The social animal effect

I (try to) run every morning. But in the remote area I moved to, I hardly see anyone else run. A few people even look at me as weird.

One day I was on the final return lap home. I was getting tired and just pulling through, reminding myself I was almost home. Then I took a right turn and saw this 70+ old man bouncing in my direction. I nodded as our paths crossed and he returned with a wave as we both exchanged a smile.

It was such a beautiful moment. My energy went back up to 100% on an instant! I sped the rest of the mile home. (I should add that runs are not about moving fast but steady, but in that moment I could suddenly do it all!).

I was excited to see someone else running, especially at his age. Suddenly I had no excuses.

When I got home, I reflected on how much we inspire others, mostly unknowingly, with our actions. Every time we push beyond our limits, someone somewhere goes “if she can do that, perhaps I can too”.

Marianne Williamson comes to mind: “We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it is in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same“.