(Publisher’s note: Please continue to send me your stories of random acts of kindness — whether you are on the giving or the receiving end. You can email them to [email protected].)
By Megan Hague Angus
I wanted to share an example of an act of kindness that really touched our family. It is a story of hand-me-downs, but it feels like something much more.
Our family runs. We all run. We run in the heat and we run in the snow. And we run in everything in between. Which sadly mostly includes more snow and ice and slush than “perfect” running days.
People in our small town know we run because we are always out there. (One day perhaps we will invest in a treadmill.) Officially, our daughter runs at Chelsea high School on both the cross country and track and field teams and our son runs in the same sports with Beach Middle School.
My husband helps the younger runners grow into middle and high school runners through the Community Education program. And I try to support and hydrate everyone around here that laces up.
When we came back from a short visit as part of Spring Break, on our doorstep was a very large bag of clothing. The note was addressed to “Chelsea Runners” and included eight different items – all from prior Chelsea runners. There was a girls track and field jacket, a long sleeved X-C shirt, local gear that supports Ann Arbor Running company and T-shirts from seasons passed.
We were encouraged to use it and share it with other runners. So, we did.
This was such a gift. Not only was it so needed and appreciated but also it was such a reminder of community.
And while some might view this anecdote as nothing more than a story of hand me downs, to me it is a story of shared experiences and shared team support. Some other parent(s) somewhere “sees” us, sees the other Chelsea High School runners and understands what the team is trying to do. It felt so good.
And it was a reminder to my future self.
As parents of teens, we know our own days of track meets in the cold are numbered. And we know that the current gear that is so beloved now will one day be an even better fit for a younger student as our own children grow up and grow too tall.
May we, too, remember this moment and do the same as our neighbors did, and share what we have with others.
Thank you, dear Chelsea neighbors, whoever you are, that see us out there and thought to share your treasures with us and the broader team. You are so generous.
