Getting Lost While Running and Chasing the Sun

     I have been running for a few years now. I love running, and love encouraging/inspiring others to run too. Somehow, I ended up accidentally creating my own kid’s running club with the gaggle of kids who live with us. So far, 6 out of 7 have been on runs with me.  One day, our friend Mike decided to join us. Why? Um…probably because he wants to get fit again and half these kiddos are his…and who doesn’t like running with their kids?
      Well, this man “hates” running. Or did. Until the other day…. It was time for a run with the kiddos, but only one 1 wanted to join us (after an hour of iceskating {and falling}). So we went. And guess what?? Mike decided that he may actually *like* running. Or love it. So we ran. I showed him the trails, spurring him on with phrases like, “If we just go a half mile more, you’ll see this”.  And after a mile & a half, it happened. His sense of adventure kicked in and he started saying crazy stuff like, “think we can figure out a way to get over there?”
       The phrase that caught me was “Let’s get lost”. “Um…okay!” I cheerfully agreed. (I tend to be game for anything…which is not always good, especially when you’re dragging a worn out 7yo with you because he’s the only one crazy enough to have gone with you crazy people in the first place). Also, I knew that after this, if we got lost…or expended all our energies….it would be the last time Christina would let us go running together. Oops.
      Our next mile was uphill. My 7yo begged us to head home. Mike’s response? “Let’s follow the sun”. so we did. We followed the sun, which ended up leading us to a main road that led us back to home.  So we didn’t die, get lost or trampled by moose. But, one of us discovered a passion for running…and for now, that is enough…. 
   (Some irony- my youth pastor's nickname for me in highschool was "sun catcher" because....he envisioned me trying to catch the sun in a shoebox….

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