PARENTING THROUGH RUNNING

I GRAB MY headlamp and run down the driveway, heading out for the quiet streets an hour before sunrise.

- Kagan McLeod

For a few moments, I'm running underneath the moonlight-and then finally, as I make my way back home, in the first soft light of the sun rising. Maybe it's this feeling of being between two worlds that allows me to feel closer to those I've loved who are no longer physically in this world. Because there are no sounds or movement yet on these roads other than my footsteps, I can sometimes hear the voices of my beloved ancestors who have departed. I often find myself instinctively running down the middle of the road, because for a time the world is all mine to savor and take delight in. It's where I want to be.

I've planned a weekday route that will get me back home in time to pack my daughters' lunches, a small act of love that I enjoy each morning before I see them off for their middle and high school days.

I didn't realize I would enjoy these early morning runs as much as I've come to, even though my pace is slower and it takes some time for my eyes to adjust. There is something sacred I look forward to.