As I ran the faint taste of salt hit my lip. I could taste it with each inhalation. Initially, it didn’t bother me but it did catch my attention. It had been more than 12 hours since I had seen a plow truck go by with salt. As I ran I looked at the pavement, it wasn’t coated in salt as it sometimes is after an ice storm has come through. The longer I ran, the more intense the taste got in my mouth. The more that I could taste it, the more I got to thinking about life.

Have you ever done something and walked away without giving it a second thought? Don’t we all do this on a daily basis? It could be something fairly miniscule and it never crosses our mind again. It could even be something that we felt great about, something done to promote safety and wellness for ourselves and for others.

Our days are filled with experiences and interactions, countless ones. Some are small and some significant, all can be impactful. Sometimes, the words that we say or the actions that we take are thrown out intending for good and in that moment we feel good about our words or actions and don’t think about it again. The plow truck throwing salt, for safety, had been gone for hours yet I could still taste the salt. As our actions or words fade, they still have an impact, much like the salt on the road. And, much like the salt on the road, they can leave a bad taste in someone's mouth.

It was a beautiful reminder for me to be careful with my actions and words and all that I am throwing out into the world.