It was early morning. The birds sang happily in the trees as if calling out to the sun as it lazily peeped from behind the clouds. It was the beginning of another beautiful day and what better way to begin it than with a run? I got out of my bed and stretched: slid into my running gear and strapped on my watch. It had been a while since my last run, and I was hoping to get back on track. In the last few weeks, I had slowly noticed the pounds piling around my waistline. I did not pass for a fat or obese person but that was not what I wanted for myself. I wanted my beautiful waistline back and I was going to step out and get it.  This was for me, about me, all mine. I wanted to age gracefully. There was an issue though: the Covid 19 virus had come to change the way we knew life. I could no longer just run out without seeing Covid in every face I encountered on the street. I also did not like the idea of running in a mask. I had heard gory stories about people whose lungs had burst as they ran in a mask, and I was not about to prove the stories true or false. I decided to venture out and run close by. That way, I would not encounter any cops who were out with a directive to arrest anyone without a mask. I don’t know why it was more of the cops I feared than the virus, but I was just being Kenyan.

Anyway, I stepped out and heartily greeted the sentry at the gate with a cheerful smile. He smiled back and must have wondered what made me so happy in the morning. I had seen this small hill opposite where I lived. It was a quiet road and I decided to run there. It seemed manageable and I was determined to do 10 trips up and 10 down. t was small so how hard could that be? And I had a history of good endurance.

I ran down the road, crossed, and began my descent. That went really well. Some people were working at a building under construction halfway down and they cheered me on. I smiled back and ran down. at the foot, I turned and began the ascent. It seemed okay for a few meters…then I began panting! I looked up and I was not even halfway up the ‘small’ hill! I looked down and with a dogged determination decided this hill would not begin my day with failure. It would fall. I heaved and panted to the top and with jubilant exhilaration began my second round. I wondered how I would manage 10 trips. This was hard! Halfway to the top I paused. This was not working. I would have loved to do 10 rounds but today even two will be a victory. I kept going, but my chest was on fire and my heart furiously pounded away. This was way tougher than I thought. I then decided to take it gradually. Every day for the rest of the week I would come and take two runs up and down until I was comfortable. Then I would gradually increase every week as I got better.

I paused at the top to catch my breath before setting off along the side of the road. My morning lesson was taken in a most practical way. As I ran down the road, I pondered the happenings of that morning in my mind. It is good to set goals, and big ones at that. But we need to get realistic with our capacity to achieve them. If they at all seem insurmountable, breaking them into smaller goals that cumulatively get us where we want is the best way to tackle them. The important thing is to keep striving at getting better every day and keeping on with the work. I had also learned that I may at times overestimate my ability and, in such moments, accepting reality, eating humble pie and owning it up was also okay. I was not perfect but had the potential to get better. As much as I acknowledged my limitations, I did not accept getting comfortable where I was. I had to strive to be better constantly.

I ran down the road for about three kilometers and turned back. The run felt good: I was enjoying what I was doing and doing it because I loved it. There was another lesson. That if you do what you love, no matter what challenges or obstacles you face, you will keep at it. I had a passion for running, coupled with a desire to age gracefully that set up a fire in my belly to keep me on that road and it aligned well with what I held true at the very core of my heart: that life was about purpose, passion, and fun. I wondered how that played out in the other aspects of my life. Could I truthfully say that my work, relationships, spiritual life, and finances aligned with the purpose, passion, and fun mantra?

As I got back home and went through the gate, I had a lot on my mind. I knew some things needed to change. I would slowly work my way to an abundant life by intentionally choosing to infuse purpose, passion, and fun in all I did and letting go of what did not align with that. Talk of great beginnings!