Being a “Yes!” person can become exhausting, but it’s also incredibly rewarding. One of the things I said yes to last month was volunteering with Students Run LA at the LA Marathon. I was a shutterbug for their team and snapped a lot of great photos of the kids running the marathon. Students Run LA is non-profit organization that helps to train Middle School and High School kids to run the LA Marathon and instill a great sense of accomplishment in them at a really young age. I was seriously impressed by those kids. I wonder what I’d be like now if I had participated in an after-school program like Students Run LA.

When I was a teenager I acted out of fear and tended to say “no” to a lot of things. Sadly, missing out on awesome opportunites because I felt I already knew what it would be like. Thankfully as an adult and now being a “yes” person, I know that when you say “yes” you invite so much more greatness into your life. While at the marathon I ended up running into a grade school friend of mine, I felt the buzzing energy of the runners all around me, I learned that runners use trash bags to stay warm, and The Fairmont Hotel in Santa Monica is a great staycation destination.

Also, since I did have my camera in hand, I couldn’t help but take photos of the unique charaters of the LA Marathon. This was the first marathon I’ve ever witnessed but it was in Los Angeles, so although not surprised that people were in costume, I was still wildly ammused by them. Unique characters I can now share with you!

What’s more shocking to you, a barefoot man or Jesus? I say the barefoot man.