Obstacles. They can take any form and come at any time. Family, weather, injury, money.  We can either ignore them, let them get the best of us or do something I've only recently embraced: thank them.
Thank you frozen ice path that interrupted my morning trail run. How still and humbling the woods were as I carefully walked around you. Thank you Lila, for continuing to be my sweetest lunch date even though working evenings so I can stay home with you is often exhausting. Thank you frigid January and the onslaught of new students for reminding me that my mom was always right - wear a hat, be nice to people, work hard - which applies to both fleeting and enduring circumstances. Obstacles or opportunities? It's not how you see them that makes the difference, but how you see yourself.

 Visiting Grandma at the nursing home in lieu of a weekday run

 late lunch date after a day's worth of errands

My trail run becomes an ice run at mile 3