Today was my first race of the season. I use the word "race" loosely, of course, as I'm more about completing than competing. I am proud to say that I ran, or jogged, the whole distance, and was beat by only one jog stroller.
Today was also my daughter's first race. She made it about 3/4 of a mile before persuading my mother, who was walking with her, to turn around. As they were the first to arrive at the finish line, she's convinced she won. More importantly, she made it to the donuts in time to find one with chocolate icing and sprinkles.
Today's race benefited Oceans of Mercy, a ministry that provides, "hope , life and love to orphans and vulnerable children affected by HIV/AIDS. The popularity of the 5K walk/run as a fund-raiser never ceases to amaze me. Make a general plea for money to benefit a cause, even a very admirable one, and the response is usually lukewarm. Ask people to give money AND show up early on a cold, windy Saturday morning to run further than half of us do in any given week, and willing participants show up in the thousands. In cases like Race for the Cure (my first 5K), by the tens of thousands.
What does this say about us? Do we just enjoy pain and suffering? Do we have nothing better to do on a Saturday morning? Is it really that hard to find a running buddy? Are the free bananas and oranges that enticing?
Maybe we just need to feel the give. For most of us, honestly, $20 is not that big of a deal. Our budget wouldn't even notice the difference. But we need to notice. So if we give $20 in conjunction with an event that requires preparation and training, pulls us out of bed at an indecent hour, and stretches our abilities, then maybe we'll take it more seriously. And we need to take the suffering of millions of children seriously.
So join me for race day on September 27 at Sacred Steps to provide care for hundreds of women and orphans in Africa affected by HIV/AIDS. If you've never run a race before, you can find a detailed training guide that will prep you in just 6 weeks. That gives you plenty of time to talk yourself into it, then find a few good friends to convince, as well. Because crazy new goals are infinitely more fun with friends.
2 comments:
I ran 5k once. It took me two weeks.
In the Old Testament, people would walk away from encounters with God with new identities, new names. They would erect shrines to commemorate their experiences. These were admittedly much more grand events, but the Israelites recognized our need for making a commitment or a resolution into an experience. I think that's essentially what you're saying--I just wanted to chime in with that thought.
Can I make a shrine instead? I think that would be better on my knees.
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