Let’s Celebrate You
Collecting the consolations of the day is something that helps us maintain the stoke to live our lives. It’s true in running and it’s true in the spiritual life.
Consistency. You know those moments during or after a run when you notice some kind of improvement? Maybe that hill didn’t feel so hard or your average pace was faster while you kept it easy. Maybe you feel light and springy on a workout when you usually feel… not that. Or what about when you are playing on the floor with your dog (or child) later in the day after your long run, and you think, “I should feel tired, but I don’t!” Maybe it’s a moment when you notice something beautiful or you have a meaningful conversation with a friend.
What if you used a part of your daily running devotion to collect the consolations of your day?
I want to encourage you to celebrate those moments! What if you started to notice them more and more and it starts becoming a habit? This is one of the keys to running and life. You have to make a habit of collecting all the good stuff. The hard stuff will have its own way of sticking around, and I’ll invite you to honestly accept it and respond to it. Nevertheless, I think that collecting the consolations of the day is something that helps us maintain the stoke to live our lives. It’s true in running and it’s true in the spiritual life.
St. Ignatius’ prayer practice called The Examen helps to collect those daily consolations, and it builds up the practitioner’s capacity to see God’s work in their world. What if you used part of your daily running devotion to collect the consolations of your day (or past 24 hrs)? Whether it’s about your performance or your feelings or your thoughts, it’s worth collecting. What if you began including those in your notes for each run, right next to the weather and the rate of perceived exertion? They say the best run is the one you do, so why aren’t we putting more focus on the ways we can be more consistent with the practices we know benefit us and the world?
We want to hear from you! Leave us a comment in the section below.
What is your practice for collecting the day’s consolations?
