Walking for Something

Today was the first annual "Autism Walk" at Cottonwood High. I went in support of my nephew, Keith, who falls in the Autism Spectrum with Asberger's Syndrome, and also to support the Cap'm, Stef Munk as she works with children having Autism at the Spectrum Academy. We were a part of the Spectrum team-which, of note, was the largest team in attendance. Myself, my sister, Marf, and friends June and Echo were part of only a handful of individuals who chose to run the 5k (however, I highly doubt that the distance was an actual 5k, as my finishing time would have been miraculous) . We finished the walk before many finnished their first lap, so we thougth that we were rock stars!!

Marf and I were able to sit and talk while we were waiting for the others of our group to finnish, and we reflected on how important it is to not only accept people's differences, and love them in spite of them, but love the differences as well. Accepting people is only half of tolerance-the other is the loving. If we would only seek to understand another's point of view, we would be less critical, and more loving and understanding.

I was also remeinded of another race that I was able to witness last year. This race was the St. George Marathon which my husband participated in. We (myself and my mother and father-in-law) were watching the runners as they crossed the finnish line after running 26.2 miles. It was a very emotional experience for me to witness the human experience in such a raw and revealing way. The thing that was the most amazing to see was that the cheers of the crowd literally made the runners able to run the last few feet with a burst of speed or a spring in their step. There were those who were on the verge of, or in the process of collapsing, but the crowd's encouragement could get them back on their feet. It was a very interesting thing to witness and understand how much we all need that support from others. We all need people on our team. Everyone needs to know that there are people cheering them on, and it is amazing what more we can accomplish with that knowledge. I think that this was especially relevant today as we walked for Autism. These are people who need a cheering section more than they need critics. So much more good could be done if we could stop telling them what they are incapable of, and start praising their accomplishments. I want to be one that is cheering!!