The Human Spirit

Debby and I frequent the Trinity Trail near Oakmont Park.  It is one of our sacred spaces.  Good "together time" for us - and it's where we do some of our best talking.  (I hope you have some "together time" with those you love.  I think that's very important.)

A few weeks back we saw a young boy - maybe 5 years old - walking along the trail behind his mom and dad.  He was exhausted.  His eyes were full of tears. "Pick me up! I can't walk anymore," he wailed.

Then he saw the playground equipment about 100 yards ahead.

Guess what he did?

He ran!  Ran!  Ran fast!

(I am sure there are doctors reading this blog entry who can explain what happened to the young boy.  How could he recover so much energy so quickly?  There is certainly a scientific explanation for what I saw.  Adrenaline?  I don't know.)

I believe in the Human Spirit.

The Human Spirit is that "something special and mysterious" that enables us to do what we are convinced we can not do.

History provides us many examples of this.  The English defeat the French at Agincourt.  Apollo XIII returns safely back to Earth.  Tiger Woods wins the 2008 US Open with a broken leg.  Jennifer Pharr Davis conquers the Appalachian Trail.  Isner and Mahut play an 11-hour match at Wimbledon.  Benoit Lecomte swims across the Atlantic in 73 days.  Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain secures Little Round Top.

A little boy dashes toward the swing set.

I cannot explain it.

But I know it is real.

Dinner table conversation of the week:

Consider the ethics of writing a fictional anecdote on a college application.