Once Upon a Time on a Field

Once upon a field many years ago I was running the miles as all school children do for P.E. As I was running I can't seem to remember much of what I was thinking. Quite possibly, I wasn't thinking much of anything at all. Whenever I run these days I rarely think of much other than where I'm running to or maybe the feel of the breeze blowing over me as I run. But the story I'm telling begins when I stopped running. I had reached the last stretch of the mile around the field we were using as a track. It was early morning and cool. It was what I consider the best weather one can run in. I was one of the first few people to reach that stretch though not the very first. I slowed my pace and came to a stop. Then I knelt down on the ground staring at the grass in front of me for an instant before looking up and around at the field. I was thinking then just how easy it would be to keep going. I could have just continued and placed high in the rankings. I continued to kneel on the ground and watch the other runners for a couple minutes. During this time the coach and one of the other students came up to me to make sure I was ok. I was fine. I told them as much several times having to reassure them. Then I continued on my way running the last quarter of the last lap of the mile. At least two people passed me probably a couple more but I can't remember for certain now. That didn't bother me though. It still doesn't. The reason was I realized that I could easily outrun them and it just wasn't important anymore after that. I suppose the reason I stopped was to simply take in the moment. It was a very nice morning after all. A possible moral of the story if there is one is that one should not judge a person who appears to fail. The coach and the student both thought I had stopped because I was exhausted or something of the sort. Their assumptions were not accurate. So whenever you see someone who appears to have reached their limits it would be a good idea to realize that they may be capable of much more but simply have lost the desire to do more.