What Was Good This Week?

     I started going to a new church with Byron a few weeks ago.  It's a group that meets at a church near Kenmore Square.  The pastor is a friend of a friend from college, so that's how we discovered it.  Following each service there is a dinner that is open to everyone.  In addition to being free, it's also a great way to get to know the church, so we've been staying for dinner.  We were making small talk with those around us when a girl from across that table asked a profound question, "What was good this week?"
     Honestly, it caught me off guard.  My canned responses for questions such as "Where are you from?" or "What do you do?" clearly weren't going to work for this one.  And it was such a good question, that I didn't want to give a generic response like "Monday was a holiday." (I actually gave that response initially to buy myself some time to think, but I promised a better response after some reflection.)  I searched my memory for an answer.  Surely something good happened this past week!
     After a minute or two of thought, I finally found my answer.  I explained that I was running in the Boston Marathon in a few weeks and that I had skipped my last two long runs.  I confessed that I was a bit worried about my 18-mile run yesterday, but that I had surprised myself by how well I ran and how well I felt afterwards.  That was definitely something that was good this week.  It was also a good conversation starter that ended up saving everyone else at the table from answering the question.
     I'm definitely going to borrow that question.  It's genuine, it's empathetic, and it's provocative.  If nothing else it's a great question to ask yourself at the end of every week.  It will certainly give me something to ponder during my remaining long runs (still a 19 and a 20-miler left).  What about you?  What was good this week?