Community is Everything

Yesterday at 4:30 in the morning I laid in a Hilton bed, anxious as can be. It was race day. 

Over the last few months, one of the things I had been doing in my absence was training for a 10 mile run, the Credit Union Cherry Blossom run to be exact. It was the first time the credit union I work at was participating in the event and we were not entirely sure what to expect from the event. Everything we were aware of in terms of the race set my nerves on fire. 

I can not get swept. I have to finish by minute 140. I don’t want anyone thinking I’m a loser. Me, me, me. Wasn’t this a race for a charity? 

It was for charity! As soon as I crossed the start line it clicked for me. The roar of cheering and support hit us (the 27,000 runners) like a wave. It was overwhelming, these people didn’t even know most of the people they were cheering for, but they were screaming like they did. 

This was a community. Despite the fact that I was the one moving my legs, the crowd is what carried me through running my fastest 3 miles in months, they carried me through the 5th & 6th mile (shout out Mr. & Mrs. Owens!) when I desperately wanted to stop, and hearing my mom in the crowd yelling for me helped me finish in under 2 hours. 

Now what is the point? The point is community. As I desperately grapple with finding my place in the gigantic world I often find comfort in being alone, but this weekend I found such great joy being incredibly uncomfortable surrounded by thousands of people. Everyone has heard the saying about growth being uncomfortable but why can’t we all be uncomfortable together?

I don’t know about you but from here on out I will be focusing on creating a community for myself where we can laugh, cry, scream, cheer loudly together and for one another.