Running the Sahara

There are moments in our lives when we bear witness to an unbelievable event or meet someone who is an incredible inspiration to others. I had the fortune of experiencing both last week. The person is Charlie Engle and he, along with two other running mates, embarked on a 111-day, 4000-mile run across the Sahara Desert, a feat never before tried. A documentary was created with the efforts of Matt Damon, entitled "Running the Sahara."

Last week Charlie was in Southern California visiting friends and thus I had the pleasure to meet him, learn a little more about him and bear witness to a small, private screening of "Running the Sahara." It is an amazing documentary that displays the will and courage of the human spirit, not only amongst the runners, but of the people in Africa as well. The clean water initiative, H2O Africa was also formed as part of the Running the Sahara expedition and film project. So many lives have been impacted by the cooperative work of the runners and the people behind the film project, including Matt Damon.

There are moments in our lives in which we can't explain the way in which our hearts are touched by what we have borne witness to. Watching the film, listening to Charlie speak and hearing about the H2O Africa project were all experiences I was happy to have been a part of. I hope that in sharing this some of you will feel humbled, inspired and/or fortunate as well to witness how remarkable the human race can be when we tap into the depths of our hearts and reach out to others. May you too feel inspired to reach out to others in ways that work for you.