A Central Perk

     One of my favorite places for solace in this city is Central Park.  This morning, I took full advantage of the 50 degree weather in New York City's playground as I laced up my pink Asics shoes and headed out for a morning run.  As I ran the inner loop in the park, I was in awe of the beauty of the park on this particular morning.  The heat was thawing out the ground of the park, and a beautiful foggy mist laid fifteen feet above the pavement that held the pounding of New York's morning runners.
    I began to take in the different parts of the park that held this ethereal white mist.  There I was--running on the earth that was thawing out from the cold.  The ground was literally thawing itself out, and I bathed in the beauty of its steam.  As my breath formed it own steam in the air, my thoughts began to race about this parallel between me and the ground that I walk and run ;) on every day.
     Through my morning runs, I am able to heat up my body from within.  When I start off my run, I am like the ground on a cold winter's day.  I am frozen, achy, and feel disconnected from my body, mind, and spirit.  As I heat my body from within, I let off all kinds of steam on my morning runs--literally a steamy breath that presses into the cold air.  But, even more than that--I allow myself to blow off the steam of stress that comes from living in a metropolis.  I am given a sense of solace as my legs give me the ability to explore this park in all of the different seasons.  For me, running is like an electricity as power begins to flow in my body, my mind, and my spirit.  I literally thaw out the cold streams of stress and anxiety, and breathe in the heat of power and solace.
     On this morning run, I began to think of how we thaw ourselves out.  When we feel cold in our lives, how do we heat ourselves up from within?  This morning, I saw how the ground was unable to thaw itself out without the warm weather.  So, the question becomes--What do we need in our lives to remain inspired, in heat, and passionate?  What do we need to thaw out when we become cold? Every person in this world has a different answer.  Maybe it is a run, maybe it is the love of friends and family, or maybe it is knowing that you are who you are supposed to be.  Who knows? That is a question that lies within us--one that we search for on a daily basis.
      As I came around the loop full circle, I look down the hill to see where I first saw the foggy mist 35 minutes ago.  It was gone.  After hot and cold spent time getting acquainted, the steam disappeared.  Hot and cold diminish, and warmth is born.  When we allow fiery parts of our selves to meet with the cold and uninspired parts, we can ignite and heat ourselves from within.  We will be forever changed. What are we waiting for to heat up our lives? Seriously, a little steam hurts no one ;)

    So, what is the moral of this story? I think that it resides in knowing ourselves enough to not allow our inner fire to be extinguished.  It is about knowing what we need to keep the heat within us.  It is about being warm enough to allow all parts of our selves to be inspired by life.  As I took one look at the road where the foggy mist once was, I ran back to my home warmed up in my body and mind.  I was willing, ready, and able to ignite my day...  I call that one hell of a Central Perk!