For What It's Worth

For what its worth
A nickel’s just a nickel son
Your pleasure calms your pain
Its gonna hurt
You’re out on the road
You’re an old horse "runnin’" along
Shakin’ all the miles been "run"
Hard and mean
Through the valley of shadows
Wickedness unravels

It has been a struggle lately - the slowness, the pain - out on the road. It hurts but my pleasure calms my pain or with pleasure comes the pain. Either way, what I get from running outweighs the struggles. I'm now an old horse runnin' along! The good news is that I am still runnin'. I have run many miles over the years getting close to the circumference of the earth and my body still accepts the pain yet my mind is numb with pleasure. I have run through the valley of shadows, the wickedness of life unraveled. Running has also been there as a friend to me without judgement but not without humility. Bill Rodgers said, "the marathon can humble you." As a friend should be able to do as well, running can humble you. Sometimes you need kicked in the seat of the pants, reprimanded, beaten down, broken - stroked, encouraged. Running does this for me. Running is what defines me for better or worse. It makes me the person I am. Each of us are different. I deal with life through running.

With one touch
Water turns to rust
But tell me
Who is there to trust, anymore
You're fallen fast
You’re rock hittin’ glass
Runnin’ from your shattered past

In Running, you run to and from. It should be opposite of the way it is - running from finish to start instead of start to finish. The finish is is really the end of something but the beginning of a journey to a new start. The journey allows us to learn from the shattered past -fallin' fast - rock hittin' glass. The water is turning to rust so I need softened and conditioned. I need that one touch of God upon my shoulder to help me.

A nickel is just a nickel but for what it's worth, it still has value. Running is valuable to me. It keeps me alive.