Topic-Tuesday: Encouragement

[Mary Ramirez]

Hi all-

I came across this article last week about two women who were running a marathon alone and finished the run holding hands. For anyone who has ever ran, you probably know the aching feeling you get when your legs and your heart are competing against each other.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/women-viral-pittsburgh-marathon-photo-encouraged-each-other-finish-race-n1003841

As I looked at this picture, I just wondered. As I usually do. 

• How do two strangers make such a connection, that they finish this race as friends?
• How can I encourage others without coming off as bossy? Especially friends who aren't giving there 100% when I know they can?
• I need someone to hold my hand and cheer me. Where can I find these ladies? 😂 
• Encouragement can really come in different forms. Verbal, physical, in a letter, subliminally.

What do you all think? 

[Karen O'Keefe]

I'm about to turn 60. About 10 years ago, I signed up to climb the Sydney Harbour Bridge (the one near the Opera House in Australia). If you had asked me if I was in good enough shape for a three-hour climb of any bridge, at night, I would have said no. I had had ovarian cancer surgery not too long before (like maybe 8 weeks before). And still, I couldn't resist. I was alone. Had anyone I knew been there, I feel sure they would have talked me out of it.

The people who collected my $350 assured me I would be fine--and they hooked me up with the gear. As we were all practicing what we had to do to climb the thing, several people were panicking due to a fear of heights. I was afraid of being stuck.

When the time came, I was the slowest, bringing up the back of the pack. And I struggled to stay near the rest of the group (there were maybe 25 of us). Three Australian women kept encouraging me to keep going--and they waited for me so we could all reach the top together. We have remained friends ever since.

Had it not been for those three strangers, I wouldn't have made it. They assured me it was hard for them too, but I will be eternally grateful--as I have a cool photo of me grinning in the dark, at the top of the Sydney Harbour Bridge, with the Opera House lit up in the background. It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

I learned two lessons that day: sometimes our limits are self-imposed and a little kindness goes a long way.