On Thanksgiving morning, despite my recent entrance into my seventies, I participated in a wonderful American tradition of a Turkey Trot. I found myself surrounded by almost a thousand people who came to a beautiful public park in the early brisk morning to test and improve their physical prowess in a 3.1 mile race as well as to financially support the athletic department in a local public school. I was proud to be part of this group who were supporting an American community while at the same time seeking improvements to their individual health and well-being.
And sure enough, before the race started, we all sang patriotic American songs that inspired us all and created a bond between us of peace and joy. I looked around me and saw all kinds of people: women and men, young and old, short and tall, straight and LGBTQ, white, Black, and Latino, Asian and more. Yet we all had gathered together in unity for a shared common noble purpose. It was a great vision of America that I saw and I was thankful this Thanksgiving to be a small part of this tapestry.
As the race began, there was much laughter and joy as the crowded field of runners felt the excitement of the journey they were undertaking. Parents encouraged their children to continue and volunteers guided us all on the correct path. During the race, some runners faltered. They were not chastised, but were encouraged to persevere by other runners so they could do the best they possibly could on this difficult hilly course. I noticed some medical emergency vehicles nearby offering for free some lifesaving healthcare in case someone old like me might need it and I was thankful for their presence and empathy.
Afterwards, all runners shared some good food and drinks together in a joyous celebration, exhilarated that they had all competed to the best of their ability in a common adventure. There then was an award ceremony where the best in each age category were given delicious pumpkin and apple pies while the entire crowd cheered to honor their excellence and dream that one day they too, with future practice and hard work, could join in the winner’s circle.
I spoke to many people after the race who were not like me, an old white male, and felt a bond of camaraderie between us as we all had just participated in an American tradition of a diverse number of individuals acting together as one community. I encouraged some young volunteers to join the running community so that they too might enjoy this healthy and life-prolonging pastime.
I was also extremely grateful that on this Thanksgiving morning no masked people had descended from their unmarked vans to round up and handcuff the black and brown and other runners of color in the crowd to whisk them away to prisons for deportation to foreign lands without any warrant or exercise of due process as guaranteed by our Constitution. That would have been a truly despicable un-American vision of our country to see, which, in my opinion, should never be taking place in our beloved land, either now or ever again in the future.
So which vision of America do you think we should all support? What will you do to make sure the correct vision will be the one we bequeath to our children and grandchildren?
