A Reminder That People Are Watching

It was a quintessential Saturday morning, the kind that begins not with a scroll, but with stillness.

I woke sometime between 4 and 5 AM, drawn to the quiet for meditation, reading, and writing. Before doing anything else, I briefly stepped outside, not to check my phone, but to absorb some early morning light. It’s a practice I’ve come to value lately. A few moments of natural light at sunrise helps reset my circadian rhythm, grounding me before the day.

I came back inside and, surprisingly, fell back asleep for about an hour.

At 7 AM, the familiar urge to run resurfaced. But so did the excuses: I was sore from the day before, already hit four training sessions this week, my Achilles was tender, and dark clouds were gathering overhead. I’d even felt a few drops.

Still, I was fully dressed, shorts, shirt, sneakers, tracker, safety tools. The only thing left to do was go.

And that’s when the internal shift happened. I mentally stuffed the excuses into my back pocket and hit the pavement.

A Run Becomes a Reminder

At the first corner, I made a right and decided to aim for five miles. About a mile and a half in, I saw a car trying (and failing) to make a smooth U-turn, nearly collecting an orange construction cone along the way.

“These people need remedial instruction badly,” I muttered aloud. “Driver’s ed should be mandatory in Florida.”

The car wobbled toward me. Someone inside tinted windows waved. I kept running.

Two blocks later, the same car had pulled up and stopped. I gripped my tool. A voice called out:

“Will!”

I glanced over, waved, and kept going, until I saw what was being held out the window: a copy of Young at Any Age: Secrets to Slowing the Aging Process.

That made me stop.

It was someone I had met just a week earlier at a local health and wellness event, where I gave a presentation about fitness and aging well. Smiling wide, they said, “I saw you running and had to stop!”

“I had to make sure I was putting in work so you knew I was really about that life,” I joked, laughing as I caught my breath.

They said they were really enjoying the book and had already shared a copy with their parents. I was truly honored.

Then, more seriously, they revealed a recent diagnosis of an autoimmune condition.

I paused. “I’m sorry to hear that.”

“I’ll be okay,” they said, voice steady. “I’ve taken your message seriously. I’m focusing on mindset and lifestyle now.”

Before we parted ways, I shared a few more resources I thought might help. They thanked me, and I continued my run.

The Question That Delays… and Defines

The night before this encounter, I had been sitting with a familiar question, the one that always slows down my writing, my presentations, and the release of every creative idea I have:

Can this add value to someone’s life?

Can this positively affect someone?

That question delays everything I create. But it also defines it.

Because when the answer is yes, I know the work is worth sharing.

And on that morning, hearing someone say that my words were helping guide their health journey, that they were taking steps to live better, I was reminded that even if it feels like throwing a rock into the ocean, the ripple is real.

The Power of Showing Up

People are watching. And not in a performative way. They’re watching for signals that it’s still possible. That change is still worth the effort.

This encounter reminded me why I walk the walk, not just talk the talk. This is service. This is purpose. This is what I’m here to do.

I learn something new with every person I interact with. Their struggles sound familiar, because at some point, I’ve been there too.

I may not be exactly where I want to be yet, but I’ve come a long way. And every time I share my experiences, I see it resonate with others who are looking for their own way forward.