A couple bucks, some miles and a little rain

If I were still running rather than training, I might have skipped the run this morning and waited for later. Rain was headed into town, so I dawdled for an hour this morning trying to get my head into the game.

I don't know about other runners, but I know for myself running is mostly mental. I get nervous before really long runs and since at this point in training, 8 miles qualifies as "really long" I got a little nervous.

I got the yips.

After the dreaded first mile, I got into it and by mile 2.5 I let my mind start wandering. Unfortunately, it wandered into Ye Olde Crappy Song Shop and I had a bad REO Speedwagon song in my head the entire remaining miles. That's roughly an hour of involuntarily singing "I can't fight this feeling anymore" in my head.

No offense to all you REO fans, but I hate that song.

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On another front, I was handed a cash donation yesterday that surprised me! I'll be entering that in through my own PayPal account shortly. But it brought to mind something I want to be sure you all know.

A $5 donation is received with as much joy and thanksgiving as a $50 donation.

According to Avert.org, AIDS orphans may begin suffering before they lose one or both parents to AIDS due to the nature of the disease:

"Children whose parents are living with HIV often experience many negative changes in their lives and can start to suffer neglect, including emotional neglect, long before they are orphaned. Eventually, they suffer the death of their parent(s) and the emotional trauma that results. They may then have to adjust to a new situation, with little or no support, and may suffer exploitation and abuse.8 9

In one study carried out in rural Uganda, high levels of psychological distress were found in children who had been orphaned by AIDS. Anxiety, depression and anger were more found to be more common among AIDS orphans than other children. 12% of AIDS orphans affirmed that they wished they were dead, compared to 3% of other children interviewed.10

These psychological problems can become more severe if a child is forced to separate from their siblings upon becoming orphaned. In some regions this occurs regularly: a 2002 survey in Zambia showed that more than half of orphaned children no longer lived with all of their siblings.11"

Take this opportunity to show the AIDS/HIV orphans in Tanzania that people very far away care about the way they feel and want to invest in their future.

What a powerful way to spend a few dollars this year!