You Are Awesome!

A few years ago, I ran the Des Moines marathon. It was my first marathon and I had no idea of what was to come.  I remember standing at the starting line with my friend Nancy in downtown Des Moines and being super nervous!  As the gun went off, there was a huge wave of cheers and as I ran under one of the glass skyways, I saw a small group of people jumping up and down and cheering for someone in the crowd of runners.  They were smiling from ear to ear and holding signs and just cheering. It moved me to tears to see these people so genuinely happy for whoever they were cheering on.  Do you know how incredibly difficult it is to cry and run at the same time?

This past weekend, I competed in my very first Triathlon. The Maple Grove Triathalon, to be exact. It was an amazing experience from training with my friends, to bonding with new friends before the race, right up to the finish line. It sounds weird, but I kind of miss it.

So, today when I was out for my morning run, I ended up on the running route of the Triathlon and stumbled upon some words that again, moved me to tears.

Life moves so fast and is so crazy at times that when all the dust settles and you witness human kindness in any form, it can move you to the core.  Someone out there took time to do this.  Maybe for someone that they love or maybe they didn't know anybody in the race.  Their house just happened to sit on the race route, so they grabbed some chalk and did what they must do best...act with pure kindness.