Tuesday, April 9, 2013

Kindness of Strangers


When the first thought of running popped into my head, I immediately dismissed the thought. I knew that I would be laughed at and ridiculed. After all, isn't that what happened all through school? (Wow - Let's put a pin in this for later!)

As that seed germinated in my head, I found many of my friends and neighbors were already runners. These were people I very much trust. When I quietly mentioned that I was thinking of running, I felt overwhelming support, so I joined my run camp and started running. Going to camp each week, meeting with my team, has brought such joy to the whole endeavor. I expect to be encouraged and respected for what I do when I am there.

Now I take mid-week runs along a popular running path near my house. Living in a college town, I see lots of twenty-somethings flying along my path and I don't really expect those same warm-fuzzies from the students. When I cross paths with (more like, get passed by) female runners, I get a smile or a nod. What really made my day yesterday was when I crossed paths with some young men. They both smiled and nodded and gave me a thumbs up. It felt really good to get that validation.