A song makes the 5-kilometer journey full of joy

Sometimes, happiness arrives when you least expect it.

One morning, I went out for my usual exercise.

I had been walking regularly for nine years, but it was only this year that I gradually became able to run five kilometers without stopping. It wasn't a sudden achievement. It was the result of years of showing up, one day at a time.

That morning, I was running while scrolling through short videos on my phone, looking for something to make the miles feel less monotonous.

Then a familiar yet unexpected melody caught my attention.

I stopped scrolling and listened.

I listened again. And again.

The tune was light and lively, with a rhythm that seemed to carry me forward. I could almost hear the sea breeze, picture myself on a mountaintop, and sense the freedom of a song about dreams and flying.

So I kept listening and let the music accompany me on my run.

Gradually, my steps seemed to grow lighter with the rhythm. For a moment, I felt as if I were standing on a mountaintop, the sea breeze in my ears, flying toward the horizon like a butterfly.

Then my Keep app interrupted the moment with a familiar notification:

"You've run 5 kilometers."

That was when I stopped.

Later, I looked up the song. It was Butterfly Fly Away—《蝴蝶飞呀》—by the Taiwanese boy band Little Tigers, or Xiao Hu Dui.

 

An ordinary morning run had unexpectedly become a moment I wanted to remember, all because of a song.

It made me think about something we don't talk about enough. We often discuss discipline, consistency, and goals. But how often do we ask ourselves how to enjoy the things we work so hard to keep doing?

I enjoy listening to music during my walks and runs, and my AirPods Pro 2 are part of that everyday routine.take a look at the AirPods Pro 2 on Amazon 

1. Discipline Helps Us Keep Going. But We Don't Have to Rely on Endurance Alone.

Looking back, most of my exercise over those nine years was walking. Being able to run five kilometers continuously this year feels like a new milestone.

Building a lasting habit takes effort.

Our bodies need time to adapt. We have busy schedules, tired days, and moments when even a familiar activity feels tedious. If we waited until we felt motivated every time, we might never develop the habits we want.

That's where discipline matters.

It helps us take the first step even when enthusiasm is nowhere to be found. Over time, an activity can become part of our routine. We no longer have to persuade ourselves from scratch every day.

But while listening to that song, I realized something:

Discipline helps us stay consistent, and habits make consistency easier. Neither means we have to spend the rest of our lives enduring every moment of the process.

We often associate commitment with hardship.

If something is worth doing, we assume we should accept all its unpleasant parts. As long as we reach the goal, perhaps it doesn't matter whether we enjoy the journey.

But why should it be that way?

If exercise has become part of my life, and I want to keep it that way, why not make it more enjoyable?

If a song can make my run feel lighter, what's wrong with putting on some music and enjoying the time?

I wasn't abandoning discipline by listening to music. I wasn't lowering my standards by looking for pleasure.

I was simply discovering that we can be committed to something and enjoy it at the same time.

Of course, everyone has a different preference. Some people love the quiet of running alone. Others enjoy music, changing routes, or exploring new scenery.

The point isn't to find one perfect way to exercise. It's to find a way that suits us—and makes a habit worth keeping feel good, too.

 

2. Happiness Doesn't Have to Be a Big Achievement.

That morning, I also thought about a conversation I'd had with a close friend.

We had been talking about life and how ordinary most days can feel.

There are always things to do, problems to solve, disappointments to manage, and realities we cannot simply wish away.

Truly happy moments can seem surprisingly rare.

Sometimes, it even feels as though difficult days outnumber happy ones. Happiness appears for a moment, and before we have fully taken it in, it seems to have disappeared.

That song changed the way I thought about those brief moments.

Happiness doesn't have to last forever.

The song eventually ends. The excitement doesn't last the whole morning. After my five-kilometer run, I still have to return to everyday life, with all its routines and unfinished tasks.

But the happiness I felt was real.

I didn't need more money. I didn't need to accomplish something extraordinary. I didn't have to wait until every problem was solved.

I was simply listening to a song on an ordinary morning.

For a little while, it took my mind off the monotony of running. I felt lighter on my feet, and I was reminded of the kind of youthful imagination that makes the world feel full of possibilities.

Perhaps happiness isn't always about life finally becoming perfect. Sometimes, it's about discovering something that makes us happy in the middle of an otherwise ordinary day.

A happy moment doesn't become meaningless just because it is brief. And having many ordinary days doesn't mean our lives are short of things worth enjoying.

Maybe we don't need to demand happiness from ourselves every single day.

But when happiness appears, we can give ourselves permission to feel it. And in our everyday lives, we can look for small opportunities to make such moments happen more often.

3. It's Your Life. Why Not Make It More Enjoyable?

My older brother used to be a strong runner. When he was young, he ran eight kilometers every day.

He once told me about those days. Back then, there were no convenient earbuds and music-streaming apps like the ones we have today. Running depended more on willpower, and the repetition could be tedious.

Things are different now.

We can listen to music while we exercise. We can choose a different route and enjoy the scenery. We can invite a friend along and turn an ordinary workout into a shared experience.

Some people prefer silence. Others enjoy music or the challenge of covering greater distances. We all have our own ways of making an activity meaningful.

I think that's a good thing.

There are many responsibilities in life that we must take seriously, and plenty of things we need to keep doing even when we don't feel like it. But that doesn't mean we must always choose the hardest or least enjoyable way to do them.

It's your life, and you're the one living it, one day at a time. Since each day has to be lived anyway, why not find little ways to make it more enjoyable?

We don't have to wait until every task is finished before allowing ourselves to enjoy life.

There will always be another task, another responsibility, another thing that needs our attention. If happiness is always scheduled for after everything else, we may spend our lives waiting for the right moment without ever really enjoying the present one.

Sometimes, we don't need to change our lives completely. We only need to change the way we experience them.

Let a favorite song accompany us on a walk. Pause to enjoy the afternoon sunlight. Look forward to a meal we've prepared with care or a little time set aside for a book we love.

These small pleasures won't solve every problem. But they can remind us that life contains more than responsibilities and tasks.

Looking for joy isn't about escaping reality. It's about making sure that life includes something worth enjoying, alongside everything we have to do.

4. After All These Years, Don't Forget to Appreciate What You Already Have.

Every now and then, I come across short videos claiming that anyone who can run five kilometers without stopping is already ahead of many people their age.

I know statements like that are meant as encouragement, not as a rigorous ranking.

Still, they remind me that it's easy to overlook what we already have.

When I see friends in their fifties beginning to deal with various physical challenges, I feel grateful that I have maintained an exercise habit over the years.

Of course, exercise cannot guarantee perfect health or keep every physical problem away. But being able to move according to our abilities, notice changes in our fitness, and enjoy physical activity in everyday life are things worth appreciating.

Some people love training for marathons. Others enjoy long-distance running. I prefer to find a pace and distance that suit my own fitness.

For me, being able to complete five kilometers comfortably is already something worth celebrating.

I don't need to keep pushing myself toward longer distances just to prove that I can do more. If I feel good, I run. If running doesn't feel right, I walk. If my body needs a rest, I take one.

Being able to exercise consistently, enjoy it, and stop when my body needs a break—that is enough.

This may be another gift of staying active over the years. I've started paying less attention to what I haven't achieved and more attention to the abilities I already have.

Life certainly needs goals, but it shouldn't consist of goals alone.

We learn, read, write, and exercise not only to reach a particular outcome, but also because the activities themselves can make us feel engaged, fulfilled, and happy.

Final Thoughts: Since We're Living Each Day Anyway, Let's Make Room for More Joy.

That morning, I still ran five kilometers.

The route hadn't changed. The distance hadn't changed. Running itself hadn't suddenly become a different activity.

But because of a song called Butterfly Fly Away, I experienced a lightness I hadn't expected.

I felt as though I were running through the breeze like a butterfly, standing on a mountaintop, with the sea wind around me and music carrying me toward the horizon.

The feeling didn't last long, but it stayed with me long after the run was over.

Perhaps that's what life can be like.

We need discipline. We need consistency. We need to take care of the things that must be done. But alongside all of that, we can look for pleasure, bring a little freshness to ordinary days, and create small surprises in our routines.

Not every day has to be extraordinary. We don't need to accomplish something remarkable before deciding that life is worth celebrating.

Sometimes, a song, a breeze, or the satisfying feeling after a good workout is enough to make an ordinary morning special.

We're going to live our days one by one anyway. So why not take life seriously while also making an effort to enjoy it?

It's your life.

There are realities we cannot control, but there are also many small choices that belong to us.

So go ahead and find a little joy.

Not to escape life, but to enjoy it more fully.

After all, we're not just trying to get through our days. We're also trying to experience the moments that make those days worth living.

Go for a run.

Happiness can be surprisingly simple.

A favorite song. A lighter step. The satisfaction of finishing five kilometers.

Sometimes, these are the little gifts we can give ourselves.