My buddy Jason has been battling his weight for some time now. I'm proud of his progress in the gym and tonight he gave me some food for thought. Better yet--ammo for my next blog.
Jason decided to go for a run the other day while waiting for some car repairs at a local tire store. The location he embarked from is in a rather busy section of our city. Traffic can be tough over there, as I can well attest from my own running experiences in that area.
It's great just hearing Jason set out to run, knowing he's been working hard to lose weight. He reminds me a lot of my own struggle to get below 300 pounds and then gingerly attempting to run. Did you catch that play on words, Jason--"gingerly?" Anyway, here's a guy who has taken the leap and is really making an effort to change his lifestyle.
Tonight, at our church small group, Jason told me that during his run he was confronted by a carload of rocket scientists, honking their horn and screaming at him. I've been there, done that and it's infuriating.
How many of us have dealt with some gem of the gene pool that thinks they need to make a spectacle of themselves at the expense of a runner? Let's see...you're in a car, maybe smoking a cigarette, and we're out there running. Hmmm...Jack LaLanne you ain't. You aren't Stephen Hawking, either. In fact, people that act like this make Ernest T. Bass look like a Rhodes Scholar.
I have a little advice for Jason and anyone else that might be out there running and putting up with the Small Brain Club. I know it's hard to let stuff like that slide because I want to smack someone like that across their smart mouths, but you just can't. This may be our only chance to show Christ to this person. There is a way to handle this where everyone wins. If you ever get your chance to confront someone, do it in a Christ-like manner, demonstrating to them why we run and why it's wrong for someone to do this to us.
Runners are a fraternity. We share a common bond when we're out there on the road. As drivers, we're a little more mindful when we see someone running than we would be otherwise. In short, we get it. Maybe what we need to do is help others get it too.
All we can do is control our own actions. But we can make everyone else aware of how vulnerable we feel when it's just us against the environment. All we have a is a pair of running shoes, not a 2000 lb. loaded weapon.
If you're reading my blog and you're not a runner, please watch out for us. We're out there running because we love it, we want to do it, and it will keep us healthy. Don't punish us for wanting a better life. We respect you. Please respect us.
May God bless you with a safe road ahead.
Ever Forward!!!
TFR
5 comments:
On the flip side I like to honk wave and cheer on any runners I drive by.
Keep it real.
Absolutely and way to turn something like that into a positive. Since we run we're just more conscious and protective of other runners and cyclists out there on the road.
You are the Man, Steven. Hope you are well and enjoying football season.
Gregg
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