The grinch's heart grew that very day...

So... I had an experience while running yesterday, something happened at the gym that made me pause.  If this was a Dr. Seuss book or movie, this would be the point where the narrator would say, "And, Julie, well, she found at that moment that her heart was three times too small... but thanks to this story, then and there her heart grew three sizes..." (Ok, ok, so rhyming and making a point like Dr. Seuss isn't my thing, but you get the point.)

Anyway, there was a gentleman at the gym, maybe in his mid to late sixties and he was struggling to walk.  He had a walker, but you could tell something had happened to cause him to lose the functionality and control of his legs.  There is a rail around all of the cardio equipment and he used his walker to get to the rail.  Once there he let go of his walker, and held onto the rail and started working on walking sideways.  A lady who I had seen many times before but didn't know (she used to be a substitute teacher at my high school) was there helping him walk around the indoor track.  You could tell it was an extreme effort for him to walk and you could tell he was hurting.  However, what I saw next humbled me... Several high school athletes that had been using the weight room were coming to do some cardio and they walked by him.  Many of them stopped to talk with him, gave him high fives, commented on how good he was doing today, and just stopped and talked with him.  They took the time to encourage him in his recovery and they did it with grace and warmth.


Now, I know I am sometimes a *bit* cynical, but this display of kindness, compassion and actual genuine human interest touched me more than I cared to admit.  (Cue Dr. Seuss Narrator... "and her heart grew three sizes that very day!")

It is rare in this day and age that we look past ourselves and choose to encourage others.  We all have our own demons to fight and battles to wage and often times we get so consumed in our own battles we neglect to notice the demons that others are fighting.  Perhaps we should look outward more often...  Anyway, I hope everyone has a great day!

JCP