Every time my son and I pass someone running we yell out, "run on!" By a short stretch of my own imagination, I am a runner. But my son is a real runner - the kind who runs races every week and puts in 20 to 30 miles of practice. As I watched him progress in running, I realized that it's pretty tough to keep going. Running can also be pretty lonely - especially when it's cold or dark. So, his first year of running for high school, I would tell him to, "Run On!" Then we started saying it to other runners. Every time I think of those words, I think of people who are running on (literally and figuratively).
It's so easy to adopt a woe is me attitude - to feel hopeless and that your situation is unbearable. But when I really look around me, people are going through some serious stuff and still running on. On Wednesday, I went to meet up with one of my running groups. I didn't really feel up to it. My knee had been protesting all day and I was tired. I ran next to a lady I had never met. She had been battling bronchitis and had not been to the group in a little while. She said she had just "gotten over" her bronchitis, but I could still hear the heavy raspiness in her voice and she would cough every few minutes while we were running. Her name was Dawn and she ran nonstop for 3.1 miles with a huge smile on her face when we finished. I ran next to her the entire time because she was so encouraging to me and I wanted to encourage her by giving her a mental RUN ON. I told that old nagging knee of mine to shut up and deal with it. If that lady could run while struggling to breathe, surely I could RUN ON too! So we chatted and ran the entire time and finished strong (well if not strong, alive and well)!
For every single problem or worry I have, I can think of a way things could be worse. Sometimes, we get so caught up in our own stuff, that we don't take the time to recognize the pain, suffering and problems of those around us. Take the time to tell someone to RUN ON. Give a hug, send a card, offer a smile or words of encouragement. You'd be surprised at how much smaller your problems become when you take just a moment to focus on someone else!
RUN ON!
