It's Time to Smile

The other day, I was running through postcards, which is what I call it when I wind up running on a sandy cove or alongside an old light house, or when I catch a glimpse of the Portland skyline from the southern side of the bay. Anyway, I was running toward one of my favorite postcards (the Portland Head Light), and not doing particularly well given the heat. (82 degrees. Maine has turned me into a wimp.)

Ahead of me stretched at least a half mile of rolling hills (barely bumps in the road, but again, me + Maine = wimpy), and I wasn't feeling great. At all. And my Shuffle thought it would be funny to play a Third Day song. These thousand hills roll ever on....

Oh that's some inspired truth there, Brother. EVER. ON.

They continued: It brings me to my knees in praise. Well, I don't know about praise. To my knees in pain, maybe. These thousand hills just don't hold as much inspirational value when you are trying to run UP every blasted one of them.

Then, just as I rounded the curve for my first glimpse of the ocean, Toad came on to say, We spotted the ocean, at the head of the trail, where are we going, so far away. Well, that's encouraging. We don't know where we're going--just that it's far away. And uphill.

And then, as I was reaching the halfway point, within yards of the light house, Tom Petty decided it would be a good time to tell me I belong among the wildflowers. And he might have mentioned that I belong on a boat out at sea. And I quote, Sail away, kill off the hours, you belong somewhere you feel free.

Well now. Apparently I missed the boat. Here I am running and sweating and panting and ready to keel over, when I could be sailing off into the blue breeze. At this point, I figured the universe was giving me permission to walk for a couple of minutes.

But then I heard Xavier Rudd strumming the intro to one of my new favorites; and this time, I was proud of my Shuffle for picking such a perfect song. And you will think I'm weird (as if you don't already), but I watched a movie montage in my head for the duration of the song. In my brain-film (totally a word--and not just for the radiologist--because I say so, that's why!), I ran through postcards, packed up three shelves worth of my favorite books, built sandcastles, walked the sandbars at low tide, made strawberry jam, waved from the ferry to the Peak's Island shore, traded bites of Kettle Cove ice cream with the kids, and drove off with the family into the summer sky, the dog's ears flapping out the front window. Every minute wildly happy, incredibly hopeful.

I even started running again (for real, not just in my head). Fast. Because, my friends:
Summer is coming. It's time to smile.

So if you were going to make a movie montage of your summer, what scenes would you include? Am I the only one who makes up quirky short films in my head? Does that make me crazy? (Uh oh...channeling Gnarles Barkley....I remember when, I remember, I remember when I lost my mind...)