Reflective Run

I'll start with this: today was a fabulous day. It feels so normal, so easy, to be back here, and today was another day that left me feeling blissfully at peace. Lars and I just finished a movie (it's now 1am), so I will have to wait until tomorrow to share the details of today's adventure (teaser: it was a Danish Mother, American Daughter date in Copenhagen!), but I want to share the photos from my evening's reflective run before I go to bed.

First, a little background: It was in Denmark that I first started to actually enjoy running. Physical activity is extremely important to each of the Hellesens, and Helle (perhaps unintentionally) inspired me to try running. Until that spring, I had never run seriously--never for any distance or with any real purpose--but suddenly what had always seemed more like punishment began to appeal as a way to let off steam and to reflect. At several points over the course of the semester, I took off running and found myself getting lost in thought (and also physically lost--at least the first time!). Once home, I continued to run for pleasure, and I now have a dream of one day running a half marathon.

Today, the weather could not have been more perfect, and so this evening I decided to test my memory of Ebjy. I laced up my shoes and set out...

Leaving the neighborhood streets, running around the fodbold
fields of the Ejby club, and opening a gate left me here

Through the woods...

Nearing the edge of the pond 

There were three things that I thought a lot about as I ran:

Reflective spot #1

Reflection #1: It is SO liberating to run somewhere that I am not afraid. In Bethesda/DC, there are some very nice trails that are easily accessible on foot or bike, and yet I have been warned not to go alone as dusk approaches (when there might be fewer people around). The chances of being abducted/murdered/assaulted/robbed/whatever other horrible things happen to runners/bikers/young women alone are arguably not high, however that fear exists and leaves me less than relaxed. It takes away from the pleasure of running. In Carlisle, I was never, ever, ever comfortable running onto the wooded trails alone (at any time of day). I have to say it's a real shame, because running with THESE scenes around you makes the experience 100x more enjoyable than running on sidewalks and streets.

Tonight, I ran through deserted wooded trails, forests, fields, neighborhoods, and parks. I ran for 58 minutes and spent large portions of time alone. I do not know these paths. I do not even know this country's language. And yet, I felt absolutely no fear. It was a fabulous experience.

The colors were stunning... SO deep and rich 

Another view I stumbled upon  

Reflection #2: My anxieties. The past few weeks have been insanely stressful as I prepared for this trip to Europe. The prospect of figuring out where my life is going in the next few months (and years!) is a daunting one. Applications to clinical PhD programs are already overwhelming without even having begun. As syllabus week begins at Dickinson today, I am missing my life there. I miss my friends. I miss my classes. I want to know where things are headed, but I know that I have to remain comfortable with uncertainty. 

This was towards to end of my trip (at a point I finally decided I should turn around)

Finally, the sun was setting and I knew I should head home

Reflection #3: I thought about how insanely lucky I have been to have had my semester abroad--to have found this place and been welcomed into this family. My semester in Denmark has, in many ways, shaped who I am today and where I want to go with my life. The classes I took helped me to develop insights and skills that carried me through senior year at Dickinson. Of the many things that the experience gave me, one of the most important remains my sense of what matters most. Tonight, as I ran, I reminded myself of the things I knew I valued when I left DK the last time: family, my friends, balance, gratitude, passion, and purpose. Regardless of what the next few months bring, I can strive to apply those principles and values. Those things I can try to make certain in whatever uncertain circumstances arise.

58 minutes later, I arrived home.

I spent the time before dinner playing with the dogs in the garden. Lars arrived back from Iceland, so after dinner we looked at pictures from his trip and then (of course!) watched a bunch of YouTube videos. The other girls went to bed, so he and I watched a movie and now I've taken waaaay longer than I wanted to blogging haha. I'm now going to submit my Academy of Eating Disorders conference abstracts and go to sleeeeep. Tomorrow I will finally get to explore CPH again (camera in hand!) so I hope to have some really fun photos to share (in addition to the ones from today's adventures with Helle). Until then, godnat <3