Is it possible to share one’s peace of mind with another person? If it’s possible, does it matter? When I sent the first text message that eventually led to the formation of A Mile With You, the COVID Memorial Walk and Run and the completion of two half marathons and a full marathon within a 12-month period, I did not realize that this was the question that I had set out to answer. The arrival of COVID with accompanying traumas of lockdowns and deaths produced a kind of anguish and isolation that I had previously recognized as key features of life at the lower end of the socioeconomic ladder.
At the bottom of the ladder is where I grew up with my family and many of the families that lived in my community. Living as we were on the margins of power and status, we dealt with the persistent sense of insecurity that accompanied our lives by showing up in any way that we could for our neighbors in their time of need. A visit, a prayer, a loan to buy a pound of rice or flour, a shared contact to get a sick relative to the hospital late…
