It made things better

I was angry, so I went for a run.  And things got better.
I was confused, so I went for a run.  And things got better.
I was exhausted, so I went for a run.  And things got better.
I was lost, unsure, empty, afraid.  Certain that whatever was left of my sanity had snapped, had come untethered and floated away, to a place so high and remote that I would never see it again, and that even if I did, I wouldn't recognize it.
So I went for a run.  And things got better.
I felt like things could not possibly get worse, so I went for a run.  And things got better.
Another time, I felt like things could not get much better.  I went for a run.  Things got much better.
After enough miles, over enough runs and enough years, I realized:  No matter what, no matter when, or where, or why, I can find my shoes and go for a run and things will get better.
And that realization?  Just knowing that?
It made things better.

-  Mark Remy, Runner's World