Good Samaritan

I've gotten you to say hello and even offer a few words of encouragement, and you're probably feeling pretty good.  Now your run is not only a time to get in shape, but a chance to lift spirits and spread good will.  The world has become a friendlier place since you've put yourself out there and even though gas is well over $4 a gallon, the smile on a stranger's face is enough to make you momentarily forget your troubles.  Now, let's take things to a whole new level and be a good Samaritan.

The opportunity to help someone else doesn't present itself on every run, but when it does, please step up and do the right thing.  Unlike waving hello or saying a few of words of encouragement, offering a hand might cost you some serious time.  Getting involved has its risks; however, running by and not lending a hand could haunt you for days--even years--so take a chance and help out your fellow man.

Maybe it's as simple as standing up a hubcap that's lying in the gutter, or picking up a soda bottle and throwing it in someone's recycle bin.  If you see a giant palm frond draped across the bike lane (remnants from the latest storm), push it to the side, or better yet, drag it to the nearest yard waste pile.  A couple weeks ago, as I ran by our local elementary school, a ball came flying over the chain link fence and bounced out into the road as several worried children watched, no doubt wondering what was to become of their ball.  Being careful to avoid traffic, I retrieved the ball and threw it back over the fence.  The kids cheered.  I was the hero of the day.  Sure, I had to stop what I was doing, but it's not everyday you get an applause.

Last year I got stuck out on a run, a couple miles from home in an unexpected hail storm.  If you don't know what it's like to be out in hail with shorts and a t-shirt on, let me just say IT HURTS!  Thunder and lightning accompanied the hail and I began to wonder if I'd make it home.  During the brunt of the storm, I took shelter under the eaves of a nearby house, then ventured out as the hail began to subside, trying my best not to slip on the accumulation of hail on the sidewalk.  As I headed down the hill, a white luxury SUV pulled up beside me.  A nice woman with a worried look on her face asked through the rain if I needed a ride.  I looked at her car and looked at the water streaming off my clothes and couldn't bear the thought of ruining her interior.  I declined the offer after she tried to insist several times (the lightning had stopped at that point), but I'll never forget the fact that she was perfectly willing for me to wreck the inside of her car to get me out of danger.

Be on the lookout.  You never know when duty will call.  If you're lucky, it just might be today.

LACE UP and help out!