Ottawa Race Weekend

On Saturday I ran a 10k. Well, more accurately I did run/walk intervals.

But, I did it (under 1 hour and 30 mins... which for me is an accomplishment!)

And the great thing about Ottawa Race Weekend is that it provides crowds of spectators and throngs of people everywhere along the route providing you with encouragement, even for slow stragglers like me! 

And the love and support that you feel from complete strangers is so helpful. You feel loved, you feel seen. It's amazing. 

Flipside: When people are in pain, why don't we do the same? We don't often rally behind the aggrieved. We rarely let them feel seen. 

Note - I'm not talking about mass casualty events like the Humboldt Broncos crash, 9/11, or Hurricane Katrina. In those heavily media-covered events, the best of humankind does come out of the woodwork. 

I'm talking about the stragglers. Those who are grieving in our everyday lives, limping along somewhat unnoticed, and perhaps embarrassed that they are having such a rough time. Can we start to see them as being just as in need of support as those in the more grief-acknowledgeable spaces?  

Today I am issuing a challenge to all of us to start showing up like the crowds in Ottawa...