Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Holy hoops

If you don't know the layout of the Y, there's an elevated indoor track that encircles the gym, so while running laps you can watch kids playing basketball or row after row of energetic men and women sweating through a kick boxing or "Body Pump" class.
The other day at lunchtime, while I was slogging through the 16 laps that make up a mile, a group of middle-aged guys were shooting baskets. Once enough to make up two teams had arrived, they gathered together near the free-throw line. They bowed their heads, and a few slung their arms over each others' shoulders. The leader said a short prayer, asking God to keep them safe and thanking Him for their health and fellowship.
Well, this posed an ethical problem: Should I stop running for the duration of the prayer, acknowledging that the Sacred was being summoned into our midst -- or should I ignore them?
Why tempt fate? I stopped and bowed my head. No matter what you believe (or don't), it's never a bad thing to count your blessings.

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