So I prepared my running clothes, set my alarm for 5am (something I haven't done since my soccer playing days), and prepared myself for this new experience. When I finally did wake up that April morning, it was still pitch black outside. I quickly got dressed before I could allow my body to realize it hadn't seen the likes of this hour in ages, and started my one mile warm up run to the San Jose shelter.
I didn't quite know what to expect upon arrival. In my volunteer guide it said that the group was big huggers and that's the way everyone greets each other. But being the newbie, I wasn't about to initiate the hug!!! Luckily, I did not have to, and the other volunteers and members quickly and warmly introduced themselves and gave me a quick hug.
Everyone formed a circle, all awake as can be, making jokes, smiling and laughing, stretching, and warming up for the run. But like, when I say these people were in a good mood, I mean, you would think they were out lounging on a beach with a cool drink in hand, not a care in the world. Don't they know it's 5:45am and no one should be awake this hour?? Don't they know we're about to have a hardcore workout and are going to sweat and suffer together for the next hour??? (Turns out, I was the one who was wrong--on both accounts!)
After the warm up, we circled up and said the serenity prayer:
God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.
When I heard this prayer, my immediate thought was "ohhhhh this is a religious group, huh?" Ok, noted. I was wrong on that front as well. This 'prayer' has really come to resonate with me at a deeper level, and as I've met more members, the significance of the prayer and how it applies to their lives as well as my own has become more clear, but I will get into that in a different blog post.
So we were finally warmed up and ready to run! I did my intense dynamic stretches and made a beeline to the front of the group to see who the front runners would be that I could buddy up with. Instead, I was approached by an older man with a soothing voice and a great, friendly laugh. We started our "run" (of our group of 15-20, maybe 3-4 people ran, and at a very slow pace at that), and instead of running I found myself walking and conversing with this man. Was there a secret Cynthia competitive itch that was wondering "Ummmmm can we start running now, sir?" Absolutely.
But we continued to walk, and I learned all about this man. I learned how he got to the shelter, about his family around the country, where his favorite Pilsen diner was, his affinity for tennis, his life values, his past work experience, and his goals for getting out of the shelter. He also asked me about my work, about my family, about my hobbies, etc. Mind you, this was all over the course of maybe 40 minutes where we walked (no running!!) two miles, all as the sun was finally peeking over the horizon. It is insane how quickly we were able to connect in a short amount of time! By the end of the "run" I found myself not at all concerned about losing the opportunity to run, but instead I was pleased that on my first day I already made a connection with this wonderful, friendly, man, who gave me a big hug as I left and allowed me to witness that wonderful large smile of his once more. How is that for starting out a Wednesday morning!
I did walk with this man several more times in the weeks that followed, but he did eventually encourage me to start trying to pair up with someone who liked to run since he knew I was very passionate about it, and he felt more comfortable just walking. Even though we didn't always have the opportunity to catch up at each morning run, he was always the first to greet me as I arrived, a big jolly hug and smile, welcoming me as one would welcome a family member they hadn't seen in ages. He promised to teach me to play tennis, and to take me to his favorite diner in Pilsen one day!
My connection with this man was the first of many friendships that I was able to form at the Pilsen location. Although he wasn't the member that I became closest to, he certainly set the tone for me from Day 1 of the type of connections that are possible amongst strangers and the conversations and friendships that can develop over a a quick walk or run, all before the sun rises :)
88 days til Marathon Day!
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