Saturday, March 12, 2011

Dragon Slayer

I cannot run from my house without running hills.  I go up or down.  On the return trip, I run the opposite.  Most of my routes start downhill and end with me running uphill.  My least favorite hill is a long gradual climb.  It seems to go on forever when I am already fatigued.  In my reading of using positive mantras, I decided this hill would be my greatest experiment!  The other day as I approached the hill, I made myself smile and began to chant.  "I love hills. Hills make me strong." I figured if I said it with enough enthusiasm, iti would become my truth.

Later, my Facebook status read, Juanitagf smiled and chanted, "I love hills. Hills make me strong." If she says it with enough enthusiasm, will it come true?  Of course, I received a variety of responses.  My favorite was from a cousin.  She replied, "I actually don't mind hills, but when it comes to steep ones I almost always have the phrase 'KILL the HILL!!' going through my head! My fists turn into pretend daggers as I pump them up and down...pretty gruesome, no?! (0; There's a pretty steep one by my house too..." 

I had to laugh.  It is a great mantra!  "Kill the hill!"  I had to try it!  This morning, I had a short tempo that would bring me back home up that hill.  I looked at the bottom and said to myself, "KILL the HILL!!"  Then a picture popped into my mind.  A dragon's back.  A sleeping dragon's back.  I am the dragon slayer.  I must run up the dragon's back.  If I stop, I wake the dragon and he will attack me.  Running the hill quickly and lightly would keep him tranced and I would kill him as I crested the top of his head.  Truly, I have a very vivid imagination...  I began the climb.  Posture upright, feet light and quick.  Each step led me further into danger.  Yet, by continuing, I was able to lull the dragon.  I smiled and laughed aloud.  As crazy as it sounded, it was working.  The hill did not seem so intimidating.  After all, I was the dragon slayer and I would conquer the hill!  I crested the hill and killed that old dragon before he even knew what hit him!  I cruised that last 400 meters home with wings on my feet and victory in my heart!

5 comments:

j.p. said...

Seriously...a vivid imagination is one of the best ways to make it through the day sane. Especially if that imagination is God-guided...for that is when the best insights and understanding are to be had. Not to mention the best humorous epiphanies!

Jess @ Blonde Ponytail said...

I love the image of a Dragon Slayer when discussing hills! My town is not flat...at all!! I know it makes me stronger, but sometimes I want to job out the front door without worrying about the climb back up!

Keep slaying those hills!!! :D

Anonymous said...

So glad I could help inspire your "dragon slaying". Now I know what exactly I'm killing on that hill!! I'll definitely be using that imaginative description on my next climb up!

Raina said...

You must have very strong legs!!

I love your imagination =D Definitely a blessing.

Jess @ Blonde Ponytail said...

I gave you a shout out in my recent post!