Home and Body
A family member said to me, about two weeks before I departed for my semester abroad that his father had told him once that just getting on that flight and landing in a completely foreign place was enough to make you a better, different person. I cannot say for sure that it was as simple as that but after finding myself sitting on a plastic, painfully unnaturally bright turquoise plastic mattress that I would have to be completely in charge of what the next 6 months looked like. At every dinner party and cocktail hour in the weeks leading up to my flight I was told that upon arrival I needed to eat all the cheese, all the bread and drink all the wine. Believe me, I did. At least the first two. The novelty of picking up a baguette that was still warm through the brown paper bag did not wear off very quickly, or ripping off a piece and walking through the too good to be true cobble stoned streets. I allowed myself essentially a week and a half to indulge in the stereotypical French delicacies, including a garlic infused escargot dish. Although an ideal diet anyone who knows me even just a little bit will understand that dairy should not play a major role in my meals.
Being far, far away from the sea wall and Kitsilano Beach and Point Holmes I was left feeling a little concerned about how I was going to integrate a running schedule into this new and foreign routine. I had this fleeting thought that I was simply not going to exercise for the duration of my time abroad. This fear prompted me to seek out a few Tripadvisor articles which outlined the best outdoor spaces for walking and running. Accompanied by a friend who shared the same drive for fitness we set out to find this path that claimed to be perfect for a romantic stroll or a solitude running route. We wanted it for the latter. As always following this first run was a hunger to do another and continue so on and so forth. The simple act(s) of lacing up my now-getting-a-little-worn-out runners and strapping on my arm brand and of course inhaling that breath of yes, we are actually about to do this, were enough to remind me of home. But not the home that is approximately 9000km away but rather tuned me into my body. Home.
On every path, road or trail the action of running is the same and additionally yields the same outcome which is a rush of endorphins. Contrast to the assumptions most people generally have about European exchanges I lost (or at least experienced a lessening in) the desire to go out. Most evenings rather consist of a yoga session, which is essential due to the stiffness caused by aforementioned plastic mattress. Surrounded by the unfamiliar allows you to connect to the values that you hold closest to your heart and for me this has proved to be maintaining my wellness. Any extended period of time I have spent away from an exercise routine has often resulted in a feeling that I cannot describe in any other way than blah.
Running or any form of releases endorphins of course and this release lends itself to seeing the world through rose coloured glasses, which is not such a terrible thing. Living alone could be lonely. But it hasn’t been. Instead it is rather nourishing. I’ve developed a healthy routine and also the realization that I actually might be an introvert. Stagnancy in daily life can feel inescapable, routines as products of habit rather than preference. Social commitments and work schedules can be overwhelming and of course, unavoidable and leave little space for consulting well-being.
My commitment to this lifestyle has served as a way to carry ‘home’ with me. I have always associated running with my parents. I long ago became the inheritor of my moms old race t-shirts, those adorned with various dates and distances. Watching her run the Victoria Half Marathon and sitting on the hot curb along Comox Avenue on August long weekend almost every year waiting for either of my parents to finish the BC Day 10km. When I need a little motivation to move I can call upon memories of my mom rising before work to go for a morning run. Running is home and family and perseverance and independence.