Running free...

Nothing gives the illusion (or is it real?) of freedom and youth like running after dark. I ran yesterday for the first time in two years, and I admittedly began with a little trepidation. I thought about how embarrassed I would be if I wasn't able to finish even a mile without collapsing in a suffocating heap. There's a technique in writing called "killing your inner censor" that I think applies to just about any endeavor that involves exorcising irrational fear. Well, I may not have killed my censor, but I certainly outran him. Once I started running, I just didn't want to stop. I was suddenly twelve again, and the street lights I needed to beat had just come on. I felt like I do sometimes when my car has a full tank of gas...I just start thinking thoughts like, "I bet I could be in the Florida Keys before I have to stop again."