The power of snow angels

The unpredictable ways #walk1000miles touches lives continues to thrill and amaze us. Jen Mcloughlin was getting some early morning miles in near home, when the thin layer of snow lying all around made its irresistible call to the young at heart: come on, make a snow angel. “I couldn’t help myself!” says Jen. “I thought there was only me in the park until some fella ran over to me thinking I’d fallen over and was struggling to get back up. Oh the shame!” And while it’s always nice to discover the latent kindness of strangers, that isn’t the end of the story.

“Next morning on the same walk morning walk a fella came up to me. To be honest it scared me and I was ready to go into Karate Kid mode. But it turns out he was the one who came to my ‘rescue’ – and yet he wanted to say thanks to me. That morning he had been on his way to the train station like he’s done for years – but he wasn’t going to catch the train that morning. He’d had enough – and I mean of everything. Until he saw me on the floor, legs and arms going everywhere, and once he realised I was laughing my head off not screaming in distress he told me my being daft changed his mind. He said he smiled and chuckled to himself ever since.

“We’ve just walked round the park chatting away and we’ve just watched a beautiful sunrise together. I told him about #walk1000miles and he says he’s going to give it a go! He asked my why I walk and I told him to look around. I walked him up to the train station and told him the time I’m in the park every morning five days a week and he’s more than welcome to walk with me. As I walked away he said ‘Not all superheroes wear capes, mine had snow angel wings’.

“And it made me think: even if it’s just a ‘hello’ on your walk, you never know. You might be the reason they smile – or something even more.”