The Runner

I was meandering about taking more pictures of seagulls and waves on the beach and wild flowers. She was running - running - up and down the loop paths AND the steps. I went slowly, noticing every little thing. She went quickly - at least six or seven times to my one - focused on the point of arrival at the top or at the bottom. We kept passing each other, nodding and smiling. I wondered at her stamina. She never seemed out of breath or tiring, yet she appeared to be about my age, about my build and shape (a bit pudgy, a bit flabby). How was it she could maneuver that cliff so effortlessly while I huff and puff trudging to the top once?

At last I reached the top and sat on the marble bench, gazing out over the lake at the cloud patterns in the beautiful blue sky. Suddenly she bounded up the steps and plopped down on the other bench, wiped her face with a little towel she had left there, and took a swig of water. We struck up a conversation. Turns out she is training for a triathlon! She has always wanted to do it, and now that her children have all left home, she is going for it. She comes to the cliffs as often as she can, early in the morning, regardless of weather, to give her legs a good hill work out.

She laughed at my reaction when she told me that the first time she ran the bluff, it was easy and didn't present any challenge for her. Then she explained that she had already been training - first on level roadways around her home, then gradually steeper places. By the time she discovered this place, she had already conquered tougher spaces, but not such enjoyable scenery. She encouraged me to keep walking the path, that it would eventually get easier.

I showed her my pictures. She recognized right away the landscapes, the shots of the cliffs and lake. But she kept asking where all these flowers and birds were. In her running, focused on the top and bottom of the cliff, she had missed almost everything in between. When I showed her the petunia bed by the boat sculpture, she was amazed. In all the time she has come here, she had completely overlooked that whole area.

As we parted, she to her car and I to my dorm, I promised to keep walking the cliff while I am here and she promised to come back when she was not focused on training to simply enjoy the scenery and fill her eyes with the beauty surrounding us. I also privately determined not to be so focused on my goals in life, but to enjoy the walk and take notice of my encounters and the joy and beauty God puts in my pathway.