Days When you Feel Like Taking on the World

DO WHAT YOU CAN DO, AND DO IT WELL.

I woke up this morning and stretched my body. I stood in the grass by our lake, and felt the sunshine warm my muscles - I felt like I was absorbing pure energy. I stretched my arms, my shoulders, my legs, my neck, my hands, I let myself wake up with the day.

I went for a hike. I breathed in the smell of wet leaves, I touched the trees as I walked by - the feeling of rough bark on my fingertips. Walking through the woods, I felt part of my surroundings, part of nature and not just moving through it.

I drove to a friends lake, took off my clothes and waded into the cool water. I splashed, swam, jumped from a rope swing, and enjoyed being able to move my body. You are acutely aware of the motions you create when you're in water - you can feel the way your arms rotate, the way your legs flex and kick, you can feel the breathes going in and out of your body. I swam back to shore and let the water drip from my skin.

I was offered the chance to go for a motorcycle ride. I took it without hesitation. We put on our jackets, helmets, gloves, and pants, and then headed out onto the trails. I felt like part of the bike, like it was a piece of me that had suddenly just become enabled. I pulled back on the throttle and motion shook my soul. Trees and dirt flew past me as I raced through the forest. Over logs, through creeks, jumping, skidding, - my heart in my throat, my eyes open wide. Some dreams feel like this, dreams where I am flying.

I stopped by the gym on the way home. The pulse of energizing music filling my ears - thump thump thump. The heaviness of weight, the ability to grasp, to lift, to feel strength leaving your body.. it is a feeling that should not be taken for granted. My arms ached, my veins screamed; I am reminded of the concept of pain passing through my body - it is not part of me, just a fleeting feeling, lost in a few short moments.

I picked up a few bags of frisbee discs, and headed to a course near campus. To throw something and have it move in a desired direction... AMAZING! I am forever fascinated by our ability to control movements - to direct concentrated energy towards a destination. I focus my gaze, draw back my shoulder, and this small round piece of plastic goes flying through the air. Energy lost - motion gained. I play until dark.

I pour myself a glass of dark, smooth wine, and sip on it while I sit watching the stars. I could run 1000 miles right now. I could sail across 7 seas. I am exhausted, and still so full of life. The day winds down, and my motion slows, and I feel the pleasure of enjoying each moment. Not out of desperation, or a need for preoccupation, but out of the love of touching everything - the love of motion.
Today my body moved, and I enjoyed every second of it.


(Andrew Tipton)