Confident and Kind, Trail Run Community

Jenny wanted us all to wear clothes that made us look like skittles. She was working on a photo assignment while we played in the dunes. We are all wearing Ornery Mule Clothing you can find on our website.

Surround yourself with people who:

Empower you
Believe in you
Support you
Uplift you
Motivate you
Appreciate you

Visiting Warren Dunes State Park in Michigan.

We laughed, encouraged each other to run down steep hills, or climb up big dunes. We felt safe and supported by being alongside other confident and kind athletes/friends. These are folks that enjoy the outdoors, and love others. Truly a special day.

Thank you for stopping by my blog! Take care my friends!

~Michele

P.S. Next time you see Reese, ask him about his quarter and laundry basket in the dunes.

Photos by: Jenny Thorsen

Things I reflected on after a special day with friends…

Ornery Mule Racing’s mission statement is: Kindness, Community and ordinary people doing extraordinary things. Alongside this mission is an ideology to work on. “A confident community is a kind community.” Uplifting confidence in others helps our community thrive in kindness.

In this world we tend to gravitate towards the people that are full of life. They are excited for the accomplishments of their peers and generously work to help others. They do not pass negative judgement. They live life passionately and love to see others crushing it. It feels good to be around these people. These are traits of kind and confident people.

How do we find these people or empower our community to be this type of person?

Let me tell you about a lesson I learned from my Dad. When I was a teenager there was a man that I had to deal with on a regular basis. It was a work situation and all the gals and guys around me were aggravated when he walked in the door. My Dad told us, “kill him with kindness”. He explained that the man is sad and that is why he always acted so mean. We all started greeting him with a happy smile. Asking him about his life. Showing excitement to see him. I remember it being hard to do at first, but we gradually started to see him soften. Our small adjustments brought out a guy with a funny sense of humor, that learned to smile and not try and make those around him feel miserable. It gave him the confidence to open his heart to others.

The trail and running community is our home. We all need to work together to make it the best that it can be. Make a point to try and help those that don’t have the personal self confidence to treat others with kindness. This does not mean to put yourself in a situation that you allow someone to hurt you. You can walk away from the negative, while also showing those around you positivity and kindness.

A few ideas to spread kindness