Do something nice...for yourself...

?A runner’s only weapon out there on that road is their shoes. Yes, a good pair of shoes can be the difference between walking and crawling the day after a long run which makes having them essential. I’ve got three pairs that I cycle in and out of throughout the course of the week. One day I will wear the gray ones, the next day it will be the red, white and blue ones and then the next day I will throw on the orange and green pair. Having three pairs to rotate between has kept them fresh and allowed them to last longer. But inevitably when it comes to shoes and running…the road always wins and there comes a time when a new pair must be purchased.

Realizing that the time had come to put a new pair into the rotation I stopped by the mall one afternoon. I panned over a selection of prices and colors before finally deciding on a pair of sleek black and red ones. They looked menacing and mean: just the thing I would need to take on the tough Texas trails. I picked up the box, headed to the cashier, made my purchase and headed home.

Morning arrived and the road was calling. I laid there briefly, not wanting to answer, but knowing that the longer I acted as if I didn’t hear that call, the higher the sun would rise, the hotter the day would become. Then I remembered, “I have a new pair of running shoes!” Yes I thought. New running shoes mean a new attitude so I bounced up, made up my bed, washed up and ran to the top of the stairs. There at the bottom they sat, glowing, gleaming, calling my name…that new pair of running shoes!

I bounded down the stairway, sat on the last stair and began to put them on but there was a problem. The shoes didn’t fit. Somehow, some kind of way I bought the wrong size. I didn’t try them on I just assumed I knew what size I wore. I mean after all who doesn’t know their shoe size right? Anyway, I grabbed a pair of the regulars, headed out and did my run all the while thinking that as soon as that mall opens I’m going in to get the right size.

I arrived and went back to the area where the shoes are staged. It’s an outlet mall so it’s self-service. I tried on a pair, this time, to make sure they fit and took them and the ones I had purchased before to the counter to make the exchange. I looked at the cashier and sheepishly explained that I came in the day before and got the wrong size. She looked back and said, “Were they for you”? “Yes”, I replied. She laughed to calm the mood and then asked, “When was the last time you bought yourself a new pair of shoes?” “Not sure”, I replied in a reflective almost embarrassed tone. She finished the transaction, gave me my receipt and as I walked away she said, “Sir…sometimes you have to do something nice for yourself”…

***

All day every day some of us rip and run doing for others never realizing that we need some doing of our own. Sometimes we never notice because it’s been so long since someone has done for us and other times we never notice because no one ever has.

My hope is that we can all find that someone special who makes life lighter and the worthwhile more worthwhile. But until that time comes and even when it does always remember to take a moment out of your doing for others…

To do something nice for yourself