today was insane. a proper harbringer of the summer. its like the clocks went forward last night and that little click in the watch mechanism set a spark which ignited my need for adventure and discovery.
started like any other day, safe in the cave of duvets that is my bed after falling asleep at about 7 am, listening to my own heartbeats as the cracks in the curtains gained illumination.
continued like any other day, farting around my apartment playing guitar and listening to music and not doing anything hugely productive.
but then the ignition.
it always starts as something tiny, like that first leaf that catches flames and leads to a forest fire.
i called sean who was in his room and proposed the idea of a casual jog to him, no more than 15 minutes and just around fitzwilliam square, before a late breakfast which we could revel in on the couches.
he agreed.
deadly. game on.
tartan shorts, high socks, running shoes and an old tshirt later we left the apartment with a little pink rugby ball. the purpose of which was that if we didnt feel motivated about running at any stage the holder of the ball would shout go long and the other person would have to run to catch it as he hurled it as far as he can. yup. we're awesome like that, turning demotivation into a motivational game. (do it, it works)
so then the adventure fire started burning brighter and we decided to run down the canal, looking at the ducks, high 5ing any fellow joggers we happened to run by, because it makes people happy...
and in a forrest gumpesque move... we just kept running, until we, to our suprise an delight, reached sandymount.
cool. we maybe should have stopped there because when youre not running on a treadmill, you have to run back from wherever you run. but we ignored that. we climbed trees and walls and poles and everything else until we decided that we'd run to the base of the chimneys and call it a day..
then came the hello game, where we take turns greeting every approaching person in a different ways. old people smiled. young couples ignored us but looked back as we ran away. dogs chased us. we chased dogs. it was awesome, a lady on a bike called adriana even gave us a chilled bottle of coke to drink because we said hello to her and had some banter. add sugar and caffeine to adventure and it will only lead to one thing. not stopping at the chimneys.
sure we got there, and took some fun pictures..
seriously impressed with the iphone 3gs camera, tasty shutter speed and that!
so, not wanting to stop there, we ran on around the coast, with the tide out, watching the waves, which were ages away.
we came across some flat sand and decided release our artistic sides in the only way we know.
running makes you think a lot, especially when you have a lot to think about. if youre feeling stressed or bad or sad for whatever reason, try going for a run. escape wherever is bringing you down. go far away, explore, say hi to strangers and find out some new stuff about your city.
we ran all the way to poolbeg lighthouse, racing a ship out of the harbour.
7.2km.
thats about 7km further than i originally thought we'd go.
walked home a different way than we had came, through the industrial docklands, cant wait to get back there with my camera, theres some amazingly beautiful shit looking places there. if that makes sense to any of you.
i can tell you that there is no better feeling than sitting down after that kind of excursion. with no shoes on.
its been a day of adventure, and its set off the summer in me. this ones going to be beyond fantastic.
last summer was just a warm up.
"the lighthouse"
a journey isnt about the destination
the things you learn on that journey make it pale in comparison
but sitting on this rock
staring out over ship provoked waves
i feel calm
the pain in my feet
my legs
the burning in my muscles
they are washed away by the salty air.
turn problems on their head
and forget that you ever called them problems
embrace the decision to pick the furthest point in the horizon
and running there.
embrace the sand in your shoes and the blisters.
theres beauty in everything if youre prepared to find beauty,
from rusty ladders to rocks sprayed silver.
i find that the lighthouse just became an idea,
spawned from every little spark that caught in our heads.
these are the times ill remember when i cant think of anything,
and that will make me smile when everything else seems on the way out.
find those times yourself, and they'll save you.
much love
marcus
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