Running Intersects with Bravery

Running makes me braver. When I began this running journey 4 years ago, I had anticipated the obvious physical benefits and maybe some of the mental benefits.  The spiritual benefits have been enormous.  Running, for me, is a form of centering prayer.  But the bravery, I wasn’t expecting that. 

Running makes me braver in unexpected ways—it spills over into my everyday life.  Many of you know about my passion for being a good neighbor and feeding sheep.  The community garden has grown, and neighbors are picking vegetables.  That, alone, makes my heart soar.  Yesterday, rushing out of church, onto the next thing, I noticed a woman sitting in the garden.  I, under my breath, said, “I should go talk to her.”  My 13-year old heard me, and said, “You should, Mom.”  My heart started pounding.  Shy and introverted, approaching a stranger is still not one of my favorite things to do.  I took a breath, said a prayer and reminded myself that I can run 26.2 miles; surely I can introduce myself to this woman.  I approached cautiously and told her I was glad to see her in the garden.  She beamed.  She had on gardening gloves and was weeding.  She told me she loves to garden.  I told her we were planning our fall crops and asked if there was anything, in particular she’d like to see planted.  She said, “Oh, ANYTHING! I just love to garden.”  I introduced myself and told her she was welcome to garden anytime.  Her name is Deborah and she lives in the apartment complex almost next door to the garden.  That brief conversation changed the tone of the rest of my day.  She blessed me, and I prayed on the walk back to my car, “Deborah, you are a child of God, and I am so glad I met you today.” The running made me brave.  I rarely pushed myself out of my comfort zone before running. 

Running makes me brave.  I’ve been thinking about getting a running coach certification.  I’d love to work with one of our neighbors and show them the joy of running.  I’d love for one of them to be brave enough to trust me to do that.  I’d love for that bravery to spill over into other areas of their lives.  Running makes people brave.