Strange Encounter.

It seems a lot has been happening of late and because as human beings we are surrounded by both positive and negative energies, it is for us to find the power within us just to attract the positives.
I woke up feeling really energetic today, and very positive then I went out for a 10k push. It felt easier than it has been in the past and halfway through I started to ask myself why I was feeling the way I was. Then I just realised that it was partly coming from within me, from the moment I woke up and got out of my bed my words of affirmation were positive. I was embracing the beauty around me, and being outside in the fresh air, pushing, huffing and puffing, just gave me a profound sense of gratitude for everything I have, my achievements and successes, and even for the things I've failed in that have made me stronger.
As I was nearing the end of my 10k push an elderly lady rushed to stop me, shouting; 'Stop, please stop!' I finally managed to stop and this lady walked up to me and said;'Excuse me, do you enjoy your life?' I looked up at her and smiled and told her I did in so many ways but in my head I was thinking to myself,'oh no here is another one feeling sorry for me because I'm in a wheelchair'. As she moved closer towards me I thought she was going to pat me on the back, or patronise me in some other way. I was very wrong! She surprised me by saying that the reason she had asked me whether I enjoyed my life was because she didn't enjoy hers. She explained that after 43 years of marriage her husband and true friend had passed on seven months previously and she feels lost and incredibly sad. She said that all the money and property her husband had bequeathed to her meant absolutely nothing and she wished she was me so she could just enjoy life as I was! As she said this she broke down and began to cry. I pulled her down towards me and gave her a big hug, with a bit of difficulty because I'm low in my chair and she was elderly. All I could do was to wipe her tears with the sleeve of my sweaty top and then she asked me;'How can I be happy again?' I didn't really have the answer but what I did say to her was that I was sure her husband would not want her to be unhappy, and that she should treasure her memories of her 43 years with him. As we parted she said,'Thank you for that beautiful smile. It will keep me going for some time'. As I pushed off I was thinking to myself,'what a strange encounter'.
The most wasted of all days is one without sharing a smile.