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Running in the Mt. Luojia
Author:Ye Wang  Date:2015-05-15  Clicks:

I’m going running today. I’m not concerned about my calorie consumption for the day, nor am I anxious get in shape in time for the graduation photo shoots. I just want to go running in the Mt. Luojia. 

Frankly speaking, I had never much cared for gym or sports class, since I had been thoroughly sick of having miserable numerous laps around the fields in order to pass the fitness tests. However, after my friend invited me to jog around the Mt. Luojia, I felt as if I were the Alice in the wonderland, finding my rabbit role and falling in love with running in a flash.

3.5 km, 4662 steps. The route beginning at the Maple Garden, passing the English style cottages, and returning to the Luojia Resort is my favorite one. I really enjoy circuiting around the mountain – in the advertent wildlife spotting, in the gentle breeze with earthly smell after rain, and in the genial sunshine spilling over the horizon. Running in the mountain frees me from everyday worries, helps me regain serenity, more importantly, grants me those invaluable moments to contemplate my life. When I’m running, I find time to dream about my future job; to wish for a significant other to share my twilight joggings, as the Underwoods did in the House of Cards; and to wonder about the secret to endure the oral defense.

Last time I even walked up to the slope and tried to take in the panoramic view of the campus after running. Certain things became clear to me when I reached the peak of the mountain with my bestie – I’m going to miss all these piling greens in the University; I’m going to miss all my friends here and that kind of friendship where I can comfortably confide in myself and share laughters and tears; and I will forever cherish the rapport between faculty and students where there are always love, trust, help and support.

Looking back at my college life, it’s tempting for me to try to sum up the past four years with fancy words, thus deem them the fabled “best four years of my life”. But real life isn’t always vibrant with significance. It’s more of a list of short stories than a novel. All the long nights working together with friends to prepare for an exam, all the proofing each others’ papers, all the orienteering runs on Saturday mornings, all the tête-à-têtes about a new crush, all the breakfasts laughing in the dorm: these are the things that build my college life. These are the things that define me.

Simple and unremarkable as these little episodes of time are, they make me content. While running I come to understand that moments like this, in all their seeming mundanity, gives me a sense of reassurance. But it’s not about what’s comfortable. Supported by the amazing community, I’ve got the infinite possibilities of growth. We debated over the definition of feminism. We explored Marx’s theory of commodity fetish. We questioned each other, we questioned ourselves, and we grew. And now we’ve emerged as the selves that we were meant to be. 

Seventeen-year-old me would have said that I made the choice to come here as a matter of practicality. However, four years at Wuhan have proved to be much more nourishing than I imagined. College graduation, to my understanding, is the end of one journey and the beginning of many more. The road still lies ahead, and I decide to keep running toward.

The commencement being right around the corner, I’m going to take advantage of the days I still have left, and collect more moments with people who make the University so difficult to leave, hoping to survive a bout of grad blues. Right now, I like to lace up my running shoes, and bid farewell to the Luojia Mountain.  

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