Hey fam,
This is Caesura, a newsletter seeking focus in the distracted and busy everyday life. And I am Adil, still here, still writing, still struggling through boredom, laziness, business, and all sorts of things. And still grateful to have you on board.
I am writing this issue with a specific goal in mind — to remind myself why I enjoy the process of running. To this end, I am de-archiving one of my older essay ideas that I never had enough thought behind to finalize, but now, on this uncaffeinated caramalized Sunday’s night I do.
Here we go.
🦸🏻♂️ Running as a Creative Process
Running is a linear and repetitive activity. After all, it has a start and an end, and if you’re running laps, you’re essentially covering the same ground over and over again. But there’s a creative aspect to running that often goes overlooked - the way it stimulates your mind and unleashes your imagination.
When you’re running, your mind is free to wander and generate all sorts of thoughts and creative ideas. It’s a time for introspection and reflection, a chance to process emotions and ideas that have been bottling up during a busy day. For me, this creative aspect, the aspect of mental freedom to let your mind flow in whatever directions you want it to go — this is what keeps me engaged and motivated to keep going.
Without this mental engagement, running can become monotonous and unfulfilling. It’s just another repetitive physical task, rather than a dynamic and creative one. That’s why it’s so important to cultivate the thinking process that running can inspire. It gives meaning to your run and transforms it into a rewarding experience that goes beyond just physical exertion.
Unfortunately, these days, running is less joyful for me, and I feel a growing distance between myself and the act of running. I struggle more during my runs than in the past. These things come and eventually are gone naturally; as long as you have enough enthusiasm and belief in the process, you can push through them. That’s the thing — I am having less and less of these. Often I question myself on why do I even need to run, and if I am running — why do I even need to finish it. And if I still keep on running, my mind is everywhere else, but not here. Not in my strides, not in my breathing, not in my legs, not in my surroundings.
And I feel like it’s time for me to bring it back. Back to the physical.
Hours, days, and weeks of practice and repetition are necessary if I want to run longer, faster, and further. But by infusing my runs with creative thinking and mental engagement, I aim to not only improve physical endurance but also gain a new appreciation for the joy and fulfillment that running can bring.
So, dear confused reader, if you still here and still reading this, an answer may be confusingly clear — I need both physical persistence aka repetition and creative engagement to keep on running and keep on enjoying it. Running is simple and yet complex like that. If you don’t engage your mind, running can become a constant repetition. And yet the same repetition generates the thinking process that keeps you engaged and motivated. You see how we are running in circles here?
For me, running has always been a source of inspiration and creativity. It’s a way to clear my mind and focus on the present moment. And while I may be struggling with it now, I know that I can bring back that mental engagement and once again find joy in the process of running.
See ya,
Adil.