Sometimes, People Don't Suck

   I think we all know that living in our 24-hour news cycle world can be a little depressing. There are WAY too many stories of people being violent and hateful, animals being abused and politicians, well, just being politicians (sorry to all of my DC friends - I don't mean YOU!) - and it gets me down. Seriously. It's just too much and sometimes I have to tune things out for a while so I don't completely lose faith in the human race. Which is why training is so awesome.

   Why is training so awesome, you ask? Well, not only do you get the physical and mental benefits that are generally associated with exercise, but you also are out in the world witnessing that sometimes, people DON'T suck. Let me give you a few examples of things I've seen while out training.

• Animal rescue. This is huge with me. Anyone who rides or runs with me has seen me save random turtles, snakes and even snails from certain death. But recently, I was at a local park running and noticed a small group of people, including a paramedic, hovering around a parked car. This car happened to be next to mine and when I walked by I heard a faint "mew."  Yep - there was a tiny kitten under the car and these kind people were trying to lure him out. Of course, I joined in the efforts and after about 15 minutes and some enticing with leftover chicken, the kitten finally poked his little furry head out enough to be caught. One of the rescuers took the kitten home. Turns out - none of the rescuers owned the car the kitten was hiding under. One person just heard the little cry, knew that bad things would probably happen if no one got the kitten out from under the car and stopped to do something about it. Then, one by one, others joined in and Viola! A happy ending!
• Blankets on a bench. What? Blankets on a bench? What does that mean? Well, it's been a little chilly in Nashville recently, being winter and all. And while I was out running a few weeks ago, I spied some folded blankets sitting on a bus stop bench. I don't know who put them there or why. They could have been for the people waiting for a bus to stay warm. Or they might have been for the local homeless population to use at night. But there they were, just sitting there waiting to keep someone warm. 

• Dads with their kids. This is probably the most heart-warming things I see on a regular basis. I'm actually not referring to dads with their small children who are out playing, though that is a wonderful sight, as well. No, I'm thinking about two specific dads that I see out regularly with their grown, mentally or physically disabled sons. One pair I see at the pool almost every time I'm there. Doesn't matter when - Saturday at noon, Tuesday night at 7:30…they are usually there playing pool basketball or something like that.  The other pair I see frequently on the bike, with the father pulling his son along behind him. Totally reminds me of Team Hoyt, or the Long brothers (Check out their stories. If you don't tear up, you're dead inside.). I do not know the stories of the families I see locally, but every time I see them, I just feel good and get inspired to work a little harder.   

   So there you have it. Three reasons why people don't suck. And I never would have experienced them first-hand if I wasn't exercising. If you have similar stories, let me know! I'd love to hear them!