Power in Suffering and Following a Boy Pack
Part of running and being a healthy runner oppose to a crazy psycho obsessed runner is to take days off to let your body rest and recover. I try to have two days of non- running during the week. Usually I'm good about it but every now and then................
Saturday was not a rest day( like today Sunday is). I'm reflecting from yesterday and today:
Saturday I did some exploring and ran along the Charles Rivers and in Cambridge.
I know this about myself...I can say I amsomewhat of a stalker. Perhaps I should not say that for legal reasons. :). Tagging/Following people is my motivation to run a bit faster. As I ran on the Boston side of the Charles I saw 4 young men running together.
The Boy Pack. I followed them. I made sure to keep my distance but still keeping them in eye sight. The Boy Pack had me running fast. They were all tall, long legged lean runners. It must be nice to run at that pace, laugh, and talk with each other. whatever!! :).
Clearly, sista girl was not doing that. I just watch and ran. My short, athletic, tone, and curvy legs at one point got really close to them.
Once we passed the Museum of Science, I lost my pack. I couldn't keep up.
The rate of that explosion of running made me super tired. When we got to the Museum of Science the "Map my Run" app told me I reached 3 miles.
Are you " F-ing" kidding. It felt like I rand 6 miles. I guess that's what I get for following a Boy Pack. Clearly I'm not there yet. And I shouldn't be following a Boy Pack at 6:30 in the morning, unless it was NKOTB but it wasn't
Oh but no worries, I tagged two young female runners to replace the boy pack. Both of these ladies arehard core runners with their running club shirts on.
I could keep up with them for a while at least. As we run on memorial drive, I notice how the ladies were very mindful of the re/construction of the sidewalk and stop lights. Several male runners ran past by us and they didn't care to stop nor wasthe dismantling of the sidewalk an issue of hesitation with them . They ran through the lights and on the street when the sidewalk ended.
For example, the ladies ( and myself) crossed the street so we could run on a sidewalk that wasn't being torn up. The men folk, just kept on their side of sidewalk destruction.
As I continued to run, a female runner stopped and ask me, if the sidewalk was good to run on, since she saw the signs. Male runners did not ask me that. Gendered running experience, clearly.
At some point I lost the female runners I had tagged. As I continued, I was enjoying the beauty of the city and water. How do I process this beauty with seeing several homeless men and women sleeping in Magazine Beach Park on the ground and under the bridge.
Yet, we continue to build housing that the masses can not afford. The median rent for a one bedroom in Cambridge is $2300. For a year that would be$27,600. That is just the basic- I haven't add the other expenses a person would need . If rent should be 1/3 of your income, then someone should be making close to $90,000 a year. The median income is less than $55,000 a year. I'm no mathematician but really?
Today's Homily at Church was about suffering. How Suffering is a good thing because it bares hardship in order to bare fruit" Van Gogh. The truth is not in the pain( because suffering is painful) but the strength, power, love and the " fruit" you are able to bare from it.
Now my sociological and Catholic mind is a bit at odds with this. When I thought about the homeless people I passed, how long must they suffer and be homeless. How long should they not have housing, job, health care? What is their fruit through all of this? Perhaps if I had a conversation with them, I might know.
That made me think......What is the power of suffering? From my experience, If I hadn't lost my mother I wouldn't be running or writing this blog. I wouldn't have had the courage/strength to get out of a relationship that was not healthy. I wouldn't be the better person I am today. Clearly this was not my plan ( no one wants to suffer) but I found "power" and a better sense of self through this.
So I continued and finished my 8 miles, then I saw this bird just Chillin on the water. Another Saturday running journey of thoughts and miles
