Frozen Flamingos Falling from Frigidity

I flopped down on my made bed after a run to the temple. I was soaked in sweat. I knew I shouldn't be touching my cover in the state I was in, but I needed to be horizontal. The air had been as thick as butter, and Caitlin had rocked my trash. Normally I try to tone down my energy in the early morn' because I'm happy and excited to be up and ready to talk about life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, as well as the mysteries of the universe, and I realize most people aren't like that. 

That wasn't the case Monday. I was drained. I let Caitlin set the pace, and I just fell into it. I remember my friend telling me once that his brother ran an ultra marathon, and he had paced his brother through the most critical points of that journey at night. His brother didn't have extra energy to use on decision making. Like the crazy runners in the book "Born to Run," you need a pacer to do the mental part of running when things get tough; the runner doesn't have to think about how fast to go or where to turn or when to step. 

As we ran up the Safeway hill towards Connecticut, not talking at this point because we were breathing hot, liquid air, I thought about geese. They form a formation and the front runner cuts the air making it easier for the birds behind. Eventually the one in front moves to the back, and a new pacer steps up to break the air. I love how we each do this for each other in life. Sometimes we are strong and can help everyone around us, and sometimes we are weak and need pacers.

As we topped out on the hill, my brain took a sharp turn: flamingos falling from the sky in Siberia! Oh, NPR, you teach me so much: http://www.npr.org/blogs/krulwich/2011/03/07/134229725/flamingos-drop-from-siberian-sky-locals-mystified. So what if your pacer, ummm, goes north instead of south, and you fall out of the sky in Siberia because you're frozen? Well then maybe you just end up in the Krasnayarsk Zoo. And maybe that's not such a bad life! I'm sure these flamingos had no idea that's where they'd end up.

I've thought a lot recently about what to believe and who to follow and how to form opinions and ideas, when so many float around, and what to think about the sexy zeitgeist (noun: the general intellectual, moral, and cultural climate of an era) of our time. I have developing conclusions, but what I do know is there are very few things that are sure in life. And there are some things that I've learned are constant: change and God, and I'm so glad I've learned I can trust Him.