Damming the American River

The rejuvenation of runningRegarding the Home Forum essay "Beyond the Huffing and Puffing, Runners Are the Great Noticers," Aug. 8: Like the author, I have been running for about 10 years and have also found the poet in me. Besides the "runner's high" I often get from being out on the road coursing through nature, I also enjoy the silence that enables me to find that still, small voice in me that knows only truth, peace, and appreciation of all around me. How easy it is to lose sight of all there is to appreciate in our world today. Like many folks, I madly rush from work to home, from social commitment to personal-growth course. I frequently miss not only the smell of the roses but the very feel of the wondrous world I inhabit and the many magnificent souls who are my coinhabitants. Running soothes my soul, helping me to constantly reassess my priorities, redress my shortcomings, and forgive all who are merely human just like me. How high a society of similarly committed runners could soar is truly the stuff dreams are made of. Thomas C. Hecht, Madison, Wis.

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