The day was cold and windy with a temperature just below freezing, but after noticing the beautifully clear sky I decided to go out for a long run. Despite the cold, I wore only shorts and a long sleeve shirt. No shelter, no layers, no hand warmers, no phoning a friend.
Why did I feel comfortable running miles and miles from home, when I knew I didn't have enough insulation to be outside for such a long time? Was I nuts!?
Not at all.
I knew that my body would generate the remaining heat I would need; the difference I required would come from within. If I didn't factor that into my clothing choice, I would dress too warmly, eventually sweat too much, and inevitably have to toss off layers of expensive clothing on my run. The only way to get it right was to trust my body to generate the difference.
What struck me was that my body always does generate the difference. I realized how much power there was in that trust. I knew without a doubt that I only had to take a minimum of clothing, because the heat would be created within me.
When we look at the world around us and see limitation and challenge, how much time do we spend trusting what will be created from within? Don't make the mistake of dressing too warmly and not accounting for what you can generate on your own.
I smiled at this thought on a cold day, on a rural road miles from home, as I stood completely comfortable wearing shorts and a t-shirt in a 15 degree wind chill.
I wasn't nuts. I trusted myself.
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