“His brain and body shattered in a horrible accident as a young boy, Bret Dunlap thought just being able to hold down a job, keep an apartment, and survive on his own added up to a good enough life. Then he discovered running.
You know what people think. They see jeans too short and winter coat too shiny, too grimy, and think, homeless. They watch a credit card emerge from those jeans and think, grifter. They behold a frozen grin, hear a string of strangled, tortured pauses, and think, slow. Stupid.
You learned too young about cruelty and pity. You learned too young that explaining yourself didn’t help, that it made things worse. People laughed. Made remarks. Backed away. So you stopped explaining. You got a job, got a cat, got an apartment, and people can think what they want to think. You built a life without explanation and it was enough…”
Read more here. Long. But so worth your time. Having trouble getting off the couch to work out? Having a tough day? Week? Year? Forgettaboutit. Inspiring story of the year? Running away. Read this man’s story.
SMWI* = Saturday Morning Work-out Inspiration
Source: Runner’s World
Live & Learn 
Reblogged this on Wholeheartedness.
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Thanks for sharing Todd
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Wow, great story. And great, excellent crafting of this story. Kudos!
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It really is Therese, the story and the story telling.
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Torture to live a life of having to justify to others, to see approval, to hold self to be judged by uncaring strangers.
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Yes, he, though, in a most determined way, has found his own path.
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That’s quite the story. May I never complain again.
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Exactly.
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“You built a life without explanation and it was enough…” This man’s story is a great one, and very inspiring. I wish that we could all just take the time to look inside a person, to see the treasure which lies within. Thanks for sharing this one David.
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Thanks Carol. I too was moved by this story. What a man. What a Mother.
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This leaves me breathless…A perspective worthy of remembering on a daily basis.
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Yes. Very much so.
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Amazing. Both the story and the story telling. This is great writing. This man and my God, his Mother. Amazing. I will share this one and come back to read again. Yes, it is time to get up and move. No excuses.
– Michael
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It is all that Michael. Yes it is. Thank you.
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Running is so much more than exercise. Thanks for sharing this beautiful story, David.
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I agree Carolann. Thank you.
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How amazing, incredible, touching and inspiring! Thank you for sharing.
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It is amazing…bigger than that even. 🙂
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A quick and usual check of LLL on Saturday morning…and this hit me even before the coffee. Didn’t need the coffee Dave. Captivating. Inspiring. Humbling. Motivating. Thanks for sharing this story Dave. Hope you and the family are well. Steve
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Hi Steve. It is really all that. Thanks for dropping by. All is well on this side of the pond. Dave
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Thanks for improving my day with this tremendous story! Very inspirational!!
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Thanks Kevin. It is an incredible story. And it’s still with me.
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Inspired! It moved me. And the below lines will stay in my mind for sometime without any doubt:
“You learned too young that explaining yourself didn’t help, that it made things worse. So you stopped explaining. You built a life without explanation and it was enough.”
“Something else you know, something else you learned from running: That solitary, hard life you spent so much time and energy building? It’s not enough. It never was. You want more…”
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Yes, two of many great passages. He has an amazing story…
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