Some of you remember that I used to post pictures of coffee mugs on Instagram. And I’d write something.

For that season, the mug photo was a message to my friend Brian that I had gone for a run that day. It was an act of accountability, I suppose. But it was mostly and acknowledgement that I knew he cared and was cheering.

For most people, it was a photo of a mug. And that was its own accountability.

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I haven’t been running since October, for a handful of reasons. But I’m working on walking more, and took the mug with me the other day, and took the picture, and remembered the old days. It was kind of encouraging to me. A little bit challenging.

There are seasons for activities. For relationships. For houses and for jobs and for roles. Just like there are seasons for wheat and for corn and for the growth rings on trees.

Sometimes the season is the end of the thing. But sometimes new seasons can resonate with past seasons. And sometimes there’s a place for remembering the old things, the long-term commitments.

In lives and cultures that are constantly moving toward the novel and the new, it can be good to remember what we used to do that was helpful. Maybe we didn’t fail. Maybe we needed a break. And maybe we can start a new season with some acts or rituals or acknowledgements that were helpful before.

And hi Brian, if you see this.