Viewpoint.

I am on vacation this week. With that in mind, I have revised an article that many readers commented on. I think the essence of this article is a good reminder for all of us. Enjoy - and have a happy holiday this week.

Viewpoint; or Courage Has Many Faces.

Not too long ago I spent the good part of one day sitting at a table - signing copies of my recently published book.

I noticed a woman standing in the very back of the room. She waited until the last person in line was gone before she approached me. She made her way up to the table and hesitantly asked if I would mind signing her book. I think she expected a rebuff, if not in word - then perhaps by my attitude or expression.

Instead of the rejection she had half expected, I believe she found a kindred spirit in me. At least that was what she said as she walked away half an hour later.

The woman first explained she had been a runner in her youth, as a lot of us were. She was thin back then she said, like a lot of us were. But that was decades ago and she now shopped for plus size clothes.

She seemed to be embarrassed by her size, yet at the same time,when she thought it might be safe to approach me, did so. 'Safe' was when no one else was around. In her mind it was still a risky thing to do, to approach me, a runner, but she decided to chance it.

Her story unfolded quietly and I found myself thinking what a courageous person this was. She had gone through the loss of her only child two years earlier; a divorce six months later and breast cancer this year. She said she was finally putting her life back in order. She had decided to go on living. That was- at one point- not certain, even before the cancer struck.

She recently decided to lose weight and to start running again. She was up to walking / running 30 minutes, five days per week and asked me for some tips on the various stages of her six month plan.

I gave her some advice and we continued talking for a while about health issues.

Just before she left, she commented on an article I had written for Runner's World magazine last year. 'An Unknown Runner' was the title.

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