Two days before I entered the LDS Missionary Training Center in Provo, UT to be a full-time volunteer missionary in the Georgia Macon Mission for 18 months, I was running up the Grove Creek Trail in Pleasant Grove, UT.
I like the way my sparkly running tights match the snow
Both glitter and it makes me happy.
So does running
Even on a dark, sub-zero morning
When my breath is visible and
My gloves are frozen where I’ve wiped my clear winter snot.
I ascend the mountain trail, and pause
To see the city lights below.
Their sparkle matches my tights, the stars and the snow.
I am alone on a steep mountain trail,
But I don’t feel alone.
I own this trail.
It’s so early and cold, no one is crazy enough to be out.
Except me.
And I love it.
Fly down the hill on wings of gravity.
This is my time.
Footprints immortalized in the snow
Make me reflect on my path.
Who came before me and
What tracks do I leave?
April Murdock
12.13.04
