Guillermo's Daily Run

If you spend anytime in North East Salem, you may have seen this man in the sandwich board out for his daily run. On my way into work today I stopped to talk with him - his name is Guillermo. Most often, Guillermo runs in what I would describe as a trance - eyes seemingly closed as he navigates along busy Silverton Road. He was so happy to see me, with my camera in hand, that his face opened into an enormous, easy smile. We talked about his daily running and I was able to use my limited Spanish to ask some basic questions. "Why do you run?" I asked. "Every day," Guillermo said, "I run for the Lord." He told me to "Be ready," and asked if I knew where I was going. Before I could answer, he turned around and echoed the words on the back of the sandwich board "If you die where will you go?" Despite my lack of a direct answer, he reached for my hand, clasped it hard with both of his strong hands and said, "Hasta luego, mi amigo...let's talk again soon." He was off and running and I was left standing there with the biggest smile on my face. So began the day.