Third Way Thinking Leads to Change in Routine

Possibly OCD, the doctor said. Obsessive thought patterns, and compulsive behaviors patched together in an effort to keep the obsessive thoughts at bay.

My symptoms? excessive list making and a need for routine. Ironically, my desire to control the obsessive, spaghettied thoughts in my head has created a rigid world that no longer works, and I wasn't even aware of it until repeated sightings of that Third Way Media sign embedded itself in my brain. As I wrote a few days ago, to run or not to run has become the wrong question. It's either-or thinking, a lack of creativity, a lack of digging down deep enough to discover the real issues warring within.

But learning a new lesson takes time and either-or thinking reigned its ugly head Sunday morning again. Weather.com promised a scorcher of a day. My running buddy would want to run in the afternoon in the hot sun on the hot track. I just knew my poor lungs would never make it. And I wanted to run, not slog or walk in the heat. That same detrimental question was doing loops in my brain again. Ignoring the limiting question, I jumped out of bed, pulled on my socks, and ran in the cool shade of Broadway Community Park--at about 7 a.m. without any breakfast, and a bit fearful I would get too hungry and weak to finish. But what if I did? I would at least learn something in the attempt. I stuck my phone in a pocket in case of a problem; somebody would come get me if need be.

Later, with wiggles out and body relaxed, I arrived at church in a calm state, better able to focus on worship than I'd been in months.

I ran two hours earlier than normal on Tuesday morning, too, but found road traffic too busy with a mix of school buses, cars, SUVs and vans. But this time I asked the right question: where else might I run, not do I run at 7 or not. So this morning I did my 7 a.m. run in the cool shade on the gravel trail at the park. My podiatrist said trail runs are really better for my feet, so that's another gain from the change in routine. And with no need to be mindful of traffic, I found my thoughts able to flow completely uninterrupted.

Running and third way thinking. It works when I remember to try it. Now to apply this concept to my career, to class preparations, to helping students learn. I should have tried it yesterday--gone to the creek for a respite sooner rather than later.