I went for my first run since the summer tonight. And ended up flat on my face.
As I was running I got to thinking, as you do.
What does it mean to be a blessing to the area in which I live? How does what I believe really impact how I live and where I live?
Then I ran past a Camino tour company and started thinking/praying about people doing pilgrimages and finding hope.
I was reminded of an event I was at this morning on the themes of passion and resonance in leadership. One of the facilitators was describing her frustrations and helplessness about worked events and realised she needed to stop trying to change the world and focus on living out what she wanted to see among those around her. Kindness, respect, Inclusivity, patience.
Later a participant mused “earlier we were talking about the culture of fear that is so prevelant. The opposite of fear is passion.”
“No” another participant jumped in “its not.”
“The opposite of fear is love. You can be passionate and very unloving”
It was when I was musing on this during my run that i missed the pavement and ended up flat on my face.
As I was furtively looking around to see if anyone had spotted my embarrassment a car with two men stopped beside me, wound down the window and checked I was ok.
The kindness of strangers. To a stranger. In that moment we were no longer strangers but bound by a moment of kindness.
And I remembered the conversation from earlier again.
Kindness. Love.
And how much more perfect love casts out fear.
PS My run was a first attempt to train for the Santa Dash – raising money for Innovista’s RISE programme – helping inner city teenagers in Dublin serve their communities and experience that change is possible through leadership and mentoring programmes. If you’d like to give and make my trip more worthwhile you can do so here:
the soapbox 