Friday, October 11, 2002
"Look at him," my son said, as we drove down the road on the way to school one morning. "He's running in the middle of the road."
Sure enough, in front of me was a man jogging with high steps down the middle of my lane.
With the sidewalk a few feet away, I felt sure that as I neared him he would high-step there.
He did not.
Nor did he so much as move an inch to the side of the road.
As I veered into the other lane to pass him, his eyes were so focused in front of him, he seemed not to even see me or my large, deadly vehicle.
"I think he's sleep running," my other child said, laughing.
"I think he thinks he's running in a marathon," I said with wonder.
Looking out my rearview mirror, I watched as the cars behind me veered around the jogging man.
He moved not an inch for them either.
"There's a stop sign ahead of him," I told the boys. "I bet he jogs right through it."
Another view
Thinking about that sight, a jogger prancing through a four-way stop as all vehicles look and stare, I envisioned him running right over the top of any car in his path.
Once my disbelief and irritation with the jogger passed, I thought about the unflinching nerve and determination that man must possess.
In the face of death (my car running over him) he stood his ground and kept moving forward.
I thought him foolish at first. Then, I began to admire that foolishly determined runner. As I thought about him, I realized most people who have moved mountains in this world had been considered foolish.
Many people thought Thomas Edison foolish as he tried to create electricity. His experiments failed more than 10,000 times. With his eyes focused on his wires and charges, he finally succeeded.
Colonel Harland Sanders, as a senior citizen, hopped into his car with nothing but a recipe and set out to sell his fried chicken with its "secret blend of 11 herbs and spices." With his eyes focused on the next little town ahead of him, the Kentucky Fried Chicken business he started has grown to be one of the world's largest retail food service systems.
More examples
Joni Eareckson-Tada became paralyzed from the neck down in a swimming accident when she was a teenager. How foolish of her to think she could write or paint. But, with her eyes on the paper in front of her and a brush in her teeth, her foolishness has made her a world-renowned artist and writer.
When Kurt Warner was stocking shelves in a grocery store to make ends meet while he pursued his dream of becoming an NFL football player, many thought him foolish to hang on to his hope. But with his eyes focused on the ball, he led the St. Louis Rams to a Super Bowl victory a few years ago.
Many people told Michael Jordan he was foolish. Cut from his 10th-grade basketball team, he set out to become a great basketball player. With his eyes set on the rim, he didn't just become great -- he became the greatest.
None of these mountain movers were born with wondrous abilities to achieve. The wonder lies in their sense of drive and determination.
They simply kept working and trying until they succeeded. They didn't let setbacks or failures or people get in their way. Their minds were set on the goal and their focus did not falter. Their determination made the difference.
Still wondering
On many mornings, driving the boys to school, I wonder about the middle-of-the-road runner.
I have had visions of stopping my car in the street and jogging beside him with pencil and pad in hand to interview him.
Alas, we haven't seen him again.
Did he choose a quieter, less-traveled street to jog down?
Did he fall victim to road rage that he could have easily incited?
Or was our road just one on a long journey for him?
I envision him running still, with his eyes focused unflinchingly ahead of him, every step taking him closer to a goal he is determined to reach.
gwhite@vindy.com