Waiting for Sheila

She ran by, desperation in her eyes and a quiver in her voice. She gasped, "I can't finish. I can't finish." We stood right next to Sheila's parents as their daughter, the winner of the Austin Half Marathon, struggled to maintain her composure. We had been eagerly waiting for her to run by, a few seconds of cheering for our girl Sheila after hours of eager anticipation. Mother screamed, as her eyes began to well up with tears, "Yes you can, Sheila! Yes you can!" 

We were detached from the situation. We had only heard of Sheila when her friendly parents made conversation with us minutes earlier. But at that moment, we felt Sheila's mom's pain. We yearned for Sheila to do it.

Ah, the Boston Marathon. What don't you get from it? Triumph after tragedy. Thousands at the peak of the most physically challenging day of their lives. Even hilarious costumes, like a man dressed as Mickey Mouse and this guy in a tux.

The power of the marathon is simply everywhere (at least around Blogger Gabi's house--a block from Comm. Ave.) on Patriots Day. A truly touching moment came when a man, whose grimace and bleeding nipples caused spectators to match his disturbing facial movements physical pains, stopped for just a moment when he saw his baby daughter watching from the side. He came over, passionately kissed the top of her head, and ran away with a new sense of renewal. A subtle, seemingly irrelevant part of the marathon, that will be forgotten in the annals of history behind Robert Cheruiyot's victory and the Rays demolition of the Red Sox. But that small moment encapsulated the beauty, the glory, the utter fantasticness (not a real word, if you were wondering diction aficionados*) that is the Boston Marathon.

So where does the art come in, you may be wondering? Well, for one, art is everywhere. Family members and friends make wonderful signs of all shapes and sizes, a small yet hugely important piece of encouragement for the runners. Some are heartwarming, made by a young child. Others are nationalistic and powerful, encouraging the fellow Kenyan or even the occasional Canadian to push through, to bring pride back home. These signs--and the passion of the people they support--are universal and applicable to all walks of life, including art. The Boston Marathon is the epitome of excellence and perseverance in a daunting but achievable task. So whether you are an artist or an athlete, Newtonite or Sharonese, the Boston Marathon is a source of inspiration.

*And by that I mean Joel.