My favorite line from Shawshank Redemption, this rings true every day. Each morning is a new opportunity to consciously decide our attitude toward the day before it unfolds. Today, for me, I had to get up early to get my training run in before work, a whopping 5 miles. Despite my odd luck of absolutely loving running, the thought of getting up that early wasn't exactly appealing and I would have loved to stay put for just a moment longer, ok and a few more after that... but it was time to choose. Power through and get it done, or blow it off under some false pretense of too busy, tired, sick, etc. - something, anything to get out of it. Ah, there's a contingency plan for that. Having a dedicated coach for me means being accountable to somebody that I will respect and adhere to better than myself, and it's going to be my saving grace against my never ending battle with procrastination. The end result? I actually ran an extra .7 miles, though this is due more to my inability to calculate math while running (despite having a Garmin GPS) than my eager approach to tackle a new day. And by the time it was over I felt like I could take on the challenges that lie waiting for me, though I will be quick to admit that I'm not ready to move all my weekday runs to the mornings just yet!
I've found that it's too easy to lose track of time, to stop looking down the road and just muddle through each day. We only get one shot at this so I hope to encourage you to embrace it as much as possible. This isn't to say that all day every day should be on overdrive, but there should hopefully be enough satisfaction in our lives to help us thrive rather than continuing to merely go through the motions of life. Too soon it will pass us by! When my niece was just getting out the napping stage, she would be adamant about not stopping playtime to go to sleep as there were just too many things that needed to be explored or done. That's how I feel about my life right now, wanting to take in as much as possible and savor it all, afraid of missing a great opportunity if I slow down too much. Each new milestone, experience, or adventure, however small, helps fuel me for something else.
I chose the goal of a marathon because it's going to be hard and it's going to kick my butt in the process. I'm going to want to quit at some point and my stubbornness will not allow me (which gives rise to concern of hurting myself and the other reason for the coach). But it's going to be personal challenges such as this that will define me and the future I'm carving. So I choose to get busy living, and encourage the same for you.
