On Your Left
My four sons love the Avengers movies…and Captain America is their favorite hero. One of their favorite scenes from Captain America: Winter Soldier, is when Anthony Mackie’s character is jogging at the Washington Mall and Captain America keeps blowing past him, and as he does, each time, he says, “on your left.” Even though Captain America is way outrunning Falcon, they are out there together. Intersecting at intervals of time. They bond. And they become close friends later in the film. Recently we were in DC for the first time, and two of my sons recreated this scene which got me thinking about how nice it is to have someone one your left.
How sweet it is to run together.
In July 2019, I ran my first marathon. It took place at the awe-inspiring and majestic Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe. It was incredible. Finishing this race on a tough and hilly course among a party of people made me feel so good and so proud…even though it was not the finishing time I was aiming for! But my Econet Vic Falls Marathon experience was still quite an adventure!
At mile 15, I heard gunshots, and as I rounded a corner, national park rangers were firing their AK-47’s into the air to ward off an angry young bull elephant so he wouldn’t cross our course — TIA!
Along the way, I met a few unexpected friends that really blessed me and truly helped me finish. I honestly could not have done it without them! I met Noel about eight miles into the race. He was obviously a great runner, but we locked into the same exact pace for a time, so we started a conversation. During the toughest, hilliest portion of the marathon, Noel stayed with me and encouraged me to continue. Since he knew the terrain and route, he prepared me for what was ahead and mostly just kept things light and fun. It was such a gift.
Later in the race, after I told Noel to speed along since I was holding him back, I met a guy named Mighty…seriously! What a name! And he lived up to it, too. At a moment when I literally felt sick and ready to quit, this young man ran up on my left and said, “hey, we can finish this together!” And we did. Mighty helped me get to the finish line. We finished side by side, with Mighty on my left!
Running together, with a friend at your side, is reassuring. We simply need each other and can’t make it through life on our own. When I finished the marathon, I thanked Mighty and told him I could not have finished without him. I was totally taken by surprise when he told me the exact same thing. I thought I was leaning on him, but he was also leaning on me!
Don’t underestimate the power of your simple presence, or the compound value of togetherness. It gets you, and other lions to the finish line!