Helping Out

I believe that people at their core are good. And I have gotten to see examples of that lately. There have been a few times where people have gone out of their way to help others. These have been kind of extreme examples, but beautiful none the less.

The first one was when I was playing tennis with a friend. This was the first time that I have played in years, and my tennis "career" was a semester of tennis class in college. But there we were on a nice sunny morning playing. It was going pretty well, meaning that I missed less shots than I thought I would. One volley didn't end well though. My friend ran to hit the ball, fell and dislocated his shoulder. (poor guy) The nice part about the situation was that there were three different people who walked over to us to make sure that we were okay, and one even offered her car if we didn't have one and needed to go to the hospital.

The second scenario happened at the Tough Mudder, a hard core 10 mile crazy difficult obstacle course. A man was running through hanging electrical wires and over mud and hay. He fell and was in pain on the ground. His family ran back to him (some had finished the obstacle) or stopped if they were with him. They all then knelt in the mud beside him. It was a pretty picture of caring well for someone. There they are soaking in the mud.

Now I am not saying that it was good that either of those people got hurt, but there was a beauty and grace to how people around reacted.

As others ran through the same obstacle on the Tough Mudder course, lots of people stood by and cheered, yelling encouragements if they were getting up out of the mud. It was powerful.

On the way home, we rode on the ferry. We did not fit on the first ferry. The second ferry came and we almost made it on. We had pulled up to get on, but then had to back up once realizing that it was full. A man came up to our window and told us that he had saved us a spot in the front of his lane if we needed to back up into it. Nice.

These moments of kindness and people looking out for each other do happen. I hope that they happen often. I was struck by them lately and took notice.

More Greatness

Last week, I drove to Chicago and spent a lovely day there. It started with a breakfast with a friend. Then a fabulous run by the lake. I ran north along the water and got to a marina. There I stopped and looked back through the sailboats at the skyline. AMAZING! So pretty and amazing! Then I go a sandwich and headed to read at the beach. I ended the day with dinner with a different dear friend. What a great day.

This morning on my run, I watched as the crossing guard waved at all of the cars that drove by. Then he waved at me as I ran by. (don't worry, I wasn't crossing the street) How nice. I am curious how many of the people that he waved at he actually knew. How many of them drive by him at the same time each day? Or are they neighbors of his, as he probably lives close to the school?

These past few days have been so hot that you feel as though you are melting when walking outside. AH. Makes for a very good sticky run though, like you have really worked out. And gives the only legit excuse for being inside on such a pretty day. It is too hot to be out for long.

Nice Days

This week, I went on my boat. It was a perfect day for it. No wind, nice calm water as I paddled and floated. Then I got to go and spend time watching fireworks with good friends. On Tuesday, I had a perfect day too. I went with a friend to Devil's Lake, a beautifully rock cliff surrounded lake. I got to hike, swim, lay in the sun, eat good food, and read. Amazing. And I had a VW Beetle as a loaner car and a new cd for the drive. Good stuff and great time with friends!

Wednesday was a concert on the square. I rode a bike down to the Capitol where everyone picnics on the lawn and listens to the music. The lawn is always packed with people and their variety of picnics. One group I saw had to have been about 12 people in a really big circle with their food and wine in the middle. The couple next to us was playing Farkle.

Thursday, I got to see Ray Lamontagne at the Overture Center. I had never been there before. Beautiful space. And we sat in the very top row. The acoustics were incredible! His voice is soooo gooood.

Yesterday I had 2 soccer games to play in in the evening, with no girl subs for most of it! Sadly, we lost both games. But it is great to get to play outside.

Today I tried to go out on my boat again, but it was too windy. I was out on the water for a very short time. My boat is so light (that's what happens with an inflatable one) that the current and wind really carry it. It is funny to carry the boat normally, and extra awkward when the wind blows it. I carry it with one side of it propped on my shoulder and holding onto the handle. The wind kept catching it and making me stop as I had trouble walking forward into the wind. I abandoned the boat idea quickly today, took it home, and went to sit and read at the little beach by the zoo. A lovely afternoon.

A full week of a lot of goodness, and sweet summerlike times.