Competition

Running down a dirt road this morning, taking in the sun as it rose above the clouds from last night's storm, I watched from a distance a mother and her small son jog playfully along the side of the road with their dog. With their backs to me, their silhouettes glowed with the morning light and I was painfully aware of my loud, hard breathing and the slap of my shoes on the road. Yet, as I got closer, the boy, all of 2 or 3 years old with a mop of blonde hair, turned to watch me, finger in his nose, as fascinated with my approach as I was of theirs.

Next thing I knew, the boy was running alongside, picking up his pace to match mine while I slowed down to match his. He laughed, I laughed and then let him surge ahead of me just before getting to the post at his driveway. With a wiggly little dance and arms raised like a victor, he shouted to his mom that he "won". I kept going, waving good-bye and picked up my pace to take on the hill in front of me.

A little competition is a good reminder of how far we've come...and how much further we still have yet to go.