Breakthrough

Yesterday afternoon, I went for a three-mile run around the outer loop of Rice University. It was a beautiful day. The sun was shining, a cool breeze blew intermittently, and my paces felt strong.

As I came to the halfway point, looking up ahead at the Live Oaks that provide graceful shade, I realized that I felt happy. It wasn’t joy or euphoria, but rather an abundance of contentment. What caught me off guard wasn’t the emotion, but rather that I recognized it as it was happening. It was unexpected, as I had just come from an intense therapy session and didn’t have anything in particular to be happy about.

After a few minutes, the emotion passed and I went back to feeling not much of anything. But, in that moment, I understood that I can experience happiness. It is not lost to me or forgotten. It was brief, but it was enough.

The fog is starting to lift, slowly. That makes me happy.