We’ve all got something to complain about, don’t we? We all
have something to celebrate, don’t we?
Some days it’s easier to lean one way. The next day to the
other. What about those who are just plain stand up straight? You rarely find
out about their accomplishments because they take it in stride. They can make it look easy even when it isn't.
Every half-marathon I participate in, I answer the same
questions. How did you do? How do you feel? What many people don’t recognize is
that the medal you get at the Finish line (yes, everyone gets a medal, it
doesn’t matter “when” you finished) is not just about how
it turned out that day.
The medal is for what you did everyday before that day. Each
Sunday morning you got out the door at 7 or 8am when your neighbours were
sleeping. When you tied up your running shoes at the end of a work day when all
you wanted was a beverage of some sort or a big fat piece of brownie. It’s for
the days you crossed off each training week with
satisfaction and relief, did the hills, put a scarf and toque on to walk outdoors (we’re
Canadians, eh!) or trained indoors staring at your own face while
you put in time on the treadmill.
We like the excitement of a race
but most of us are not facing life-changing events. We’re doing it just
to stay in the game of Life.
On the race path, you can see some who are doing it for a
reason. You hear the encouraging words as they pass you just as you might in your everyday life. You see some with tears running down their faces who are still plugging along.
You see a big man putting one foot in front
of the other on a hill that must have seemed endless. You see the 81 year old pace bunny smiling and motivating others.
And you ignore that you are getting thirsty, bored, your
knee hurts and that you’re getting tired.
This year, I had another reason not to complain. It came in
the story of a young man, a friend of my daughter, whose
leg was lost in a boating accident. Whose
other leg and foot had to be reconstructed. Who did his first 5km race. He
did this less than one year since the accident which could have destroyed his
life.
What do you think Travis
has learned while he got ready for this race? How hard do you think he had to
try each day? Who has he become along the way?
The days I want to complain, I’m going to remember those I
saw on the path a few days ago. I will allow their efforts to succeed to raise me up. Because seeing my fellow participates was a good reminder that not
everyone has the same kind of difficult day.
So let’s stop complaining and
start celebrating what we can do instead.
Everyone who finished the race
received the same medal. Although there were thousands of different reasons to
go for it, there were even more reasons not to. And each person knows what they had to do and what they had to give up to get to the Finish.
There are days in your life when you
get a medal but it’s the days you don’t that tell the true story. Ask Travis.
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