“Wherever there is a human being, there is an opportunity for a kindness.” (Lucius Annaeus Seneca)

My Paris to London train was scheduled for only four and half hours after I crossed the finish line of the Paris Marathon. So, after waiting for other teammates to finish and join me for the obligatory photoshoot, I started the limp-filled effort of getting to and through the metro’s stairs, escalators, platforms and trains on my way to Eurostar’s entrance at Gare du Nord. It must be that my walk and face were saying a lot more than I thought, because a young man looked at me and said, “you look like you’re struggling”.

It turns out he had also run the marathon, but, being considerably younger, was in a lot less discomfort than me. Soon enough we were talking about the satisfaction of getting or staying fit while helping less fortunate people by fundraising. My newfound comrade-in-aches hadn’t sought sponsorship for this his third marathon in five months, and fourth in a year, but had through his previous three runs raised an impressive total of nearly £15,000 for charities working in the UK, Gaza and Zimbabwe. I told him about the beneficiary of my current discomfort (Sierra Leone Grammar School STEM Lab), and of SLWT for which my fundraising efforts include over £3,000 doing my ‘Sixtython’ on my 60th birthday.

We exchanged numbers as our chat progressed into our faiths. He is a Hindu who has done his bit to support relief for the predominantly Muslim victims of the war in Gaza. I am a non-practising Muslim who in the month of Ramadan we were in the last few days of hadn’t done the fasting that is the fourth pillar of Islam, but by training for, running in, and fundraising through this marathon was kind of fulfilling the third pillar by giving to charity. What next?

Comrade Aches asks for the link to my STEM Lab fundraising page. I try to deflect, but he insists he wants to donate because no charity had benefited from his run this time. Aided by WhatsApp, my page’s link finds its way to him.

As I worked my way through chocolate and water Comrade Aches gave me to help restore my energy, he got up to make his way to his train which was a half hour earlier than mine. We did a handshake, promised to stay in touch, I suggested we should at least meet at Paris Marathon 2025, and he casually tells me he had just donated to my page. I thanked him for the donation, and again for the chocolates and water.

As he disappeared into his fellow travellers, I checked my fundraising page. Wow!!! My Comrade-in-Aches had donated £110. Why that amount? The total was £1,490 before he got in, and I worked out he had decided to round it up to £1,600. I immediately sent him a thank you message. His very simple reply, in the screen shot, significantly adds to the inspiration to do it all again.

So, thanks to a chance meeting at a train station, the Sierra Leone Grammar School Old Boys (UK) for enabling, and to all of you for your donations and words of encouragement, it looks like I will do the Paris Marathon, and the other events, again and again…

© Othame Kabia

#StayingInspired #Kindness #HumanityLives