Eyes Open
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This story begins with the admonition to get pet insurance, winding tangentially through the heartwarming story of a couple running a race together and the possible conclusion that Jenny is a jerk. Care to join me on this little mind trip?
I spent a fair amount of time, energy and money today attending to the post op check of my Newfoundland (google TTA surgery for a Newfoundland, send the drown-your-sorrows drinks my way and BUY PET INSURANCE). Given the hours it took to take care of my sweet dog, everything else got pushed back today, landing me on the treadmill at 9:30 tonight, instead of out in the gorgeous sun this afternoon. I was exhausted and I thought about how great it would be if I could manage to just shut my eyes, listen to my music and run.
That thought then led me to the memory of my race in Belgium this past June. It's always a crowded race, 27,000 runners this year. You need to jostle for position and I always feel compelled to apologize en Francais as I work my way past someone because the rudeness factor seems to up exponentially when you elbow a person out in a foreign country and just mutter "s'cuse me" (ugly American!)
We were running though an exquisitely lovely section of Brussels, an expansive, cool leafy park with wide winding paths and a pristine blue lake. Sounds pretty, right? It is. Only instead of focusing on the scenery, I got wrapped up in annoyance with a too-cute couple that insisted on running so close together that they formed a wall I got stuck behind. I ran behind them for a about about twenty yards before I wiggled my way around and gave a look behind me to see who the heck it was that would hold hands while they ran.
Here's where you decide that nothing I write is worth reading if it means admitting that you know a heel like me.
She was blind.
He was holding her hand and they were strapped loosely together at the waist so that she could run the race. Relationship was indeterminable, father/daughter? Boyfriend/girlfriend? No matter. They were my heroes for the day.
No one actually chooses to run blind, but we're often left to our own devices and jerry-rigged solutions when we find that we are in frighteningly uncharted territory.
So hold a hand, strap yourself to someone who can see clearly and, if it is a possibility, buy pet insurance. Makes life that much more bearable.
Be well,
Jenny
This story begins with the admonition to get pet insurance, winding tangentially through the heartwarming story of a couple running a race together and the possible conclusion that Jenny is a jerk. Care to join me on this little mind trip?
I spent a fair amount of time, energy and money today attending to the post op check of my Newfoundland (google TTA surgery for a Newfoundland, send the drown-your-sorrows drinks my way and BUY PET INSURANCE). Given the hours it took to take care of my sweet dog, everything else got pushed back today, landing me on the treadmill at 9:30 tonight, instead of out in the gorgeous sun this afternoon. I was exhausted and I thought about how great it would be if I could manage to just shut my eyes, listen to my music and run.
That thought then led me to the memory of my race in Belgium this past June. It's always a crowded race, 27,000 runners this year. You need to jostle for position and I always feel compelled to apologize en Francais as I work my way past someone because the rudeness factor seems to up exponentially when you elbow a person out in a foreign country and just mutter "s'cuse me" (ugly American!)
We were running though an exquisitely lovely section of Brussels, an expansive, cool leafy park with wide winding paths and a pristine blue lake. Sounds pretty, right? It is. Only instead of focusing on the scenery, I got wrapped up in annoyance with a too-cute couple that insisted on running so close together that they formed a wall I got stuck behind. I ran behind them for a about about twenty yards before I wiggled my way around and gave a look behind me to see who the heck it was that would hold hands while they ran.
Here's where you decide that nothing I write is worth reading if it means admitting that you know a heel like me.
She was blind.
He was holding her hand and they were strapped loosely together at the waist so that she could run the race. Relationship was indeterminable, father/daughter? Boyfriend/girlfriend? No matter. They were my heroes for the day.
No one actually chooses to run blind, but we're often left to our own devices and jerry-rigged solutions when we find that we are in frighteningly uncharted territory.
So hold a hand, strap yourself to someone who can see clearly and, if it is a possibility, buy pet insurance. Makes life that much more bearable.
Be well,
Jenny
If you're a heel, we all are. Who do you know that hasn't been annoyed at someone without knowing the whole story? I'm totally guilty.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great metaphor for life. I don't feel like I'm running blind, I'm walking at best--fumbling most of the time.
Love you, Jen!
What a neat thing to have witnessed, and what a brave woman to have run that race blind. A great lesson to us all. Guess we all do need to strap ourselves to someone/something at times when we can't clearly see the path ahead of us.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing this! I love reading what you write!
Jennifer M.