One Step at a Time

April 17: 12 miles
April 24: 20 miles!!!

I was nearly as anxious to run the twenty miles as I am to run the marathon. Oh, by the way, I signed up for the marathon on Monday! Friday the 23, the wind was blowing so hard, I decided I didn't care which way the wind was blowing, I was just running with it. I had planned to run to Malta (or nearly there) for my 20 miles the whole time, and was glad to see the wind cooperate. I was running pretty well until about mile 16, when I stopped to find some water Nate stashed for me. I looked all over and couldn't find it. I finally found it right where he told me he left it. I took a drink and tried to run again, but my body was tightening up. I did finish, but my body seemed to fight me every step. When I finished, Nate was there to pick me up (since I ran with the wind, there was no turn around. Nate was kind enough to drive and get me.) He told me I did a great job, but all I could think was that on race day, I have a whole other 10k to run. It will get done.

On my run, I thought, as I have other times, how our life is like a run. Each step we take gets us one step closer to the end. All roads lead to home. If I run a loop, each step is a step in the right direction, and is a step closer to the finish. When I run an out and back, it seems as if I am getting farther and farther from my goal, but it is good to know that at any time I can turn around and head for home. It is my choice. Sooner or later, though, I always turn around. Every step I take is one step closer to the finish.

So it is with life. Each step, for good or bad, takes us closer to our finish. Sometimes we are running a loop, and continually moving forward. Sometimes, we are running an out and back, seeming as if we are going the wrong direction. Isn't it good to know that we can turn around at any point. It is our choice. I think most of us, sooner or later, turn around. Whether we do or not is up to us. However, every step we take still takes us closer to the finish. How we finish is up to us, noone else.

Today I celebrate free agency. It is great a gift to be able to determine our own destiny, our own happiness, our own fate. We are not products of our circumstance, we are builders of our future. Sometimes things happen that are out of our control, but we still have a choice in how we react to each and every situation. Life is what we make it. I choose to make it great. I choose to love it, experience it, and help others love and experience it. Running helps me do just that. I feel great when I run. It helps me see how great my life is. I will remember and celebrate this fact on my hard runs. Today determines my future, so to make that future shine, today I will run.