As the Gambler says

“You’ve got to know when to hold ’em
Know when to fold ’em
Know when to walk away
And know when to run”

It’s so true.   We have all been there or maybe your one of the lucky one’s who have never lost their Mojo, but it happens.   I lost mine briefly after running the Philly Marathon.   Although I don’t know if it was a true loss of my Mojo as much as recovering from an marathon that I wasn’t fully trained to run.   I took a month off and was ready to come back to chase the 9 plus 1.

Maybe I haven’t been running long enough to need that long of a break.   Even though it’s been a few years, it is all still so new to me.   Plus I keep coming up with bigger dreams to keep my running shoes moving.

That being said there is nothing wrong with loosing your running Mojo.

Nothing.

I also think there is a big difference between loosing your Mojo and needing a break.

Here is the thing in life,  it is never the same.   It evolves.   It changes.   The things that we want and do change with the season of our life.  (I totally stole season of our life from my Mother who uses this all the time).   Anyway, just because we love something doesn’t mean that we don’t need a break from it.   Sometimes it will be a short break.   Sometimes it will be a long break.    And that is ok.

Case in point….

When my middle son was born almost 14 years ago, I discovered the art of scrapbooking.   I loved it.  I used to say that it was my happy place.    For a time it was and I did it every chance that I got.   I’ve got a shelf of scrapbooks to back it up too!   I loved it so much that I even became a Creative Memories Consultant to pay for my hobby.    Then something happened along the way.   It started to feel more like a job than an escape.   It no longer became my happy place, but another chore that needed to be done.   I stopped.

Now I will admit that I miss it.

I will admit that I still have all of my supplies and sometimes look at them longingly.

I sometimes even feel guilty that I haven’t gone back to it yet especially because my youngest only has a baby book done and not the volumes his brother’s have, but that is Mommy Guilt.

I do know though that when the time is right, I will go back.   It seems like a daunting task to think about now – organizing, planning, and all that will come with going back.  BUT when the time is right,  it won’t feel that way.   It will be with excitement that I dust off my supplies.   It will be with enthusiasm  that I put everything in place to start.    It will be with joy that I begin again.

Until such time, they can wait.

The same is true with running.

Your shoes aren’t going anywhere.

Your running friends although will miss you, will be there for you when you return.

It is ok to know when to fold ’em.

It’s ok to know when to walk away.

and

More importantly, you will know when it is time to run.

Life changes and sometimes  all we need is to step away with no guilt, no remorse, and no looking back.   I believe that there is a time and place for everything in our lives.   Sometimes we have to step away from something to allow something new to enter our lives.   If I hadn’t given myself a much needed break  from my scrapbooking, I know that I would have never discovered another happy place called running.

In the end, it boils down to doing what makes you happy.   Life is to short to do things that you don’t want to do.   The trick is though is to know when it is the right time to make a change.

Post Edit

After reading this my sister thought this meant that I was taking a break from my running.   I’m not.    I am running full steam ahead!   This post was inspired by a friend:):)