Run in Your Undergarments!

People establish communities in many different manners. For some people, their communities consist of their sports teams, the people they live with or their classmates. While we often establish communities for a lifetime, we also create communities of the moment at different events and activities we partake in.

One type of event that often creates a communal bond is fundraising. When people raise awareness and money for a common cause, that passion and desire to help the common cause unites them. I have run several 5ks and even though I don't necessarily have a personal connection to the cause that the money goes to, the level of energy and enthusiasm at the events is amazing. The energy and happiness carries people far. People sometimes run faster in races than they would ordinarily merely because of the environment and the energy that they receive from their peers.

In reading a fitness magazine, I stumbled upon a race called SSRun (Santa Speedo Run). Yes, people run a mile in speedos in the middle of winter. People get decked out in their scantiest speedos or undergarments to run in front of a large crowd. Not only does not wearing much unite these people, but the Christmas spirit unites everyone as well. Almost everyone is wearing a Christmas hat and red and white gear. It is quite a scene with people wearing almost nothing in 30 degree weather and running a mile.

It's funny how the idea of group mentality can work. The fact that all of these people are coming together to raise money for local charities in Massachusetts is a bonding concept. No one in his right mind would go for a run in Massachusetts wearing only their undergarments. But, since everyone is doing it, it seems acceptable and creates a unity among everyone. The ways that people find their community for a mere several hours can be creative - whether it's wearing next to nothing or sharing a passion of a favorite food. The smallest and oddest things can be facilitators of establishing community.

To sign up for the SSRun in Massachusetts, visit ssrunners.org.

Saved a Life

A friend and I were at Petco yesterday. We were just going to run in and out to pick up some guinea pig food. But of course we get distracted by the many pets running around in cages on display, hoping that someone will buy them and take them home to make a part of his life. There were rats, mice, hamster, ferrets and guinea pigs. My friend has a guinea pig, so logically we stopped at the guinea pig cage because that is what she was most intrigued with.

If I were by myself, I probably would have just peered into the cage and then continued on with what I came there to do. But my friend noticed that there was something wrong with one of the guinea pigs. In this cage, there were about eight guinea pigs. The cage claimed that they were all females, but I was a little doubtful. There were two smaller guinea pigs and six larger ones. One of the larger ones was dominating over a smaller one. It was biting its ear so only half of the ear remained and was entirely mangled. It was biting its feet. It was biting its skin all over. The smaller guinea pig shook in the corner. To someone who doesn't know the typical behaviors of guinea pigs, I could tell that this guinea pig was not doing well.

We knew that something needed to be done to save this guinea pig because its life was in jeopardy. The logical answer would be to contact the manager of the store and alert them to the abuse that the smaller guinea pig is experiencing. My friend, based on her previous experiences with Petco, was doubtful that they would care at all and was almost sure that they would not move the smaller guinea pig out of the dangerous habitat as we had hoped.

Surprisingly, when we contacted the manager, he was completely understanding and instantly moved the guinea pig. He was very thankful that we had told him about the situation. He was also grateful that adults had witnessed that abuse rather than kids because it would have been absolutely devastating to the kids.

We saved a guinea pig's life that day. Or at least we gave it a better chance of survival. For that moment, my friend and I were the guinea pig's community - its voice - because it has no voice and is a helpless creature that was being eaten alive!