Author: Sloan

If I Were A Tree

/ Sloan / 2 Comments

If I were a tree.

 

If I were a tree in the woods I would listen.

Stories are being told every day, every hour, every moment deep in the mountains.

If I were a tree I would know the secrets

of trail runners, trail hikers, trail bikers everywhere.

I would listen and not offer my opinion.

I’d let the humans use their feet to answer the questions they ask so often.

So many questions over the years

so many different answers offered,

sometimes solved,

sometimes just discussed,

sometimes serious often goofy

and self involved.

 

 

If I were a tree in the woods I’d laugh at the silly humans.

The questions, the problems they have—they are mobile and moving,

I am here in the woods listening.

My roots growing deeper every year.

I am here to listen, knotty ears and leafy hands

reaching out to help you running fools to solve the worlds problems,

or maybe just your own problems,

or maybe just a sweaty hour bouncing off rocks and hoping to feel refreshed.

I’m here.

How Do You Be?

/ Sloan / 1 Comment

Sometimes I feel like I need to be ‘reset’. The other day I got home from a run, put a pot of coffee on, hopped in the shower (I know! Shocking! But I did have to work later.) After I performed my socially necessary hygiene I grabbed a hot cup of coffee, got my book and sat back in bed, still wrapped in my towel, wet hair patiently drying into ringlets and I read.

My roommate walked by my room and poked her head in and said I look peaceful.  You know, I felt peaceful. My absolute favorite part of my day is the 20 or so minutes I try to allow myself after a run and shower. Enough time to relax, drink a cup of coffee and just be for a moment.

 

What do you do to just be?

 

Book, coffee, love

Book, coffee, love

A Story that has Nothing To Do With Anything

/ Sloan / Leave a comment

What do you do? You’re at a store and use the public restroom. Probably didn’t even plan on buying anything, you just needed to go and stopped in. You used the toilet, [hopefully] washed your hands and then flushed and left. But wait, uh oh, your waste didn’t go down—it’s spinning and spinning, the water is rising, you panic, you leave!

3, 5, 10 minutes later you’re down the block, in the next store totally forgot about what you’ve done. 3, 5, 10 minutes later what you can’t see are the store employees panicking after a different, innocent customer, an honest customer ran over and told them the bowl was over flowing, turn off the water, you don’t hear them yell this from Starbuck’s across the street. You don’t see them moving sock racks, grabbing shoes and grabbing paper towel to stop the flow of your waste from ruining merchandise.

Shopping for earrings while sipping your mocha you have no idea that the store you went to the bathroom in at 4pm closes at 5 but the employees are there until nearly 6pm cleaning up your mess. By 6pm you’re home making dinner with your family not even thinking twice about having used a public restroom. You don’t realize.

 

Next time say something. It will save people time and stress. We all poop. Overflowing toilets happen, but don’t just sneak away.