This Quarantined Life: Savor

"You know me, I check the science.." That's Claudia. She reads, listens to podcasts, enjoys documentaries and continuing to learn and grow. Claudia is deep and thoughtful. I was excited to have her share her thoughts on this Quarantine Life. You will be inspired by her inspiration and insight. 

Claudia and I last August running the Marquette 50k. 

“We should learn to savor some moments to let time feel worth existing”
― Munia Khan I’m  a student, by nature, so when quarantine began, taking a course seemed like a perfect opportunity to learn something new.  I enrolled in The Science of Well Being, free from Yale University.  It debunks misconceptions about happiness and imparts strategies to achieve an improved state of being. A bonus: there’s no required reading. Stop and Savor Quarantine has provided an opportunity for me to slow down and embrace discomfort as a source of strength. Intrigued by the concept of savoring, I decided to focus on it more intently, as it seemed to be the area in which challenged me most.  As we walk around with heavy hearts and worn spirits, how do I savor?  Savoring is  “the simple act of stepping out of your experience to review it and really appreciate it while it’s happening.”  To savor the moment, notice what's going right, and appreciate it, I had to practice the simple act of stopping and noticing.  This isn't the same as pretending you're happy when you're not; it's more about noticing the things that lead to happiness. And it is, indeed, a practice. I am hearing the birds more then ever, seeing the uniqueness of trees during runs, I  already yearn for the smell of spring flowers and flowering trees. I’ve read more books and listened to more music.  Like many of you, I had never experienced—until now—any event that brought life to a complete standstill.  I hope there is time for you to stop and notice the beauty in life itself. Course or no course, it’s really worth it. Click HERE for link to The Science of Well Being. 

The morning started out beautiful. Cooler tempertures, a soft breeze and a dry trail motivated me to try and run 16 miles at Holly Rec. My body felt excited and moved freely through the path cut in the woods. 

Feeling whimisical I sang and danced to the tunes my ear buds sang to me. 

By mile 4, I felt a twinge of pain in my heal.
By mile 8, that pain turned into a nagging dull ache.
I gutted it out. Andy surprised me and showed up on the trails right about mile 8.
By mile 12, I was in the hurt locker.
I told Andy to go ahead at mile 15.  As I finished up that last mile, I hobbling and tried not to get frustrated with my broken body. I morphed into the beauty around me.
SAVORING the moment, not the feeling my body had but the presense surroundng me, creating a feeling of gratitude. Then I savored it letting everything else go to the wayside. Anita~