Lucky you - this'll be more like bullet points so I can get back to today....First off I ran last Thursday (I think it was, I'm lucky to remember what I wore YESTERDAY, much less a run 5 days ago)and it was kind of eerie. I ran along Highland as I often do and turned down by the golf course, one of my favorite areas to run. I have seen more sunrises in that area than anywhere else. Out of habit I glanced over my right shoulder and though it was a gray, cloudy day there was a hole in the clouds where I could see blue sky. No sun, though the light was reflecting through and things like that remind me of rainbows and Easter; visual metaphors of a promise. No matter how bad things get - and they can get bad, there will be brighter time if you 'stay the course' (over simplification...I know). The reason why it struck me was my next glance fell to the pond where Major Bashinsky had chosen to take his life. In seconds I saw a promise and the result of not believing in a promise. I make no judgement; it just made me sad. We seldom 'see' hope, we just have it and for a brief shining moment I saw it, sad that he didn't. I also told my wife if something happens to me and the coroner rules 'suicide'....No sirree bob tail! I am WAY too big a coward...KEEP LOOKING! Went to Fort Walton to work with the new group down there and they are a determined bunch! They were great....2 things - while down there I read 'Born to Run' and enjoyed it greatly. Me run barefoot, uh not no but HELL no! Personally I didn't see that as the authors message. I saw it as an ode to 'The Joy of Running.' Keep it simple, have fun! Rejoice in what you can do and if the spirit moves you rejoice with AND for others! Some of us may be centuries apart (metaphorically) - different ages, genders, stages of life, income levels but running makes us ALL equal. Much like the line from 'The Bucket List', "Find the joy in your life." I love the line from the book that Jack Kirk said (known as the Dipsea Demon - he ran every Dipsea Race - a 7.4 mile trail run - from 1930 to 2002 when he was NINETY FIVE he ran every Dipsea Race. He passed away last year at the age of 100. "We don't quit running because we grow old; we grow old because we quit running." Keep the joy in your life - however you find fun in running...run! Speaking of that, I took off from our hotel Saturday morning to get a run in before the group run and I heard something I've never heard before and actually never thought I WOULD hear. A barking seal, yep! What the.....? Our hotel was neat Fort Walton's Gulfarium and apparently they have seals (sure! There are seals in the gulf....) and they like to bark...early...while I'm running. Okay, they could be Manatee's, they have those in Florida, but do they bark? Pretty sure it was a seal....I guess he was giving my run his 'seal of approval'.....okay, I'll stop now.