Running With A Man
It is early morning hours. Looks like it will be a pleasant sunny day. I am running my regular morning run as the breeze is feeling cold between my chest and arms while I run into it.
Another man came running. He is faster than me and soon he crossed me. I remember this man. He looked much like me. He didn’t use to be this fast. I have seen him from the very beginning. Back then, he wasn’t much of a runner.
As my body ran forward, my mind ran back to the time when he started running with me. He took his first run with me. He didn’t even know the path then. He used to feel tired quickly. But slowly he picked up. He started loving the run. The peace of morning hours & melody of breeze got to him as well. He came to the tracks before I did. We ran together on windy days, in summer & winter, in rain & mud.
However, as time passed, he got bored of running on the same track every day. He started exploring new places, like mountains, forests, uphill, downhill, whatnot. I began to worry. Will he be safe? Will he take the right route? What if he slips? I didn’t want anything bad to happen to him.
But then, it struck me. Did I run without ever falling? Did I learn my way without ever getting lost? Did I gain my stamina without feeling the pain? Did I get to explore by always being safe?
No.
All this what I don’t want him to do will prevent him from being what I wish him to be. Without his failures, he won’t succeed. His failures are a part of his success. More importantly, it’s the first part.
I taught him to run. I taught him to explore. But can I control his quest to run? Can I control his quest to explore? So, I have to trust what I taught him and let him run. And let him explore.
Sometimes he got lost, sometimes he fell. But every time he managed to get back up and get back home. We argued a lot about his methods but now we agree to disagree on certain things. There are many ways to reach the same place and he might not choose the track I had chosen. His methods are different, and his goals are too. So, he might not always follow how I ran.
Our agreement to disagree has made us peaceful now. It opened more space between us to discuss and share. He values my experience & I cherish his exploration. These days I can’t see where he is running. Even though not in sight, we both know we are just a call away.
Today, I am feeling tired as I am running. My run is not over but I am panting a bit, a bit more than usual. I was about to give up.
But then I saw him running beside me. I looked at him. He smiled at me & gave me his hand. I gave mine & he held tight. And ‘we’ ran.
It’s the most satisfying run I ever had, more than when I trained him, more than when he finished his first run, more than when I picked him up when he fell, more than when I found him when he was lost.
I am happy that I felt tired today. Because this tiredness told me that he is there, and he is ready. He is ready to run, all by him, as I had always wished.
Today
In shining Sun
I happily ran
With my Sun
