I'm alive! Thank God!

          Guess what! I'm alive! How do I know? I can feel it. My body is sore from pounding the pavement, I feel the cool morning dew on my hot skin. I'm laying in a patch of shade in the grass, each limb spread out, catching my breath. I'm breathing, that's how I know I'm alive. I feel my heart beating hard. I can feel it in my head, my wrists, my stomach, my feet. My shoes feel too tight. I can feel them pinch, that's how I know I'm alive. I feel the grass grow warm beneath me and start to prickle. I feel the textured, soft hair of my dog who rests beside me. I feel. That's how I know I'm alive. I hear me heart in my ears. I hear my breath, finally slowing. I hear my dog pant beside me. The interstate roars in the distance, but over it I can hear the wind, made audible by the bare branches that stir above me. I smell sweat. I smell dog. I smell fall. It is good to be alive. It is good to be aware. I thank God for my life, for my next breath. It's Thanksgiving after all, today of all days He should be thanked for the life He gives.

                                   

My running buddy, Ace