read between the runs

there’s a lot of thought and preparation that goes into living one’s perfect day. i’ll do my best to keep it relatively realistic, even if it isn’t going to be a regular ole day of life back in h-town. of course the perfect day can be the most grand thing ever, where everyone i have ever loved surrounds me and we all do things that i like, but that isn’t realistic. that was my wedding day, which has already been done. instead, i’ll try to keep in mind that my perfect day can be repeatable in the general sense, with slight changes in scenery and venues.

to start my perfect day, i couldn’t possibly be waking up in my bed at the house. i know i need to be somewhere… whimsical and somewhere much more exciting than the typical daily hustle and bustle. the head immediately goes to either the beach or the mountains. i’ve really enjoyed time in both and could easily envision a perfect day in either. after much internal debate, i decided that it is much more idyllic to wake up in the mountains, so on the perfect day that’s where i find myself. 

i wake up naturally, slightly before the sun next to autumn. i kiss her on the head as she continues to sleep and put my headphones in. i have already designed the ideal morning routine playlist, and i continue to slowly start my day as i listen to comforting music. once i finish my morning run preparation, i go outside and begin connecting my watch to GPS and finish my final stretches. the night previous i mapped out my route for the run, and i start out, reveling in the wind blowing on my face and road beneath my feet. the temperature in the morning is a beautiful, brisk 45 degrees, and i have about 20 minutes of running before the official sunrise up here in the mountains. i planned out a half marathon loop for the morning run, winding between local trails and non-major roads. during the run, i observe the sunrise along a mountain ridge line, and feel strong throughout. i take a break atop an overview and think about the fortune i have to be able to have the financial and physical freedoms to enjoy such a beautiful morning.

i finish my run, chug a low-sugar body armor, and hop into the shower for a quick, warm wash. around this time, probably 8:30, autumn is stirring awake. i join her in the kitchen as she makes us some hash browns. i make my signature tofu scramble on avocado toast, and we enjoy breakfast with a view together.

it’s still a bit cold outside for autumn, so we retreat to the bed and both pick up our current novels to read for an hour. after that hour, we get dressed for the day to go outside for a little two hour hike on some other nearby trails. the views are grand, the temperature ideal, and the tunes impeccable. we find ourselves back at our rental too soon, then load into our car to go grab lunch.

we did a little research and found a little thai restaurant that wasn’t far away, so we drove there and shared some plates and appetizers. the meal was fresh and flavorful, and was a great little find. instead of going back to our place right away, we swing by a local bookstore and record store. we peruse both and decide to purchase one item at each place. we drive home and sit outside on the porch for a few hours and continue to read our books. we see some local fauna traversing by as we read and do our best to not disturb them.

once we are tired of reading, we head inside to take a quick 30 minute nap. once we re-awake, we get back in the car, and head to a burger joint with rave reviews and a vegan burger. we get there, order a drink as we chat about love and life, then order another drink when our burgers arrive. obviously the burgers live up to the hype, and we enjoy chatting with one another as we finish our meals. we debate going out to a bar to continue chatting, but decide to go home, make our own drink, and watch a movie on the couch instead. i cycle through some movies i’ve been itching to watch for a while as autumn mixes the drink, and we enjoy the comedy we decided on.

when the movie is over, we go to the bed and separately complete our evening routine action items before watching the videos we have sent each other on instagram over the past few days. then we separate to read our books until we are tired enough to sleep. i turn over, we cuddle, and close my eyes. before i drift away in sleep, i take two minutes to think about how fortunate i am to have such a great life and wife. i remind myself to be grateful for both big and little things, then lose my battle with the night merchant.

the perfect day for me is very low-key. i had plenty of time to run, read, and spend time with autumn. it was be replete with good food, good vibes, and good views. very little happened outside of me pursuing my favorite activities, and i can’t think of a more perfect, simple day.

do great; be happy