Your Limitation Is Only In Your Imagination
“The mind is everything. What you think, you become.” – Buddha
Amidst the chaos of corporate life, running took a place so close to my heart that it started to become an inseparable part of my life. One thing led to another and in no time I found myself becoming a part of running teams. I connected with a lot of like-minded people and we ran together at different events. While this became a ritual, I came across a social cause of being a guide runner to visually impaired runners.
A fellow colleague, who was running this community, got me hooked to being the guide runner to the visually impaired runners who were a part of a school and had taken up running as a sports activity. My job was to guide these joyful runners to run on the streets of the city safe and secure.
I actually thought that I would be giving a helping hand to these runners but turned out I couldn’t be more wrong. The moments of inspiration that I derived from these wonderful humans were plenty and to date, I think of them when I need a little more push to get over the pain. Even though the journey was not easy, I cherish each and every moment of it.
Being a guide runner was technical. I had to undergo a couple of training sessions. I did mock runs with the runners and it helped me get started. You are either bonded by a scarf or a band of cloth or you run hand in hand. While you are bonded to them, you become their eyes and that is where communication becomes the key as you can help the runners with insights into what is around them. Straight road, right turn, left turn, keep right, slow down, hydrate now, how much more to go, hurdles in the path, and a gentle nudge here and there is all that was needed to keep these runners comfortable and motivated. A word of caution here. There could be times when you do not gel with your runner and that is ok too. All you need to do is find each other’s comfort level and together embark on a journey of revelation and enlightenment.
So after completing my training sessions, my journey as a guide runner to the visually impaired runner began. I attended many events and was tagged along with a few of the best runners. The best moments were definitely the Podium finishes when you take all the pride in being a crucial support system. I was blessed with the chance to run with different runners and they proved to me that nothing is impossible.
The Braille medal I won is one of the most cherished ones in my collection of medals and it keeps reminding me of the priceless feat and unlimited life lessons I learned in this journey.
Braille is a form of written language for blind people, in which characters are represented by patterns of raised dots that can be felt with the fingertips.
With time, we caught up momentum and onboarded many guide runners. This worked both ways as it boosted up the morale of the runners as well as the institutions and made the guides happy to be associated with such a beautiful cause.
I was awarded the fastest guide runner and was honored by the institute for my contributions.
“We make a living by what we get, We make a life by what we give!” – Anonymous
I never thought that my passion for running would present an opportunity where I would be able to give back to society. The guide running team is now a big family and is doing wonders. It leads by a responsible citizen and you can know all about it here –
As a part of the RunMonks community we wholeheartedly salute Yuvraj Patil for standing up for this cause and resonating with the thought of – Your Limitation Is Only In Your Imagination
and being the catalyst in driving such initiatives and giving a new lease of life for such runners to break free and feel liberated.
RunMonks a platform powered by 505 Circle created by Kushagra Sharma is proud to be associated with Yuvraj Patil for being the flag bearer of our philosophy of “Serving Others” and GETTING INTO THE #ZENMODE & TO BE THE #RUNMONKER
