Musings while in pain...

I had my "pace car" with me on my run yesterday...my nine-year-old daughter.  She bikes while I try and keep up with her.  Most of the run is me timing a gasp to yell "Bella!" for her to slow down because I can't keep up.  Good times...

I was kind of crabby yesterday, and couldn't figure out why.  I decided to go for a run (though I REALLY didn't feel like it) as it's a sure-fire way to hit the psychological reset button.

As we were going around the lake, a much, much older gentleman was running on the path toward us.  He was wearing khaki shorts, a button down shirt, and had to be in his early 70's.  It was windy as all get out and the few remaining hairs of his combover were blowing straight off the opposite side of his head.  When I saw him I thought "That's awesome.  He's still got it going on."  After he passed by my daughter said "That's really cool that that old guy is running."

I love that she noticed.  It means a lot to me that she can recognize great things in others.  

People are watching you. What do they see?  

...And I'm not talking about a great outfit or a nice hair cut.  What sort of example do you set?  Is it obvious to others what you value?  What do they see when you're stressed out?  What do they see when you're stuck in traffic and have just been cut off?  What do they see when you're tired?    

Here's another one:  What do you do when you know no one is watching?  

...Though you're watching.  You're there....  

I guess this is all coming back to the issue of personal responsibility and being responsible to yourself first and foremost.  I'm not trying to be a broken record as I've talked about this before, but everything starts with us.  Treating ourselves with respect increases the odds that we can model the behaviors we think are important.  These behaviors in turn affect everyone around us - our families, co-workers, friends, strangers...even nine-year-old girls on bikes.