A Lesson in Pink
A walk to remember
I recently was coaxed (told) by my wife to take part in a 5k walk for Breast Cancer Awareness in downtown Orlando. October is breast cancer awareness month and if you are a fan of the NFL you notice players wearing pink wristbands, shoes and ribbons all over their body. For many years I found it odd to see Ray Lewis of the Ravens wear all these pink ornaments on his body in support of breast cancer and then watch him lay out a running back with a brutal hit and stand over him and call him “ B#!*!”. It seemed a little hypocritical to me but each year the events all over the country got bigger and bigger. Web sites went pink for the entire month and everywhere you went there was a reminder. I wasn’t quite sure how making me aware of breast cancer really helped but it seemed like a harmless enough endeavor.
As usual, my wife volunteers for something but then assumes I have to join in her endeavor as well. Quite frankly I was looking forward to sleeping in on Saturday morning not getting up and walking 5k with my wife and son. Begrudgingly me and the boy joined my wife on the walk on Saturday morning. My wife was decked out in pink shirt and shorts while I wore a gold UCF shirt and blue basketball shorts. My son on the other hand wore a grey shirt and swimming trunks. Not sure why one would wear a bathing suit to a 5k walk but I’ve learned it’s wise not to question the wisdom of 12 year old boys. When we arrived there was mass humanity in the thousands completely decked out in pink from head to toe. My son and I actually stuck out like a sore thumb because we had absolutely no pink on. I almost felt different and out of place for not wearing at least a pink ribbon. It wasn’t just the women decked out in pink either. There were men wearing pink head to toe and some men actually wore pink bras on the outside of their tee shirts. This is a little freaky for me no matter how you try to explain it. I got the sense in a few cases that some of these guys actually liked dressing up in women’s clothing and might be using this event as an excuse to wear tasseled ta ta bras in public!
As we began our Pink walk we were greeted by bands and dancers playing music. A local marching band beating drums and a DJ spinning records to keep us motivated. Water was donated at every turn and of course they came in a pink bottle as well. As we marched on I felt like putting on a pink hat or something so I wouldn’t stand out as much. I could swear a couple people gave me the “evil eye” for not wearing pink. After a few hundred yards I did what any caring man would do and I plugged in my earphones and started listening to the Frank Sinatra station on Pandora radio. Nothing makes a 5k walk fly by like the sound of “Ol Blue Eyes” crooning “come fly with me” and “ the way you look tonight”. I was in heaven and surrounded by pink people and a couple cross dressers. I’m convinced.
About half way through the walk I took notice of some of the tee shirts some of the walkers were wearing. They were walking in groups instead of individually. One group had a pink shirt that said “Walking in memory of Alice 1942 -2002”. Another woman had on a pink shirt that said “In memory of my loving mom 1948 -2006”. There was another woman walking decked out head to toe in pink including a pink scarf that was covering her head that appeared to be bald but she walked proudly among the sea of pink. I suddenly became less aware of cross dressing pink men and more aware of the depth of the walk and the meaning it held for many of these people. I found myself reading each and every tee shirt and paying attention to groups carrying a sign for loved ones lost and or inflicted. My wife and I began to quietly discuss the significance around us and I felt a little humbled by the experience. I kept thinking about the woman with the scarf on her head and wondered where she stood in her treatment and if she would be here in a year. I envisioned how different she must feel having no hair and walking in public to stares and looks. After all, If I feel out of place not wearing pink to this event, imagine what this poor woman must feel when she goes to the bank or grocery store when this event is over?
When the walk concluded I had a totally different appreciation of what Breast Cancer Awareness month is all about. It’s not about men wearing pink bras or tassels or football players wearing pink shoes and wristbands. To me its about supporting in some small shape or way those people and their families who have been affected by breast cancer and for one glorious day giving them hope of a cure. I also believe that for one day, for one brief moment, the woman in the scarf can walk freely among thousands and not stand out as different but rather be back in the place she belongs. As for me, once again I am humbled at life lessons I continue to learn each and every day and will be going to the store shortly to get my pink hat and shirt.
The SIPA has given money to the Susan G. Komen Foundation in the name of Brokers and Advisers of the financial industry and we would ask all of you to take 5 minutes to visit their site and do the same. The financial industry is filled with hundreds of thousands of hard working women who help make our industry what it is today. Please give today by going to : SUSAN G KOMEN FOUNDATION web site and donating today.
