Harmoniousness

ORN: Saturday: 12.3 miles, no watch, steady drizzle, nice run
Sunday: 5 miles, easy run

One of the treats of running for me is the West Lafayette Trails, a city-wide system of about 14 miles of off-street, paved, 10 foot-wide paths that connect the residential, wetland and University portions of the city. While it is a super place for running, it is also a social phenomenon, providing a civil, enjoyable place for many citizens to interact while they enjoy private exercise. I’ve had many neat social experiences on the trails, but only one cooler than what happened this morning.

About a mile into the run, near the woods, I heard some music. It didn’t sound familiar but was getting louder. I rounded a turn and realized what was happening. A pair of Chinese women were walking towards me, singing their hearts out! Walking slowly, unconcerned about how it might look, they were making great melody. Perhaps a mother and daughter, they were radiant in face, singing a tune that was both beautiful yet unfamiliar to my Western ears. I’ve seen these women before, so they recognized me as I said hi and waved. They smiled and waved but kept on singing. It was melodious, full of two-part harmony and clearly a song of joy.

How cool is that. To walk along with a friend or family member, singing at the top of your voice, outside, simply enjoying life. And to let me be a small part of it…that’s a gift.

The trail system is very popular with our extensive international community and it is way cool to be part of that as I plod along each day. I could stand to just start singing some days too.

Persevere.