A Great Day to be Alive!

January 2006 nears the end. What a terrific running month it's been; starting with Fattest Butt on New Year's Day, and the past couple of weekends at Killens with our newest Slug-recruit. The weather has certainly cooperated here in the mid-Atlantic, but it seems there's more to it than that. Suddenly life seems a bit more fresh, and more folks are closer to the old Slug ideal than ever before. It's all about friendship, and sharing your life, being kind, and discovering who you are; accepting it, and being as happy as you can. I have the good fortune to hear from my old & honorary California Slug-bud, Ms. Catra regularly. Today, i want to share an excerpt from her most recent letter/adventure....... Catra says, " I spent a couple of days alone training on Mt. Diablo in the (San Francisco) Bay Area. I got a good 15 mile training run in on Friday....it was super cold Friday night so I decided not to set up the tent; rather I slept in the warm van. It was super foggy and drizzly on Saturday. I ran a good 28 miles. I felt so alone and saw only three other people all day. It was wet, cold, and windy. I couldn't complain. I could only be happy that I was alive and healthy. I forget sometimes how special I am. I can run and travel and do everything I love to do. I see the beauty of the wilderness and explore the trails with my body and mind. We should all stop and think for a moment just how special and lucky we are. We are alive. Be thankful :)" Catra always makes me think, and keeps me grounded in my life. We should all stop for a moment, and remember just how lucky we are. Yes, this is going to be a good year----one day & one moment at a time. happy days, john.