Something really crazy happened to me the other day, but first, a quick back story.
In December I lost my beloved Grandpa Dallas Mangum. He was a really good man and he loved to play the guitar. At his funeral I didn't cry. I knew he was someplace better than here. However, just after Christmas I was driving around St. George. A song came on by Fleetwood Mac; the song is called, "Go Your Own Way." For some inexplicable reason it reminded me of my grandpa and caused me to cry. (It's also a very catchy song)
Now fast forward to last week. I added this song to my list of classic rock songs that I enjoy working out to and the strangest thing happened. I was running on the treadmill and this song came on and I began to run faster. My mind brought up visuals of my grandfather before my eyes and suddenly I was on the verge of crying. And then it happened, I was no longer running for myself or to be fit. I was running for him, one of the greatest men I know, my grandpa. In fact, I ran faster than I have for awhile and I didn't stop. I put that song on again right after it ended and I kept running for him.
At last we come up to the crazy thing that happened. I was sitting in my Contemporary Native American Issues class. Somehow we had gotten on to the topic of Hopi runners. Not only does this tribe run for competition, but for religious/ceremonial reasons. They run for their people. My teacher, Dusty Jansen recounted a story of when he ran an ultra marathon. He recalled that on his way back to the finish line he was making deals with God to finish this race. As he turned the corner, his little girls called out to him, "Go daddy!" He proceeded to cry and they came and ran with him to the finish. When he reached his wife, he was sobbing. It had become a spiritual experience for him.
And that's what happened to me. Running became so much more than just working out or trying to lose weight. It transcended all temporal and became spiritual. It became a memorial, a dedication to my grandpa and maybe even to all my family past, present, and future.
I really hope that when I run from now on that I'm not just running for something like losing weight, but for myself, my family, and my God.
I dedicate this entry to my grandma: Judy Mangum
