This week from The Forklift: The Power of Love

Saturday, somewhere in the middle of the Leadville 100 run, I experienced God in a way I’ll never forget. 

Leadville is an out-and-back race, which means at some point you begin crossing paths with the runners ahead of you as they make their way back. I had been struggling the first 40 miles. Really struggling!  My energy and mindset had turned negative. I was tired, nauseous, emotional, hurting—and spending way too much time inside my own head. I was focused more on the 60 miles I still had ahead of me than I was the mile I was on.

Then something drastically changed…the runners started coming toward me. One by one, we would look at each other and just offer a few simple words.

“Great job.”

“You’ve got this.”

“Keep going.”

Sometimes that was all we could manage. Sometimes there were even tears. I know there were plenty coming from me the entire race. 

With every person who passed, I would feel this incredible connection. These were mostly strangers, yet for a few seconds there was nothing separating us. It was like these people all knew my story, and I understood theirs. Like they all understood my pain. Like they all understood my “why” for being out here. We knew what the other person was going through. We saw each other and understood our common struggle. We encouraged each other. And somewhere in those brief exchanges, I could feel the power of God/Love changing my race.

Not above us. Not somewhere far away. 

Between us.

Suddenly my energy had changed.  It was a quick reminder that one of the quickest ways out of our own suffering is to stop staring at it. When we’re trapped inside ourselves—our pain, our fear, our exhaustion, our problems—our world can become incredibly small and our sufferring can feel eternal.

But the moment we turn our attention toward someone else…something opens. We can escape our shrinking world.

For me, authentic interactions(the real AI) with others is one of the places God/Love is easiest to find. In the encouragement we give. In the hand we reach out. In the stranger we choose to see. Or, in the love exchanged between two exhausted runners passing each other on a mountain. It certainly fueled me last weekend.

I spent a lot of time on Saturday looking for the strength to keep going, but it wasn’t until I began to feel God through others…that the strength began to find me. 

Love is our greatest energy source… no matter the race we’re running. The best way to feel loved is by loving others. Have a great week ahead.

mm