Living life to the fullest

Happiness is so easy to achieve sometimes. Just put your running shoes on and head out into a fairytale winter landscape for a long run with some great company. No matter how tired you thought you were before, you'll feel a lot better afterwards.

Skellefteå was hit by a heat wave, forcing the temperature to rise up to a sweltering -3 degrees Celsius. For the first time in over a week I didn't have to protect my face against the cold. I ran up to the hockey arena to meet with the others and then we ran eastwards. Conversation flowed freely covering all sorts of topics, from work to animals to skiing. Not once did I think that this was hard work; on the contrary, I got a light case of runner's high.

It is difficult to describe the sensation for someone who's never felt it. Everything clicked. I was right where I was supposed to be, doing something that I was always meant to do. This was my natural state of being. I didn't have to make an effort to keep going. It was just so easy.

This high lasted a minute or so, but that's not to say that the rest of my run was less enjoyable. Apart from the fact that my knees were cranky, I was having a blast, running on cycle paths surrounded by snow-covered fir trees. When we got back to the hockey arena and I left the others, I chose the long way home.

I simply cannot imagine a better way to spend a Saturday morning. This is what I love doing the most.