I run because of the small things....

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I have a mound of unread emails. Countless text messages pile up. The list of to do's is daunting.
 
I should address all of them. All of them are high priority. Running is the last thing I should be doing.
 
But, I lace up the shoes and go. I create space between everything and me. None of the aforementioned can follow me.
 
Thoughts of the undone items rattle around. I pick up the pace. My labored breathing silences them.
 
A brilliant blue sky surrounds me. The blindingly white clouds awe. The sun shines brightly radiating heat.
 
I am not saving lives. No one is going to die if I delay responding to my texts. No lives will be lost if the to do list doesn't shrink.
 
Surely, there are more emails accumulating in my inbox. Undoubtedly, a voicemail has arrived. I press on uphill.
 
The sweat pours out of me. Accompanying it are the worries, doubts, and fears. The voices chiding me for leaving it all behind are faint.
 
Rome wasn't built in a day nor was it lost in a day. What I have built will still be there when I return. I will be as well.
 
I crest the hill and am blessed with a view that nearly brings me to tears. I am so small. The universe is so huge.
 
I am reminded how little I am in the grand scheme of things. It is a welcome humbling. I run on.
 
It's not the size of the dog, but the size of the fight in the dog. As small as I might be, I've got plenty of fight in me. I snarl and carry on.
 
Stay the course. Relax and focus. This too shall pass.
 
My go to mantras never fail. My breathing calms. My strides even.
 
I won't be overwhelmed. The small things won’t fell me. All of the things that got me out here are small.
 
The road stretches on and the small things become smaller. The things I sweat aren't even real. They aren't tangible.
 
They may slow me down. But, they can't stop me. I won't let them.
 
I won't allow them to keep up. I surge again asking my legs to turn faster. They comply.
 
I put a gap on them. Small and frail, they wheeze and gasp behind me. They are fading.
 
I smile to myself as I shift up one more gear. I really put the hurt on them. I obliterate any hope they have of catching me.
 
They might be done, but I'm not. I still have a few miles to go. I want to relish this one.
 
My stride relaxes. My mind quiets. The flow washes over me.
 
I lose myself. The road rolls by unnoticed. No effort is expended. The day is mine.
 
The large things loom ahead. But, they are few. They might fell me, but not today.
 
Today, I move forward. Today, I put the small things behind me.