Clear Eyes, Full Hearts, Can’t Lose

 

In the TV series, Friday Night Lights, Coach Taylor’s football team yelled that slogan before every game. The sentiment epitomized my evening run. Tonight, the slogan was mine.

 

It’s been a long couple of weeks — hell, it’s been a long year — but I knew this run would be special from the moment I stepped out the door. There’s a small window each evening as the sun goes down when all the colors in the world are their sharpest. The transition is subtle, but you can immediately notice a thousand shades of green in the grass while the similar contrast between the rest of the world takes my breath away.

 

As if it could get better, it was shortly after the rain cleared away and the sun was starting to set. The sky was filled with hues of pink and purple. And then, I noticed a clear rainbow off to my right reflecting off the pond with a faded second rainbow to the left.

 

My phone was dead forcing me to run untethered, which set the stage for a perfect run this evening. My eyes were clear.

 

I was utterly locked into flow and the world around me. Looking over the water, I was absorbed in the calm stillness of the water watching the gentle ripples from the occasional breeze.

 

Moments like these fill me with awe, and I know there must be a God. Who else could create an image or a world of such unbridled beauty?

 

The last few days have been rough, but on this day, I ran with a full heart. I was filled with gratitude. This run, this atmosphere — was an answer to the prayer I did not even realize I’d asked.

 

Rejuvenated, my pace quickened, and I ran through to the finish. Becoming one with the world, I was reminded why I run. Leaving my phone behind was a blessing.

 

When I thought the moment had inevitably passed, I turned a corner to catch an unexpected final glimpse of the sky and ran off into the sunset.

 

Clear eyes, full hearts, can’t lose.