After an extraordinarily stressful couple of days, I just went for a run. I passed a bench, erected by someone in remembrance of a loved one. The wording on the bench said the person’s name, and the years of their life (just 54 years) and then, “Stop. Feel the sun”.
I stopped, I felt what it is to be alive. I stared at the inscription. I breathed. I ran.
About a mile further on in the woods, I took a break from running to wait for my dog who had paused to sniff around in the bushes. After a while, she looked up and noticed how far ahead I was, and set off at a fair old pace to catch me up. The air was cold, my breath hung in it briefly when I exhaled. I bent over, putting my hands on my knees and waiting for my dog to catch me up, her tail wagging, tongue hanging out of her mouth.
And it was the most alive I’ve felt in a long time.
Sometimes it’s the little things…
My journey, from wine lover to sober and happy... 
A refreshing piece indeed. Running through the woods with time to think and reflect is a blessing. I live in a city that never sleeps; it is o good they named it twice, New York, NY. Solitude don’t come by easy here.
Thank you for the reminder that this is not something to be taken for granted! Although I do love NYC – it definitely has a vibe that you don’t find anywhere else 🙂 Lucy