Life on a Treadmill

I ran on a treadmill this week. While I was running, I watched (in no particular order): Poker, Superbowl Highlights, VH1, Saved by the Bell, Oprah, Dr. Phil, Olympic previews, National Geographic, Golf, Basketball, and the Blues Brothers.

I ran for 20 minutes.

Running on a treadmill is interesting. The thought occurred to me that as I was running, I was going nowhere quickly. It made me laugh. So I slowed down. Now, I was still going nowhere less quickly.

I quit running.

Running on a treadmill is not a bad metaphor for daily life. There are days I seem to be spinning my wheels, only to be going nowhere and digging deep ruts in the process. There are days that I’m always on the go, always on the move, always 10 minutes late…

I like the big red button that says “STOP” on the treadmill. It feels really good to push that button.

Running outside is completely different from running on the treadmill. There are different sights, scents, and the trails never end. Remember Forrest Gump?

One of these days, it’ll warm up and maybe I’ll start running outside again, away from the restrictions and safety and monotony of the treadmill.

Sometimes we get so caught up in life that it’s like we’re living on a treadmill. And the usual solutions offered are taking vacations, taking medications, taking our chances on the lottery, taking advantage of others…

When I finish running on the treadmill, after I hit that big red STOP button, I head straight for the water fountain and drink deep. On those treadmill days, I need to learn and hit the stop button and let everything inside of me take a big drink.

Here’s to Living Water.