The Sunset lifts my Spirit High

                  

A Friend I met A friend I had to shout "GO HOME!!!"

On my run today I met one of the happiest pit bull puppies I have ever met. All he wanted to do was to run with me. Unfortunately I had to tell him to go home. A home I could't even see. I wanted to take him with me, but after having a great time, I had to shout "Home Home!!" With a very sad face, he jogged away with his eyes on me. I had a hard time resuming my run. I captured the great moments we had.

Wish I had treats. He looked hungry

I can smell something

The Child in me Wants to Play - Let's Run

As a kid, every street was my playground. It was the perfect place to build an entire community with sand and sticks. Sticks of different sizes were the perfect material to carve all the community members. River sand was the best raw material to built houses (boguca sthandaze). Our hands were the only excavators needed to create roads that connected the different homesteads and other villages built by my friends. New constructions around our homes knew we were coming to get raw materials for sculpturing cars. Additionally, the streets were the perfect football (soccer) field and best track for our most valuable toys, car tires. It's where we polished out football skills and mastered tire racing skills. Being outside was the best way to make new friends and bond. Those were the great fun days.

Looking back now, it seems like age is inversely proportional to the great fun days. For some reason, as my age increased I stopped spending a lot of time outside playing. I felt like I was grown up, hence I should do grown up stuff. I would spend a lot of time in the house doing school work. My dad was strict with the TV; we were only allowed to watch only one show a week. Therefore, I spent a lot of time with my books. The only thing that forced me to go out was either going to school or when my mama sent me to town. However, things changed when I attended Waterford Kamhlaba United World College (WK). That’s when I started running.

Running took me back to the great fun days. It is where I found that young adventurous undefeated self. Today, the trails have become my new playground. On the trails, I feel young again. I feel like I am 6 or 7 years old. I am free of worry, free of homework. I am just in-tune with my surroundings. The synchronisation of the pounding of my feet and the sound of my breath becomes my music. It takes me to the world of possibilities. A world full of joy, peace and freedom. A world where human and nature are one. As I run down hills I spread my arms like an eagle gliding on the mountain. I feel like a kid again.

Fortunately, I am not the only one who plays on the trails. 99% of the time, when I meet a trail runner, he/she leaves me with one of the following; words of encouragements, high five, a nod, or smiles. I always reciprocate such gestures.  Such encounters remind me of my experience as a child. With both the trails and my childhood play, I have made friends and unforgettable memories. I engage with my community better by being outdoors. Trail running has made fond memories, just like my play as a child.  Luckily, I have just begun my journey on the trails.

Live.Love.Run.