More Than a Hello

Near the end of my Saturday run, I passed by another fellow human. He was working his way down the sidewalk; I was cruising - homeward bound.
He said, “Hello - How is your day?” Mummified – I blurted out “OK.”
Didn’t he see I was running – I couldn’t just stop and tell him the infinite details of my marvelous life!
In a flutter of seconds – I passed him.
Then I felt ashamed.

But first let me tell you about him.
He looked about my age perhaps a smidge older – dressed in a suit and tie. He was walking very awkwardly on crutches. As I did a quick scan, (runners are very good at this) I noticed he had special shoes on. Made of black polished leather. The left shoe had a 3 inch sole lift on it.
In a flutter of seconds – I passed him.
Then I felt ashamed.

I quietly asked myself - how was his day going… Was it his first walk on a new leg? Had he been born with a handicap? Or was he walking slowly because he was in extreme pain – recovering from surgery or perhaps a car crash.
The only thing I know for sure is that I should have stopped and talked to this stranger.
If you have a chance - read this related post at Life 2.0
[Blogging's Hidden Jewel]

“Almost everybody avoided his eye and darted off. One or two people looked at him warily. Nobody said 'hello '…

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Life Lessons Learned from Running

This weeks theme at TIaRT is… Life Lessons Learned From Running.
I take every life lesson seriously.

One of the most important lessons I learned from running was – acceptance of myself. Sounds strange, but when I first started running, I did so in the early AM – so no one could see me. I spent precious running time putting on makeup, inserting my contact lenses - ruminating over what I should wear. As if I was constantly under some spotlight. I wasn’t over-weight or ugly, just burdened down with shyness aggravated by a bad case of acne.
Running lifted that cloak...
Now I don’t worry about hiding myself. (Well, maybe still on race days - I try to blend in.)
Running has accepted me into her ways – with unconditional Love.

The Importance of Running Roots
Image morgueFile

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