dead man walking
Most mornings when my friend Becky, Jack the dog, and I are coming back from our run, we see a man hunched over his walker, making his way down the street. The tag is still attached to the walker and it has a seat on it in case he gets tired. He usually goes a block or so and then turns around and comes back. We say "hi" and he always turns, brightens up his somewhat sallow (cancer or congestive heart failure, is my diagnosis) face with a smile and either hellos us or comments on the weather.
Just a summer or so ago I would see this same man, about 4 miles away from his home, walking at a determined fast clip. He was thin and wirey with a hairless skinny chest. He seemed to walk every morning and I ran into him on several of my routes or passed him as I drove to work. He always had a stained white shirt either on, or slung over his skinny shoulders, his hairless chest not yet hunched over with disease. He wore white pants too - they were stained and must have been his favorite- the brotherhood of the traveling white pants, so to speak. I got the feeling that he had to walk...just like I have to run.
I started seeing him less and less, and when I did see him, I noticed his gray color, and not so tall stride. "He is not long for this world" my nursing diagnosis said. But still, he walked and walked, although not as fast. He still smiled and said "hi".
Now he is out there most mornings, pushing his walker and hunched over. He doesn't look so gray but he doesn't look well - until he smiles and you can tell he is enjoying the day and is grateful that he can still be out there. He is no quitter and will keep on going till he can't...the same reasons I keep on going because I can.
A person never knows when the simple pleasures of life will be taken away. He seems to be grateful to still be able to go a few blocks and turn around. It is sad that many of us don't appreciate what we have until we don't have it...like the song "Don't it always seem to go...you don't know what you got till it's gone".
Hopefully I will make adjustments as I need to and keep going. Until then I will run and be grateful and say "hi" to this man and be inspired by his determination. I will feel sad when I don't see him any more.
Just a summer or so ago I would see this same man, about 4 miles away from his home, walking at a determined fast clip. He was thin and wirey with a hairless skinny chest. He seemed to walk every morning and I ran into him on several of my routes or passed him as I drove to work. He always had a stained white shirt either on, or slung over his skinny shoulders, his hairless chest not yet hunched over with disease. He wore white pants too - they were stained and must have been his favorite- the brotherhood of the traveling white pants, so to speak. I got the feeling that he had to walk...just like I have to run.
I started seeing him less and less, and when I did see him, I noticed his gray color, and not so tall stride. "He is not long for this world" my nursing diagnosis said. But still, he walked and walked, although not as fast. He still smiled and said "hi".
Now he is out there most mornings, pushing his walker and hunched over. He doesn't look so gray but he doesn't look well - until he smiles and you can tell he is enjoying the day and is grateful that he can still be out there. He is no quitter and will keep on going till he can't...the same reasons I keep on going because I can.
A person never knows when the simple pleasures of life will be taken away. He seems to be grateful to still be able to go a few blocks and turn around. It is sad that many of us don't appreciate what we have until we don't have it...like the song "Don't it always seem to go...you don't know what you got till it's gone".
Hopefully I will make adjustments as I need to and keep going. Until then I will run and be grateful and say "hi" to this man and be inspired by his determination. I will feel sad when I don't see him any more.
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