Today is Patriots Day in my hometown of Boston, Massachusetts. Although, I am literally on the other side of the world in Dubai, I still feel a sentimental connection to my hometown on the One-Year Anniversary of the 2013 Boston Marathon Bomb Attack. The Boston Marathonis an historic event that dates back to 1897 and has come to epitomize strength, endurance and commitment. But last year, a tragic event disrupted this American tradition but ironically strengthened the ties of humanity. There was a hash tag borne out this calamity #BostonStrong.

This blog post today simply salutes all my fellow Bostonians on today. Especially, I am thinking about those families who lost their loved ones, runners and spectators who lost their limbs just about a year ago on that fateful day. I salute the fearlessness, the fortitude and the perseverance that it takes to finish a marathon – especially one year after a man-made catastrophe hits. Personally, I too plan to complete a marathon and it is a goal on my bucket list…but for today, I will live vicariously through each of the 36,000 marathon runners who will run the Boston Marathon this year.

Godspeed!