Stop. Smile. Run.
run verb
1. move at a speed faster than a walk
2. pass or cause to pass quickly or smoothly in a particular direction
The first is a physical inevitability, the second is a choice, particularly how smoothly I pass through what lies round me, and in what direction.
This morning there’s a breeze off the ocean, scattered clouds tempering the sun’s weight and heat as I run north towards the pier, keeping right, rather than left, passing walkers, strollers, dogs on leads, the sudden stop-to-chatters, loud phone-talkers, and, where the boardwalk narrows, a woman who shuffles from side to side, unsure of which direction she should go to avoid me until I stop in front of her and ask her if she wants to dance and we both laugh.
That, I think, is the answer to so many things: remembering to smile when encountering confusion and fear, my own and others, remaining still for a moment, before picking up the pace again …
breathing in the ocean moving forward
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