Sitting in the shade of an ample tree on the bank of the Charles, I watched the crowds of joggers, bicyclists, and rowers dashing up and down the river. How magnificent they were to watch! Their muscles glistening in the afternoon haze, they bounded and buzzed and glided past me with fixed facial expressions suggesting indomitable will. But, try as I might, I could not even begin to envy them for their unquestionable achievements.