This morning when I woke up, the first thing I was greeted by was a message from my training routine app saying “Today is an easy 5K run”. I am all for easy stuff in life. Excitedly, I got up, packed my running bag and headed out for work. The day went swimmingly by with all sorts of meetings and phone calls. Then the clock struck 6:30. Time to take a break, I told myself.

Went to the restroom at the place where I was working and started changing into my running clothes. And that is when I realized that I had a math problem!! Rummaging thru my entire gym bag, the total number of shoes I fished out equalled to a big fat zero!! I had forgotten to pack my shoes!! Totally stunned, I started weighing my options. For a few seconds, I entertained the idea of running in running clothes but with my office socks and dress shoes on. Even the office shoes on the floor were going “Enough, dude!! We do not need any further humiliation”. So I went with the other sane option – if sane is the word I am looking for.

5K of running without any shoes on hard and hot concrete. You have no idea how painful it was to keep a smile on as cyclists and runners came by from the other side while mentally going “Ow! Ow! Ow!”.

You probably remember how disgusted my dad is that I choose to live on a dirt road, drawing water from a well and have our own septic tank. This, he takes as a personal affront, after he fought hard to pull us out of a village in India to a town to give us a better education and living. Wait till he hears about people finding me all over the streets of Alpharetta completely barefoot – just like his folks in his village still do!!