WHAT KEEPS ME FROM RUNNING?

One of the better book titles I've come across in a while is THE ART OF RACING IN THE RAIN. The 2008 book by Garth Stein hit the big screen in movie form in 2019 (Remember going to movies?). The story is told from the perspective of Enzo, a Golden Retriever - that immediately made it a must read for me. 

I won't bore you with a book review. I'll simply focus on one line that struck me:

There is no dishonor in losing the race... only in not racing because you are afraid to lose. 

I wonder what races remain un-run because of my fear of the course? That's a bit of a deep and melancholy thought for my first cup of Sunday morning coffee. But one does wonder. 

I've heard it asked, "What would you do if you knew you couldn't fail?" In some ways I like the thought; it brings out my inner dreamer. However, if there is no possibility of failure there is no bravery, no pioneering spirit, and no moment of upraised arms, head thrown back, screaming at the sky. 

I've written in the past on a couple curse words: Regret and If only. It is difficult not to tie in several of these ditties here, but my coffee would go cold and you, the reader, might get weary of my words. So I may be posting several similar thoughts that are percolating - along with a few recycled posts. 

For this Sunday morning thought I'll just mention that experts (whomever they are) tell us it is not our failures in races run that later haunt us. It is the races un-run: The attempts un-attempted, the phone calls un-called, the miles un-driven, the "hellos" un-said, the feelings un-expressed, the mountains unclimbed - whatever your mountain or mine might be. It is these races un-raced that crack open the door to regret. 

I want to race in the rain. I want to fail knowing what I attempted was too big; then to succeed attempting a race even bigger. (And a side note: my bio pic is black & white as is my scraggly beard, with more and more of the white... it's NEVER too late to stand at the Start Line and, well... START!)

A pretty deep thinker once wrote (my paraphrase): Forgetting what is behind you, the baggage of your past (both failures and successes), and straining forward to the goal in front of you, run... Fix your eyes on the goal - whether it is the summit, the finish line, or just the next couple steps on the course. Run with endurance! Race even though it be raining! 

- The Apostle Paul (kind of) in Philippians 3:12-14 and (possibly Paul) in Hebrews 12:1-2. 

That's enough for now. More to come. Thanks for hanging in.

For now...

D