Hi my name is Runner.
I don’t remember ever learning to walk. I always ran. I have been running all my life.
I’ve never stopped.
I run when I sleep, I run when I eat, I run as I write this.
The funny thing is I am always behind.
I run but I never catch up.
I had to learn to run faster and faster.
Over the years I even managed to do saltos, jumps, spagats, jetees.
These made my runs fancy but I still couldn’t catch up.
I have developed some joint problems. My knees are achy, my back hurts and I can’t jump high anymore. But I never stop.
Any way, one day, and it wasn’t a very special day or anything, I entered this village, Ushuaia, running. This woman asked me to stop:
Woman: “Please stop! Where are you going?”
Me: “I am running. I have to catch up.”
Woman: “Catch up with what? You came to the end of the world.”
Me: “What?”
Woman: “This is the end of the world. There is nothing to catch other than a ferry to Antartica.”
I had to stop. I looked around. I was, indeed, in a cute small village that didn’t go anywhere.
Me: “I ran for this all these years? So I could catch a ferry now?”
Woman: “Maybe you completed your journey. You can rest now. This is a special village… Its name is Ushuaia… The End of the World…”
Given that I started my journey from the other end of the world, I should have felt a sense of accomplishment. But I was so upset. Not only upset, I panicked. My legs didn’t want to stop. I felt like if I stoped I would die. I had to run.
Thank God I had this idea: I thought I could turn around and run back to where I came from.
I suddenly felt a sense of relief. Even though my legs were hurting and my knees were achy, I was so relieved. With determination I said:
“I am sorry, I have to go, I am so far behind.”
Then I heard this voice:
“What if the same thing happens again and I don’t catch up and there is only a ferry?”
After a slight terror, I had a solution for that too.
After I run back to the other end of the world, I will turn around and run to where I am now. To Ushaia.
That way I can at least catch up with myself.
Perhaps, then I might be able to rest a day or two… or …
I might even consider sailing to Antartica.