Senseless

Anyone who knows me knows I don't run. I don't even condone running, although in certain circumstances, I can understand why people do it (being chased by a knife-wielding maniac up at Crystal Lake, for example).

However, there are people that enjoy it, and they ought to be allowed to do so without being afraid that some dickhead has a bomb planted at the finish line.

In the interest of full disclosure, I love explosions, but not when loss of life or limb is involved. I'm a huge fan of structural explosions. The physics fascinate me. Big booms that tear through people are not my favorite by any means.

That being said, imagine you've trained all year for this huge international event, the Boston marathon, you've got new shoes just for the occasion, and you'll finally be able to cross "run 26 miles, buy stock in Desitin" off your bucket list. All of a sudden, at the finish line, just as you feel that tickle of joy that comes with finally accomplishing something... BOOM!

Now, imagine that after 4 hours of running - after TWENTY-SIX grueling miles, you're lying in a hospital bed surrounded by nurses with bolts of gauze, your new shoes conspicuously absent. Your friends, neighbors, and family occupy adjacent rooms. Some occupy the morgue.

You're a mess. Confused, trying to make sense of it all, you stop and think, so you can cope with the reality of the situation.

"Okay, I'm in a hospital, good. Doctors and nurses, excellent. They seem properly equipped, great."

Then, some asshole offers "thoughts and prayers" as he walks by shoving a burger in his mouth.

Thoughts and prayers don't do shit. If they did, at least a few of those 145 would be walking out on their own two feet, saying "thanks doc, but I prayed the leg back."

Don't insult these people by telling them you're thinking about them before you boop their nose.

Offer blood and money if you can.

While thoughts, prayers, condolences, and wearing a special color are all nice things, they don't help. They're as senseless as the bombing itself.