July 16, 2018 WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS

Yippee. Finally placed in the Sailfest 5k road race. Ok--so it was ONLY third place in my age division but SO WHAT. I've been trying to medal in that race for 20 years and always end up in fourth or fifth place. One year I even missed out on a medal by ONE SECOND. What makes it even more fun is that two of my comrades also placed in their respective age divisions. GOOD TIMES. I know it really means nothing in the BIG scheme of things--but it means something to us. Running is HARD WORK. It takes dedication and time. While most people are sleeping in or enjoying their coffee--we are out pounding the pavement. We are a community of friends who keep running ESPECIALLY when the times get tough OR we have a string of injuries THAT JUST WON'T GO AWAY. Running Grateful. Every mile with a comrade or two is a gift. 

Saeed is thankful when he meets and falls in love with Nadia until their homeland is bombarded with violence and he is forced to choose between his family and freedom in Mohsin Hamid's 2018 LA Times Book Prize and Aspen Words Literary Prize winner Exit West. This timely novel is set in an unnamed city reminiscent of perhaps Syria or Pakistan that is on the brink of civil war. Saeed and Nadia are forced to flee and leave their loved ones behind. The interesting thing about this novel is that Hamid employs "magic doors" to transport refugees to different destinations. It's not about the journey, rather the reality of exile as Saeed and Nadia are surrounded by other refugees and are forced to make difficult decisions regarding  their future. This book is about the experience of the refugee, a relevant topic especially in our political climate as Hamid says, "Geography is Destiny." The writing is urgent and sometimes difficult to read as entire paragraphs contain only commas--but it is still worth the read. It's only 240 pages or a 3.5 mile run --every American should read in order to appreciate the refugee experience.