It turns out that there were over 50,000 participants, and it took us about half an hour to get into the parking lot; good thing we'd left plenty of time. Other than the obvious benefit of raising money for breast cancer research, and helping my son satisfy a community service requirement for his curriculum, I am always touched by what I see and hear when I walk in this event. Some of yesterday's highlights as I recall them:
- A sea of pink, which is a color I like. Tee shirts, sweatshirts, scarves, hats, you name it. One middle aged man, obviously secure in his masculinity, sported a pink feather boa. Yeah baby!
- Three kids jumping on and off benches as they walked, with stickers on the back of their shirts that said "Walking in memory of Grandma."
- An entire high school football team walking together.
- So many cheerleading squads, in full uniform, that I lost count. Some were engaged in cheers as we passed them.
- Impressive creativity with slogans on banners and tee shirts...cute sayings about breasts, but in a good way...about saving breasts and saving lives.
- So many SURVIVOR tee shirts and banners. One woman in a SURVIVOR tee shirt was walking with what looked like an entire family of children, grandchildren, and possibly great grandchildren.
- As we were almost finished, an elderly man who needed a cane for support was just beginning his walk. I asked my son to consider the emotional significance this event must have for the man if he were willing to undertake such a physically demanding task.
45 minutes after we left there, my son was due on the soccer field with his travel team. Yes he did have a bite to eat in between, but he was tired. Regardless, he helped his squad emerge with a 4-3 win. In addition to the intrinsic rewards, I indulged his request for a treat from the ice cream truck before we headed for home.
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