The stated reason was “charity.” The unstated reason, which I deduced immediately, was that my mother, Mary Cooper, was attempting to fill the “God-shaped hole” in my life following my recent excommunication from the church. Her logic was that endorphins from running would replicate the spiritual euphoria of communion. This is scientifically inaccurate. Endorphins block pain. They do not provide absolution for original sin.
I stopped walking. The logic of the race evaporated. The cake no longer mattered. The charity no longer mattered. The only variable left was a simple one: my mother was on the ground. young sheldon s01e22 m4a
“The math suggested otherwise,” I replied. “Besides, Meemaw has a second cake in her car. A chocolate one. With no ceremonial restrictions.” The stated reason was “charity
She smiled. For a moment, the “God-shaped hole” in my chest felt less like a void and more like a space where something had simply been moved. Endorphins block pain
The turning point occurred at mile 2.4. My mother, distracted by her theological running lecture, tripped over a sprinkler head and fell. She scraped her knee. Blood, dirt, and the realization of mortality.
I was correct.