Saturday, July 21, 2007

"The only way to pass the test is to take it."

It's late afternoon on Saturday, and I am sweaty and exhausted, but exhilarated. I joined a large training walk today at the Snohomish Centennial Trail and kept up. I completed 10.3 miles! The trail itself is beautiful. It did not rain, but was just very very muggy. What an outstanding group of people, a couple of men included, about 20 people in all-- they call themselves Kindred Spirits.

Still wearing the hat and ID after the walk, I met a lady in Expresso Express who has breast cancer as do other members of her family. When my son told her I was doing the walk, she insisted on writing me a check. It joins one from a lady I've never met, a former client of my friend and esthetician, Jobeth, who has just recovered from ovarian cancer. Jobeth sent a letter to all her former clients to give an update on her health, but also to ask them to support my walk.

The Native American quotation above applies to my experience. There are all kinds of tests in life, including horrible tests for folks fighting cancer. I am an extremely lucky person. Now that I know I can walk ten miles, I'll be doing twelve miles next weekend in Mukilteo with the same team on some hills.

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