“You’re running outside?” my husband asked. His tone made it clear that he wouldn’t run outside in the cold and mist.
“Yup,” I replied. “I’m done with the basement treadmill. Who knows what I’ll see?”
Inspired by a story I read this morning, I chose the title for this piece. In the fable, a group of blind men wanted to know an elephant. They’d never met one before. One man touched its ear and said the elephant was like a bamboo sieve. Another felt its trunk and said an elephant is like a pestle for grinding rice. A third, who connected with the elephant’s leg, believed the animal was surely like a pillar supporting a roof.
When you open to more information, does your understanding change?
For example, even if you also ran outside this morning, surely you did not see and feel the same things I digested.
Climbing the first hill, a damp robin red-breast joined my fun. Only feet (or meters) in front of me, the bird would hop, flap and land as I made slow, but steady progress. After about five rounds the feathered decided it was through with my shenanigans and landed on a nearby birch branch. I wonder if she’ll want to play again tomorrow?
Rounding a corner, I spied a toddler pushing a plastic lawn mower across a concrete drive. Her pink fleece spoke of spring while her knitted hat clung to winter. As grandpa kept a watchful eye, Gracie—a German Shorthaired Pointer, leaped at and jumped around the threatening toy making it quite a game for the pair.
“Rowdy crew you have!” I called to my neighbor and was rewarded with a hearty laugh.
At the next cross street, I watched as a bright orange training dummy narrowly missed becoming a tree ornament. My neighbor curled in and grimaced in anticipation. Both he and his black lab Riley were delighted when the retrievable hit the ground.
A boy scout who biked up our drive last fall, selling Christmas wreaths, bounced a ball against his garage door. His young sister called hello and more to me. I couldn’t really hear her so I waved and called, “Waiting for the bus? Have a good day at school!” and kept going.
So glad I chose outside over in!
If you have three extra minutes, please check out the story of the blind men and the elephant written by Shirley Lee. It’s guaranteed to bring a smile!
https://medium.com/chinese-thought-pills/you-may-not-be-right-d12eb40bb1be