of reasons, which I will try to explain. Seeing the heart on the road filled me with good feelings, so my theory about falling on a run because you have troubled thoughts did not fit this situation. As I have said I believe, in another post way back, Patrick used to trip and fall often when we ran together. It became an automatic thing to ask what he was thinking about because it was inevitable he had angry thoughts at the time he tripped and or fell.
I too have often tripped while running, especially when running in the Hills, but always have been able to catch myself without falling potentially causing injury. There are many places to trip on my running path here, with the rocks and tree roots, even the uneven ground can cause problems. Scrappy and Chiripa have been cause for worry also, especially when they first began to run with me. They would go flying past me brushing against my foot as they did so. They do not listen like Mali and they do not learn, so although I got mad at them, they still seem to take great joy in running past me in this way, like I was one of them. But for me, it could mean a serious injury.
In this case though, we were separated by a patch of field, they were on the road and I was on a path adjacent to the road. Mali was behind me, as she most often is and the path in this particular place is hard packed by the many feet that travel it. There was nothing for me to trip on, no rock or tree root, or even a hole that would cause me to mis-step. This was the first thing that was strange. The second thing was I saw it happen in my mind the second before it actually did, a warning which came a bit too late. But I suppose it was not meant to be stopped, perhaps the spirits were just letting me know it was inevitable for reasons I may not understand right away. Normally when I trip, I stumble forward which gives me the chance to correct myself, but in this case, it was more like I was pushed hard because I was down and sliding across the ground without warning. I did not feel my foot connect with anything which would suggest tripping. I slid into home plate on my right side hitting the ground hard on my face, shoulder, hip and ankle. I bounced back up quickly because my face was in the brush beside the path and my first thought was of spiders, something I did not want to see so up close and personal. I was surprised at how instantaneous that thought popped into my mind!! 🙂
I had some minor cuts and bruises, my body felt shaken, my head dizzy, my balance not quite right. I could feel the muscles already begin to tense up and hurt so I knew I had to just start moving, a slow pace to make sure my ankle would not give way. I looked back trying to figure out what caused the fall, but there was nothing there, so I was confused. I was hurting, but kept running thinking it was better to keep the muscles warm. I got to the heart on the road, glad to see I hadn’t imagined it and continued back to my room to get my phone. The walk back up the hill was not easy, but I think it was really beneficial in the end to walk out in this way.
The water had run down the mountain, the gutter having overflowed, allowing the water to then run down the dirt road. I stood there looking at this picture painted by nature and wondered at the amazing possibility of it’s appearance. When you are asking for a sign you are on the right path, I believe you can’t get a more clear image. “The path of the heart is not always an easy one”. Che Guevara…..
I felt a little “off” for the next day or so, but kept to my routine of running every other day. I healed quickly, as I usually do, so none the worse for wear. I felt things begin to change in my mind however, my need to be by the river increasing. I wondered, was it a coincidence this happened the day after I finished posting my book on the blog? What ever the reason, I believe I was blessed to experience all that happened on this day. The unexpected once more giving me an interesting perspective on the road I am travelling…..
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