Why Run?

Seem to have gotten most of the details for the run and the VA walk finished up.  Have been terrifically supported by the folks over at the Dean’s office and the Foundation.  Hats off to Kathleen, Rob, Crystal, Sarah and Russ (and anyone else I’ve forgotten…).   The website is done, and you can find it at http://www.wix.com/psreynolds/fifty-year-run .  Was fun building it and hopefully it will generate solid interest and cause folks to put some money into a worthwhile effort (plus it’s double Green Stamps day with the matching donations by Dr Breall!) Okay, some of you may not know what Green Stamps are… Yes, I’m old… :0) Read about them here.  Some days you could get twice as many for your purchases.  We shopped those days when I was a kid…

Hopefully, this whole running around idea seems like a good one to most of you.  If it doesn’t, maybe I can explain better why I’m doing it.  I suppose first of all because I can.  I’m fortunate enough to still be able to do this sort of thing and am becoming more acutely aware that the physical is the first to go.  As I’ve said in previous posts, ‘use it or lose it’ certainly applies and maybe I’ll even get a little more mileage out of the machinery if I just keep it oiled.  Secondly, and most importantly, I think it’s a fairly obvious thing that we don’t take anything material with us at the end of this life.  If we are willing to assign ourselves personal purposes in life, I think it will have nothing at all to do with our ability to amass personal piles of stuff.  Rather, it will be the ways that we were able to give ourselves away and the extent to which we could do that which will have added meaning to our existence and be a large part of the reason for our appearance here between our births and our deaths.  I suppose it’s hard to know how we might do that best, but maybe if we can take stock of our talents and gifts and hone them with all we can muster, it will be all it needs to be.  Sharing our finest parts so that they do the most good makes us all richer in the end. 

I was lucky enough to have parents with a similar worldview.  (That was supposed to make you grin…)  They were people who saw good deeds precipitated by good hearts and looked for ways to encourage more of the same.   They took us kids around to various volunteer activities, so we could see what our hands and intent might accomplish.  Mom said once, “We may not have much money, but we can always give our time.”  And, although they preferred to demonstrate love rather than talk about it, I’ve come to realize that the way we love and the amount we love is the best reflection of what we are.  I confess that I wish I could do it better.   But, I think if we can let that love and caring sneak out of ourselves whenever we can and however we are willing, we will impact our families, friends, neighbors, communities, countries and world in a powerful way.  Hopefully, I’m right.  And, in the process, we’ll get a little exercise.

Hope to see you all out for the run.  Please add to the scholarship fund if you are able.  Thanks.