Diving Into Blue

Somewhere along the backroads between the Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom, I meet Aaron from my neck of the woods.

They're wearing Texas flag shorts, and he's carrying the American flag on a pole. As I catch up with them, I ask, "Hey! Where in Texas are you guys from?" She says Fort Worth, and he says Dallas. And then I recognized him. "Aren't you the guy that was wearing the turkey feathers at the Turkey Trot?"

This guy is a celebrity to my friends and I back home. We'd seen him at the Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving day. As he ran by us, we looked at each other in disbelief. Was that guy really wearing only his running shoes and a pair of shorts with turkey feathers on his rear? Oh, yeah! He also carried the American flag on a pole--this guy was very easy to spot. And pretty memorable, I would say. And then we'd seen him again in December before a marathon/half-marathon we were getting ready to run. Both events were held in our neck of the woods. So how was it that out of thousands of participants in a race several states away, I happened upon Aaron during my marathon at Disneyworld? Fate? Maybe so...

We had a great conversation about running in general, participating in marathons, and, of course, fate. I probably gushed too much, saying over and over, "My friends will NEVER believe that I saw you here!" As proof of our chance meeting, I asked him if he wouldn't mind taking a picture with me. A guy listening to our conversation the whole time obliged, and now this memory is forever in digital.

I checked my watch. Oh gosh! This great twist of fate cost me precious minutes--this was to be my slowest mile in the marathon! Ta-ta, Aaron, the Turkey Trot Dude! Gotta get moving through the Animal Kingdom and beyond!