Inspiration
The experience of watching lead runners pass me by during my recent half-marathon experience, as I mentioned in a previous post, was humbling.
On my first run since the half-marathon, I decided to do a four mile route over at the Arnold Arboretum—the amazing tree museum that makes up part of Boston’s Emerald Necklace.
In order to complete four miles, I loop back and repeat some roads. A man, out for a walk, was going the opposite direction, and our paths kept crossing. Finally, he called out to me, “How many laps are you doing?”
I had no articulate answer because I really wasn’t doing laps—so I stopped and tried to explain my route.
He said, “You’ve passed me four times!”
I nodded.
“I’ve only gone half as far as you,” he said. “I want to be able to do what you’re doing.”
“Just keep walking,” I said. “Then start running. Then it will happen,” I said.
“Oh, it’ll just happen?” he asked.
“Well,” I said. “It will if you keep working at it.”
“Okay,” he said, walking away. “You’re my inspiration.”
I guess, on that day, I was a lead runner. Well…sort of.
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To extend the running metaphor even further, it’s like the passing of a baton, that you’ve become someone’s lead runner.
Jane Kokernak Apr 17, 15:37