If you have been hanging around my facebook page for any amount of time, you will already have met my friend Beth who has an awesome blog over at Five Kids Is a Lot of Kids.
I love her incredible wit, honesty and genuine transparency of sharing her life as a mom. So many of us want to portray ourselves as having it all together, and some of us might, but honestly – most of us don’t. I enjoy how I can identify with what Beth shares and know that motherhood is a really hard job. God has gifted us all with special talents to be exactly what our kids need.
I have the privilege of re-posting one of her posts that originally appeared on January 22, 2011. I chose this post because everyone needs to have some encouragement – but also because Beth has encouraged me to sign up for the Girlfriends half marathon in Vancouver, WA this October. I have done half-marathons before, but am struggling with injuries – so when she said she was doing that race, I wanted to sign up too – honestly, just so I could have the chance to meet her face to face! I know you will enjoy her as much as I do and I am sure she has no idea how much she encourages me each day when I read her posts!
Lesson learned.
Never underestimate the power of a stranger’s words.
I just went running.
I run because it’s the only kind of exercise I’ve managed to consistently fit into a life with five kids. I don’t have to get gear together or drive to a gym or buy special clothes. I don’t have to wear a swimsuit, or watch myself dance in front of a wall of mirrors. (My running shoe is off to you, Leanne!)
I can just put on my running shoes, beg my husband for a few minutes, and I’m out the door.
And I’ve been shocked (shocked, I tell you) at how much I love to run, especially since I didn’t start ’til my mid-thirties.
I haven’t run for over two weeks.
I tried to count walking at Disneyland as exercise. I didn’t, however, count against my exercise efforts the deep fried Monte Cristo sandwiches, the sugar-coated churros, or the breakfast sausages (if they’re included in the hotel price, the calories don’t count, right?).
Obviously, it was way past time to get my rear end back on the exercise path.
I was slow.
I’m always slow. I’ve never been anything but slow.
But I was really slow.
An incredibly fit, extremely pretty, very smiley runner was out there with me. Her long, blond hair was literally flowing in the wind as she ran.
She was young. She was tall.
Don’t you just hate her?
She lapped me.
Sigh.
I knew I should feel good that I got out there. As a generally slow runner with a competitive personality, I have to work at not comparing myself to others.
But I was comparing. And I didn’t feel great.
As I finished my final lap, the Runner Extraordinaire ran toward me. She said, “I just wanted to say, you’re awesome. Good job.”
She managed to do it with kindness and sweetness, and it lifted my heart. I floated back home.
Never underestimate the power of a stranger’s words or how thirsty we all are for encouragement.
My goal for the week is this:
Be the encouraging stranger.
I’ll let you know how it goes!
And I’d love company. If you’d like to post your stories of spreading encouragement, please do. Or you can e-mail me at [email protected], and I’ll post your stories for you.
Here’s a free tip if you don’t know how to get started: any mom in any public setting likes to know she’s doing a good job with her kids. I can live off “hey, you’re doing great with those kids” for weeks!
How can you encourage someone today? A note left in a drawer, a card sent in the mail, or a kind word to a stranger?
