November 24: Turkey Trot, Candy Corn Hat, Thanksgiving Morning

I participated in my usual Thanksgiving morning tradition today.  No, I didn't watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade.  No, I didn't get up at four o'clock this morning to stuff bread up a turkey's ass.  I got up this morning and ran a 10K race at a local high school.

I've been doing this race (called the Turkey Trot) for about five years.  It's a great way to get exercise, see people I haven't seen in a while, and not feel guilty about how much food I'm going to eat later in the day.  Each year, I've ran with one of my best friends, Wonder Twin.  She joined me again this morning.

Now, every year that I've run the Turkey Trot, the weather has been hideous.  Ice storms.  Icy rain storms.  Snowstorms.  And arctic temperatures and winds.  This year, it was clear skies, sun, and temperatures in the forties.  We didn't have to dodge or scale any snow banks.  I didn't step in any dog shit.  And running along Lake Superior was not an exercise in torture.

Of course, Wonder Twin and I were one of the last runners to cross the finish line.  The last quarter mile of the race is all uphill, and it nearly kills me every year.  However, I managed to end without feeling like a cast member of The Walking Dead.  When I was leaving the school after I finished, I saw a lady carrying a candy corn hat.  It was homemade and beautiful.

"I really like your hat," I called from behind her.

She looked at me and said, "You really do?"

"Yup," I said.  "That is one of the coolest hats I've seen in a while."

She handed me the hat.  "Here," she said.  "Happy Thanksgiving."

I was astonished and humbled by her generosity.  It was my first blessing of the day.  Well, that and my friend, Wonder Twin, who kept me running for 6.2 miles.

Saint Marty had a great morning.

Saint Marty wearing his blessing