Taking a mental snapshot of those walking, jogging, or sprinting on the track that cool autumn evening...
The middle-aged gentlemen with seemingly a lot on his mind: maybe he had been to the doctor recently and had been told he needed to get his health under control if he wanted to be around to see his grandkids reach adulthood. Maybe work was stressful and he was contemplating retirement - is this the right time, should I wait a bit longer? Maybe his wife had encouraged him to take some time for himself. Maybe he had no wife, and was passing the evening with physical productivity.
There was the mom in new sneakers, with a determined look in her eye as she glanced at her watch every quarter lap. Her two grade school aged boys tossing a football back and forth in the field as she made her way around. Maybe she had promised herself that this was the year the baby fat was coming off. Maybe she was hoping to get pregnant again, but wanted to be as healthy as possible from the start. Maybe she was competing with her colleagues or friends for who could lose the most weight by the new year. Maybe she just needed a minute to herself, and knew the boys could also use the fresh air.
There was the young male athlete sprinting against his previous best time, inwardly telling himself he was a machine. He was calculated, and focused... Maybe he had signed up for a marathon only weeks away. Maybe he was hoping to enlist in the Army and knew bootcamp would be that much easier with toned muscles and little body fat. Maybe he was on the college track team, and motivated to put his best efforts forward for his teammates. Maybe he knew he was in his physical prime and wanted to make the most of it.
Did the reason all of these individuals were there, matter? Could someone just getting on the track initiate a competitive race with any of them? Did lap times or distance make a bit of difference?
The two things in common were the time and the place - nothing else. Did they know each others strengths and weaknesses? Their hopes and fears? What motivated them? It didn't matter. The point was that they were there, being a positive in their own life for themselves and for their family. They were doing the best they could do with what they had. The only reason one would communicate with the other would be to encourage, and give praise... They were all on the track together, but not in competition. They were all running their own race. No two individuals would ever be the same in everything, come from the same background, been given the same life choices... Athletes compete to see whose training is superior, but in life are there ever two individuals with even similar training? Competition in real life is subjective at best, and futile at worse. The only things each unique person has in exact relation to another is time and place. There's no way to judge. There's no way to bet for or against. There's no way to compete, let alone choose a winner.
The only reasons for interaction is encouragement and praise.
For we all, individually, are running our own race.
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