The Beauty of the Trails

I don't live in California, Wyoming, Colorado or Vermont. But that doesn't mean there aren't some days when God's hand doesn't show itself in our humble Florida trails.

Yesterday (when I still had all 10 toenails) I started out on a 16 - 17 trail run at Morris Bridge Park. It was hot, it was humid, but it is Florida and it is June, so no sense complaining about it. About 15 minutes in I saw two wild pigs in the woods. The area used to have 100's of them, but development has encroached, and only a few remain. Still, what a great way to remember that we are part of nature.

Farther in I started thinking about one song. Now my I-Pod has 276 songs on it, but that one song was the very next that played, another sign that I was where I was supposed to be. My thoughts then drifted to my old friend Gary, with whom I spent many off road bike trips in these very woods, before the park got all gussied up! We spent half of the time lost guessing where we were and randomly choosing paths. With the Tampa area having so few natural spots left, the trails are marked and maintained, and almost anyone can challenge the trails without getting lost. I hadn't laid eyes on Gary in years, and had no idea how to contact him, his number is not listed. Anyway, right after than I popped out onto the paved trail and viola, there is Gary riding his bike on the paved trail! And why didn't I wish for 100,000 dollar bill! Hey, it was great to see Gary, but if I'd have known that I had that power....

Later, I was reflecting that it had been an incredible run, I thought the only thing missing is seeing an alligator, well you guessed it, sunning himself happily on the other side of the pond I was running by was the rather large prehistoric reptile, sent to remind me that God was in nature and that I was where I was supposed to be!