It's a beautiful morning...

Most of you probably know that I get every other Friday off of work. And I'm a sucker for sleeping in so I usually don't wake up until 10:30. But yesterday my boss was out of the office all day so I needed to go in at 8:00 this morning to get him up to speed on where we are with one of our projects. So I didn't stay up late last night, and instead went to bed at a reasonable time and got up at 7:30 this morning. I ate breakfast and went into work for a half an hour and was home before 8:45. When I got home I decided to spend some time reading my Bible and then went for a run at 9:30. I went for my "long" run, which is 3 miles. I know for many of you that is not a long run, but for me it is. My goal is to be able to run 5 miles by Thanksgiving.

It was such a delightful morning. It was sunny but not hot or humid yet, and a cool breeze was blowing. I love running through my neighborhood because I think it is beautiful - this is what it looks like:
But as I was enjoying my run I was thinking to myself, Why am I such a sucker for sleeping in? Why don't I wake up early on my days off and the weekends and spend time with Jesus and make it out for my run when it isn't blazin' hot yet? Every time that I am able to convince myself to get out of bed early, I always love it. The morning is my favorite time of day, especially when the sun is out. I don't know why I so easily roll over and keep falling back asleep until 10:30. I guess my immediate desires for comfort and sleep win out over what I know is best for me. I think this is a lot of times a metaphor for life. The things that are worth it take some discipline and putting off of our immediate desires, but in the end it is always worth it.

So I got home for my run and proceeded to take my dog for a walk, and by the time I was home and taking a shower it was 10:30, the time I usually would have woken up. I still had the whole day ahead of me and I felt great because I had exercised (myself and my dog) and spent time with Jesus. So, I was able to go to the pool for a few hours (one of my favorite things in the world) with Sarah, Carly and her sister, and enjoy all of my beautiful day off.