Makes all the difference in the world!

It is cold and dreary in the lowcountry today. We’ve had two days of “winter weather advisory” (which is a WHOLE lot different from that same thing in CT, as it turned out, we had some rain last night and the temp was a chilly 37 degrees when I went out. I really didn’t feel like it but I promised myself if I felt crummy I’d do about a mile total and be happy I got something in. Out I went, and was stiff as a board, I even made the singular concession of wearing sweat pants instead of my usual shorts (more in case I decided to walk in). I made the left turn to go down the trail outside our development and less than a half mile down the road, another runner pulls up beside me, smiles and says “great job”, he then gives me a fist bump and says “have a great run” and pulls away (remember, I’m a member of the SlowAF Run club so he disappeared pretty quickly). A funny thing did happen though…it was as if that fist bump extracted every ounce of negative energy…I was no longer stiff (it usually takes me almost a mile on my best day to loosen up) and I felt like I was gliding on air. My chosen music Kenny Vance and the Planotones, seemed to get just a little bit louder. I no longer felt like I wouldn’t get a good run in, now it was just how far and how long I’d go.

But wait, it gets better, on the other side of the trail after crossing over the road, on the way back, a gentleman running the other way stops and asks if he could take a picture with me to post on his FB page as he likes to highlight the local running community. I was delighted and told him what had just happened to me earlier….he said “yup, that was me”….(yes, I’m old, I was wearing sunglasses and he had taken his hood off and was facing me head on….and yes, I’m old). I didn’t get a chance to tell him what his gesture meant to me so I’m hoping he will be able to read this and see what a difference he made to me today.

I think one of the reasons I do love to run is that the running community is the singular most welcoming and supportive community I’ve ever encountered and I’ve been involved in sports of all kinds all of my life, this is simply another example. Running aside, Abe (the gentleman in the story) is just another example that in this crazy, upside down, divisive present we live in, for the most part, people are kind and generous.

As a postscript, as I’m writing this the sun has broken through.

Abe on the left!!!