Thursday, February 5, 2009

Serendipity...Maybe

So lately I have been thinking that my blog is all wrong. Like, I think maybe I have become a pessimist because I have stopped believing in "serendipitous moments." You know--happy things that happen to you when you don't expect them? Yeah, well, they don't happen. Like I said--a pessimist.

But. I went running the other day and I was only going to go two miles. It was 6 pm--I didn't have time to go earlier in the morning like I usually do, but still wanted to make myself go--but at this point, I just wanted dinner. I decided to keep running anyway and 2 miles turned into 3 miles that turned into a little bit more than I was planning on. By the end of my run I was pretty tired. I usually sprint the last quarter mile, but I was pretty tired and decided I would just kind of let myself run down like my body was feeling like it wanted to do.

Then, the craziest thing happened. This little toddler with short legs started running on the sidewalk beside me. I didn't notice at first, but then out of the corner of my eye I see this little boy laughing his head off and pointing at me. I yanked out my earphones and heard an ineffable and incessant giggle.

And then he started running faster than me. His short little legs just moved, and he looked like a little hover craft over the ground.

And that little booger was looking back and laughing at me.

"Wow, you're a fast runner," I said to him. Then I started running faster. And then he started running faster, still laughing as if this was the funniest thing he ever saw.

What the word?! I thought. How can this little kid possibly be running that fast?!? Or am I really running that slow...

Well, not to be beat out by a toddler, I started sprinting, leaving that little squirt and still hearing that adorable laughter bubble out of him.

And so, maybe--just maybe--that was a bit of serendipity. Maybe.

3 comments:

Laurel said...

love it...serendipity indeed!

Heidi said...

Angela, your gift for weaving stories is amazing. That's all I have to say.

Meemer said...

i was gonna say, "awe cute", or "how fun" or even, "what a great lesson and moment". but now all i can think of is my toddler chasing after me. yes, they do run fast. and i'm glad you outran that one, because you never know what could have happened. few people understand the danger of running toddlers.

but really, i like the story.

Serendipity

The Oxford English dictionary describes serendipity as "the faculty of making happy and unexpected discoveries by accident. Also, the fact or an instance of such a discovery."