Focusing on the Present and Songs on Repeat

This week I've been channeling this passage from Eat and Run by Scott Jurek:

"I'm convinced that a lot of people run ultramarathons for the same reason they take mood-altering drugs. I don't mean to minimize the gifts of friendship, achievement, and closeness to nature that I've received from my running career. But the longer and farther I ran, the more I realized that what I was often chasing was a state of mind - a place where worries that seemed monumental melted away, where the beauty and timelessness of the universe, of the present moment, came into sharp focus."

Focusing on the present moment has been something I've been working on for years and that running and yoga continue to bring me closer to every day. Maybe it's something that can be mastered for some, but for me it is a daily practice and reminder. It's made me a happier, a more fulfilled, and less stressed person. We all walk/drive/sit/run around every day absorbed in tiny, unimportant problems that consume our time and thoughts. We waste time fretting, stressed, worried, over thinking the past or future. Each moment spent like that for me is a total waste. I only have so many moments on this earth I intend to take each in and be there for it. A couple days ago I was walking home from work. Honestly, I was sad. It happens. A song came on through my ear buds that you couldn't just ignore and NOT dance to. Instead of skipping the song and wallowing in sadness (which I wanted to do, Adele on repeat), I danced down the street to it. I'm sure it seemed strange (but ask anyone, this certainly is not the first time I've danced in public alone haha). But every person I made eye contact with, smiled. Maybe they were laughing at me... or maybe they remembered not to take life too seriously. Life is weird. We live in these bubbles, we don't connect enough, but despite how different we all are as people, we have so much in common.

Try to connect with someone new. Smile at a stranger. Recognize that in that moment in time, you and someone are sharing something. In that exact moment, you two are the same - people. I smile at everyone I make eye contact with. It's not on purpose, it's just part of who I am. I like to think it brings a little ray of sunshine into people's day, which for them might be a very dark day. We all have those, and we all need someone to bring some light.

On a separate note, my current favorite songs on repeat this week, I couldn't pick one. Mostly pop (never thought I'd love a Bieber song so much...), then two old favorites at the bottom that take me back to 17 year old, black haired, punk me :-) If you know who Tsunami Bomb is, then we have a lot to talk about...