"Because I can"

I have two short stories for you today. I know you might be thinking to yourself; "her stories are never short".

Our weather here in the midwest has been challenging this winter. The cold temperatures, dreary skies, snow and ice are becoming tiresome for most people. The other morning my husband was getting ready for work on yet another very cold day. He said he would much prefer to stay in bed (where it is nice and warm) than to go outside. I replied; "That's interesting because I'm sure Cyndie would much prefer to go outside than to stay in bed.

For those of you who may not have been following my blog recently, Cyndie is my husband's cousin's wife. She has now been in the ICU for a full two weeks following a serious car accident. The circumstances that have so radically changed her life were out of her control. The accident was not her fault. Thinking about how much she would love to be able to get out of that hospital bed and venture out into the cold midwest weather, certainly gives another perspective.

On most Wednesday mornings I meet a runner friend at 5:30 AM to run a 6-mile loop around the neighborhood by her house. This morning she called shortly after 5:00 to say that she was sick and would not be running. Hmmmm.... the wind is coming out of the north at 19 mph. The temperature is 6 degrees with a wind chill well below zero. A perfect opportunity for me to skip the run.

And then I thought about Cyndie. Cyndie would love to run. Her ankle was badly shattered in the accident, her pelvis was broken, among other things. For Cyndie, the ability to run six miles is not part of her current reality. As another good runner friend of mine put it (when asked why she runs); "Because I can".

So I ran this morning. It was cold. Very cold. It was windy. It was dark. It was snowing. It was a beautiful morning to run because I can.