The Almost Last Perfect Day of the Year for Running

Tags

CSN&Y, Fall, Rocktober, Running, Tom Rush, Woodstock

If you run cross country or if you ran cross country you know all about October. You know about who didn’t run all summer because they are rounding into shape too late for the championship races.

You know how weather can be changeable and fickle and you know how the air smells and how the leaves crunch under your feet at this special time the year and the cross country season.

Today, in these parts, it was warm and sunny with a moderate warm breeze which I think they call a zephyr out west.

The thing about the last almost perfect day is that no one tells you when it has happened. The temperate days for running are drawing an end.

In chatting with a neighbor during the late morning we both remarked how beautiful the day was turning out to be. She asked if I was going run.

I told her that my Runners Club of America card would be revoked if I did not take advantage of a day like today.

So I laced up and ran. Instead of listening music or books on tape or a podcast or whatever else people listen to when they run I ran sans headphone as I always do.

And that’s when the Last Almost Perfect Day though hit me right between the eyes.

You don’t know when the Last Almost Perfect Day will be. I guess there are a lot of things that don’t know that are the last time will be either.

I’m going to go off into the weeds here because today’s run inspired me to take a deeper look at the world and my place in it.

Face it – We’re all just specks in the great scheme of things although sometimes we tend to think we are specks in control it’s obvious we are not.

Covid 19.

I’m out there running and sweating and striding and dodging traffic and waving at dogs, it was a great day to be a dog although I suspect every day is a great day to be a dog.

How do I know if today, October 15th will be the last almost perfect day to run? I don’t. No idea.

The day was given to me and I used it well. I’d like to think I did.

There’s a line in a Tom Rush song that goes ” We are only Stardust.” And Joni’s “Woodstock.” ” We are stardust, golden…”.

CSN&Y took that tune and killed it. Both versions tell a story and move you from point A to point B.

Off topic here but rounding third and heading for home.

The almost last perfect day might have been today.

I guess we’ll find out tomorrow.

Seasons and The Circle Game

Tags

Fall, Jackson Browne, James Taylor, Joni Mitchell, seasons, Spring, summer, Tom Rush, Winter

I’m sitting at the kitchen table this morning eating my bowl of generic Cheerios aka known as Oat-O’s around here.  I look out the window at the dogwood tree that forms much of the view.

The leaves are no longer green.  I see shades of red, orange, maybe purple with a little brown and yellow mixed in.  Then it hits me.  It’s Fall.  Never mind the calendar.

The trees have no qualms about accepting the change of seasons.  It’s time and they just do what they have always done.  Accept things as they are and move on.

What is it about us or maybe just me that wants to squeeze the last little bit of Summer out of Summer?

Fall is a transitional season.  It’s always in motion getting cooler every day.  Same with Spring except in reverse.  Summer lays in for a good long haul and Winter does it’s job of letting nature rest.

The answer to last week’s puzzler was of course Joni Mitchell who wrote ” Urge For Going.”  I first heard it on an album by one Mr. Tom Rush titled ” The Circle Game.”

Tom also covered tunes on that record by some other up and coming songwriters named Jackson Browne and James Taylor.  I wonder how they turned out?

Yeah, I’d like to call back summertime and have her stay for just another month or so.

It will be Fall on Tuesday.  Have a great weekend.

Sometimes it’s best to have No Regrets.