Sweeping away the cobwebs

Last Sunday I went for my first run for quite a few months. In fact its the first run I've done since my entry into the official 10k run last year. After the inevitable Christmas over indulgence, it was well overdue and all the more so when I weighed myself last week and realized that I was 9lbs heavier than this time last year!! ooer indeed.

So...... I used up my hour lunch break at work and set off (expecting and intending to run about 3 miles). The manic part of my personality actually resulted in a run of 6+ miles! I don't know what makes me do this. Well.... maybe it's the desire for satisfaction and the thoughts of "no pain, no gain" that come to mind. That run certainly did blow away the cobwebs. Stretching afterwards, I felt all the tension release from my body and basked in the joy of an endorphin high for a couple of hours afterwards.


To make an analogy with the above, I've become aware of a spiritual blandness in the last year. I've been thinking about this in the last few days, particularly as a result of chatting with my pal Tony at work. Tony is a real mature Christian and Evangelist and he just happened to mention that he'd been praying for me every morning. To say that touched me.... well ... I'd say it hit me like a bulldozer. It certainly brings back faith in human nature to realize how much people think and care about you. It's all too easy to forget that. This episode has brought back a bit of a spiritual re-awakening for me in the last couple of days. I've resolved to give more thought/prayer and petition for those around me, be they friends, acquaintances and even enemies. It's all too easy to say that I'm back on the straight road in these matters, but it's pretty inevitable I'm likely to struggle again in the future. That's just all part of life, sailing through the storms. (I'm bound to say that because I've just been reading a book called "Faith for all Life's Storm's".)

P.s. Tony has set up a blog of his own here having asked me how to do it. He is on my friends list. as "bomber2". I'm sure he'd love a response on his first blog here.

Laters.....

Marty

How does the future look to you?

So here we are. The start to the new year of 2008. A time to consider the challenges ahead of us all. On a personal level, I'm aware there are a fair few challenges for me. There is major building work going on at my workplace that will cause some stress for us all I'm sure. Our shift system may change too.
On a broader front, it seems the news has been full of doom and gloom in the last few weeks. In fact I'd say that things look about a dour as Gordon Browns' face!

Prices at the petrol pumps are at an all time high in the UK (more that £1 per litre).

Oil prices globally are at an all time high.

Domestic fuel is rising beyond inflation. (N Power the first to rise. My cynical mind brings me to the fact that N Power recently have aggressively
been trying to sell on the doorstep. Has me wonder if they knew they would putting the prices up!).

The credit crunch is apparently affecting those with debts. I'm glad I sorted my mortgage last year, in the nip of time too.

Lost data by UK government departments.

The continuing international crisis - Iraq & Kenya come to mind.

So where do we go from here?
Sometimes, I think we just have to get on with it. All the problems of the world can be too much of a burden. It's easier to take one day at a time and deal with issues on small bites. Well..... thats the general intention anyway. I'm not sure I can always maintain that thought.

What do you think?