Dreaming while Running

As someone who works a full-time job and is a full-time mom, I have been learning slowly to embrace the 5:00 am run.  I was a rower for a brief time in college and not once did I think, "how nice to have this quiet time to myself."  Now, though, it is nice to slip out while the house and the neighborhood are asleep.  I turn on my headlamp and away I go. 

This morning's run was spectacular.  I ran on a carpet of magnolia blossoms that shone in the moonlight.  The stars twinkled overhead and every so often a bird chirped to break the silence.  The only other sound I heard was my breathing.  I had been running for awhile and became lost in my thoughts.  I thought of my little girl sleeping in her bed and my other little girl who was likely eating dinner on the other side of the world.  I wondered if the article I had in review would come back soon.  I thought of the to-do list that I had for work that day.  I thought of a friend and her daughter who has a brain tumor.  Suddenly, I looked around and did not know where I was on my route.  I was about two miles farther into my run than I thought I would be.  Once oriented, I continued my run, each stride taking me closer to my still-sleeping house.