I guess you'd have to be one of us to understand us. It's really not possible to comprehend this passion unless you have once experienced it for yourself. Could it actually be an addiction? Hmmmm....Well, I don't know if I would take it that far, but I will admit that it does have an addictive nature. Once it gets a hold on you, you're never quite able to break free, and like an addiction, it will cause you to spend large amounts of time and money just to satisfy the craving, the yearning. However, it is not something that we try to hide....we'll talk about it for hours to anyone and everyone who is willing to listen, although the average person, the layman, will wonder what can there be to talk about. Just hang around us for a few minutes and you'll begin to understand. As a matter of fact, if you've read my blog very many times, you probably already know where I'm going with this. We are runners.
Your next question may be, "Other than running apparel and shoes, what can there be about this "condition" that would cost so much money?" For the answer to that question, just try following me around today, but if that's what you want to do, you'd better hurry up and get moving, because that's what I'm about to do...get moving. And if everything goes according to plan, when I go to bed tonight, I'll be a long way from where I am right now. That's why I'm in such a hurry to get this message posted....I've got "miles to go before I sleep, and miles to go before I sleep." In just a little while, Angie and I, along with eight good friends (10 total), will be headed to the airport. Our first stop will be Atlanta, where we will board a fight bound for New York; but we won't be staying there long either. There in New York, we will board another flight that will take us to our final destination....Portland, Maine. And yes, we're going there to run.
Tomorrow promises to be a fairly easy day. We'll sleep late in the morning. At least we call it "sleeping late." But what can you expect for a group of people who are accustomed to rising at 4:15 AM...to run? After a leisurely breakfast, we will head to the expo for a little while to pick up our race packets and see if we can find some good deals on some running gear, have lunch, and then maybe do a little bit of sight seeing, before having dinner and returning to the hotel so we can get to bed early, although we're usually so keyed up the night before the big day that we don't sleep well. Sunday morning, we'll be up very early, making all the last minute preparations for the big race, because, in case you're not aware, planning a 26.2 mile run requires a lot of preparation. Then, before 6:30, we'll be on our way toward the starting line. And I think I know what the next question will be, "What will you do after you finish running?" What would you do if you had just run 26.2 miles? Well, one thing we WILL NOT be doing is going dancing....or running. I predict we'll go back to the hotel to crash for a little while, and then head out to find some fresh Maine lobster. We will feel like we deserve it. Monday will be a day of fun, before our trip home Tuesday.
Yes, I know we could take that trip without the running part, but let me repeat the statement I made in the beginning: In order to understand us, you have to be one of us. And there's one more thing--we're a group of close friends, but it was running that brought us together, and running is what keeps us together. We can't imagine taking a trip like this without going for a run. That's what we do. That's who we are. Some may call it an addiction, but I choose to go back to the first term I used: a passion. Whatever it is, may I never lose it!
Preston
Thursday, September 29, 2011
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Thinking Out Loud, Volume CCLXXXIX
There's a fact of life that I've never really given much thought until just a few days ago. It's not important where I was when this realization hit me, but for the sake of this story, I'll tell you anyway. I was sitting alone at breakfast in the Holiday Inn of Springdale, Arkansas. As I was looking over my choices of food, with all the beautiful fruit, the selection of cereal, and the different kinds of bread and pastries, my mind went back to the meal I'd had the night before. Then, almost unintentionally, I went back one more meal to the previous day's lunch. Well, at that point, there was no reason to stop, so I began to recall all the different types of food that had sustained me all my life, and it dawned on me that there was one common denominator in all of it. Before I get into that, however, let me go ahead and relate some of the questions that then began to pop into my mind: "Can a person receive nutrition from a rock?" "What if I could grind up iron or copper into a powder and mix it with water? Would I be able to survive on that?" The answer is an obvious "No!"
Let's get back to that one common denominator of all the different types of food I've ever eaten. When I thought about it, suddenly some things started making a lot more sense to me, and I immediately grasped a better of understanding of what I've always been taught about both my physical and spiritual life. Here it is: The only thing that can give me life is: Life. I can't live without food, and the only food that can sustain me either is, or has been, alive. It doesn't matter if it's fish, carrots, cows, or wheat...whatever it is, at some point in its existence, it has experienced life.
Now let's take it one step further. In order for me to have life, another life has to be sacrificed. There's no other way. It's God's design. The only way you and I can experience life is when another form of life experiences death. I love to observe the beauties of nature, and some of the sights I love to see are pastures with cows grazing peacefully, cool clear streams with fish swimming lazily through the water, orchards with fruit hanging heavily upon each tree, or just a small vegetable garden filled with a variety of plants beautifully in bloom; yet all those wonders of nature must be devoured just so I can have life.
That leads me to ask just one more question: "Who am I that I would deserve to continue enjoying my life at the expense of so many others?" That's a question that is very difficult to answer, but I think the crux of the matter is I don't deserve it...I'm just blessed beyond measure. Therefore, I must commit myself to expressing thanks at every possible opportunity. "Lord, I thank you so much for Your awesome sacrifice on my behalf, of which I am so unworthy, and also for the way You continuously provide me with 'life' for my own consumption so that I may continue to live. May I be eternally grateful. Amen."
Preston
Let's get back to that one common denominator of all the different types of food I've ever eaten. When I thought about it, suddenly some things started making a lot more sense to me, and I immediately grasped a better of understanding of what I've always been taught about both my physical and spiritual life. Here it is: The only thing that can give me life is: Life. I can't live without food, and the only food that can sustain me either is, or has been, alive. It doesn't matter if it's fish, carrots, cows, or wheat...whatever it is, at some point in its existence, it has experienced life.
Now let's take it one step further. In order for me to have life, another life has to be sacrificed. There's no other way. It's God's design. The only way you and I can experience life is when another form of life experiences death. I love to observe the beauties of nature, and some of the sights I love to see are pastures with cows grazing peacefully, cool clear streams with fish swimming lazily through the water, orchards with fruit hanging heavily upon each tree, or just a small vegetable garden filled with a variety of plants beautifully in bloom; yet all those wonders of nature must be devoured just so I can have life.
That leads me to ask just one more question: "Who am I that I would deserve to continue enjoying my life at the expense of so many others?" That's a question that is very difficult to answer, but I think the crux of the matter is I don't deserve it...I'm just blessed beyond measure. Therefore, I must commit myself to expressing thanks at every possible opportunity. "Lord, I thank you so much for Your awesome sacrifice on my behalf, of which I am so unworthy, and also for the way You continuously provide me with 'life' for my own consumption so that I may continue to live. May I be eternally grateful. Amen."
Preston
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Thinking Out Loud, Volume, CCLXXXIII
I had really intended to eat that banana. I opened the shell, took out the fruit, and was just about to take a bite when my phone rang. It was a business call and required immediate attention. Soon I was engrossed in my work, which took quite a while to complete; all this time that forgotten banana was lying right where I left it, patiently waiting to be consumed. It was not to be. With one project leading to another, I soon found that my day was spent with no more thought being given to that hapless piece of fruit...until the next morning.
I started out my day bumbling and fumbling around, trying to get myself in gear, and I stumbled across that banana....still lying there in all its yuckiness. Since I make it a policy to try to eat at least one banana a day, that would've been a good time to eat one...but not that one. It was worthless. In less than twenty-four hours, that delicious piece of nutrition had been transformed from being desirable to being repulsive. Then I looked over at the bananas that were still in the bowl, and they were still good, although they had been there when I picked up the one that was now about to be thrown into the trash can. Why? What was the difference? They were all from the same bunch....siblings. You see, the ones in the bowl were still encased in their shells, their primary source of preservation and protection. With me being the philosophical person that I am, I thought that there must be some kind of lesson to be learned from that scenario...like when we step outside the surroundings of the ones who are there to protect and care for us, we are expediting our own destruction.
Then I looked back at the banana and I saw something else that up until that point had gone unnoticed...the peel, the protector. It was in worse shape than the fruit itself. Looking back at the others still in the bowl, I saw that all those peels still looked healthy. I thought the protector was supposed to be stronger, more durable. In fact, its only reason for existence was to surround and preserve the banana inside. Although by that time the fruit had deteriorated to a point that I would consider in inedible, it had actually lasted longer than its protector. How could that be? Here's what I think: Although it was now outside its protective surroundings and was completely vulnerable to the world, there was still a chance that someone would want it. There was still a purpose in life. The shell, on the other hand, was no longer of any use to anyone or anything, therefore its death came much more quickly.
So, Mr. Philosopher, is there a lesson in this story? Yes, there is. Several, actually. But here's the one I want to focus on right now: I don't know when, or if, I'll ever decide to retire. Whether I do or don't is really not the issue. What's important is that I never ever lose my purpose for being here. Whether I'm the protector or the protectee, when I get to the point to where I no longer have a purpose in life, I'm a goner. So, if for any reason, you need me, please don't stop. You're what's keeping me alive.
Preston
I started out my day bumbling and fumbling around, trying to get myself in gear, and I stumbled across that banana....still lying there in all its yuckiness. Since I make it a policy to try to eat at least one banana a day, that would've been a good time to eat one...but not that one. It was worthless. In less than twenty-four hours, that delicious piece of nutrition had been transformed from being desirable to being repulsive. Then I looked over at the bananas that were still in the bowl, and they were still good, although they had been there when I picked up the one that was now about to be thrown into the trash can. Why? What was the difference? They were all from the same bunch....siblings. You see, the ones in the bowl were still encased in their shells, their primary source of preservation and protection. With me being the philosophical person that I am, I thought that there must be some kind of lesson to be learned from that scenario...like when we step outside the surroundings of the ones who are there to protect and care for us, we are expediting our own destruction.
Then I looked back at the banana and I saw something else that up until that point had gone unnoticed...the peel, the protector. It was in worse shape than the fruit itself. Looking back at the others still in the bowl, I saw that all those peels still looked healthy. I thought the protector was supposed to be stronger, more durable. In fact, its only reason for existence was to surround and preserve the banana inside. Although by that time the fruit had deteriorated to a point that I would consider in inedible, it had actually lasted longer than its protector. How could that be? Here's what I think: Although it was now outside its protective surroundings and was completely vulnerable to the world, there was still a chance that someone would want it. There was still a purpose in life. The shell, on the other hand, was no longer of any use to anyone or anything, therefore its death came much more quickly.
So, Mr. Philosopher, is there a lesson in this story? Yes, there is. Several, actually. But here's the one I want to focus on right now: I don't know when, or if, I'll ever decide to retire. Whether I do or don't is really not the issue. What's important is that I never ever lose my purpose for being here. Whether I'm the protector or the protectee, when I get to the point to where I no longer have a purpose in life, I'm a goner. So, if for any reason, you need me, please don't stop. You're what's keeping me alive.
Preston
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Thinking Out Loud, Volume CCLXXXVII
Wow! It's already been ten years! It doesn't seem like it. Kids born on that day are on the verge of becoming teenagers. Fifth graders who were at school that day are now adults. I'm sure we can all think of loved ones who were alive and well back then, but are no longer with us. I can easily remember where I was and what I was doing when I heard the news...and without a doubt, so can you. As a matter of fact, Angie and I were vacationing on the beach, but all we wanted to do for the rest of the day was sit in our hotel room, glued to the television. Even our vocabulary was altered by the horrific events of that day...we can just say "Nine Eleven" and most anybody will know what we're talking about.
All you have to do is board a commercial flight to see how our lives have been changed. I've now grown accustomed to pulling off my shoes and emptying my pockets every time I board a plane, not to mention all the regulations regarding our baggage, both checked and carry-on. If the goal of the terrorists was to change the way the live and think, while taking away some of our freedoms, then we have to admit that they achieved at least some degree of success. But I must also say that in my lifetime, I have never seen this nation's citizens, both left and right, come together like they did in the weeks and months following those attacks on our country. That unity didn't last as long as I would have liked, but I long to see it again.
It's just natural for our citizens to have differing opinions on how to best solve the problems that our nation faces. That doesn't mean that any of us are unpatriotic. Even as I'm typing these words, I'm thinking of a good friend whose political views are 180 degrees apart from mine, yet he is a great guy who has been a real friend to me, and I know he feels the same. We always enjoy each other's company....we just don't talk politics when we're together. He and I are proof that friends can be friends even while disagreeing. That's the way it's supposed to be...it was the intention of our founding fathers. I spend a lot of time in my car, and I keep my satellite radio tuned to a news channel most of the day. Some of the pundits who are interviewed have political views that are opposite of the way I believe, but I don't mind hearing them because they don't present themselves with an adversarial tone; yet there are others, from both sides of the spectrum, who resort to name-calling and hate speech so much that I don't want to hear them any more, whether I agree with them or not.
The events of September 11, 2001 were beyond terrible, and I hope we never have to experience anything even similar to that ever again. I'm sure there were some who even changed their political stripes as a result of what happened that day, although the majority of us still hold fast to the same value system we had before. It's probably best that we have differing opinions. For a bird to fly straight, it must have both a left wing and a right wing, working on opposite sides for the same purpose. We're never all going to agree, but we can work together for the betterment of our nation as a whole, disagreeing in an agreeable manner. I just hope it doesn't take another "Nine Eleven" to get us back to that point.
Preston
All you have to do is board a commercial flight to see how our lives have been changed. I've now grown accustomed to pulling off my shoes and emptying my pockets every time I board a plane, not to mention all the regulations regarding our baggage, both checked and carry-on. If the goal of the terrorists was to change the way the live and think, while taking away some of our freedoms, then we have to admit that they achieved at least some degree of success. But I must also say that in my lifetime, I have never seen this nation's citizens, both left and right, come together like they did in the weeks and months following those attacks on our country. That unity didn't last as long as I would have liked, but I long to see it again.
It's just natural for our citizens to have differing opinions on how to best solve the problems that our nation faces. That doesn't mean that any of us are unpatriotic. Even as I'm typing these words, I'm thinking of a good friend whose political views are 180 degrees apart from mine, yet he is a great guy who has been a real friend to me, and I know he feels the same. We always enjoy each other's company....we just don't talk politics when we're together. He and I are proof that friends can be friends even while disagreeing. That's the way it's supposed to be...it was the intention of our founding fathers. I spend a lot of time in my car, and I keep my satellite radio tuned to a news channel most of the day. Some of the pundits who are interviewed have political views that are opposite of the way I believe, but I don't mind hearing them because they don't present themselves with an adversarial tone; yet there are others, from both sides of the spectrum, who resort to name-calling and hate speech so much that I don't want to hear them any more, whether I agree with them or not.
The events of September 11, 2001 were beyond terrible, and I hope we never have to experience anything even similar to that ever again. I'm sure there were some who even changed their political stripes as a result of what happened that day, although the majority of us still hold fast to the same value system we had before. It's probably best that we have differing opinions. For a bird to fly straight, it must have both a left wing and a right wing, working on opposite sides for the same purpose. We're never all going to agree, but we can work together for the betterment of our nation as a whole, disagreeing in an agreeable manner. I just hope it doesn't take another "Nine Eleven" to get us back to that point.
Preston
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