Running the Race to the Finish Line
I’m running the Shamrock Shuffle 8K this morning. I’ve been wanting to run this race for several years – maybe as many as 10 – after hearing about it from my friend Jill. Imagine my surprise when I realized it was happening the weekend I was going to be in Chicago visiting my friend Nancy.
Right before I woke up I had a dream that I got distracted after the race started and ran off the course down a trail. I ended up at home, and I took Ashok for a walk. I met my friend GiGi for dinner and then went home. As soon as I got home, I realized how disappointed I was in myself for not finishing the race. I wanted to get that race medal! So, I ran back down the trail and got back on the race course praying that they wouldn’t disqualify me for not actually running the entire race. I woke up without ever knowing what happened at the finish line.
My WeCroak app keeps reminding me that I’m going to die. Five times a day, it pops me with the realization that this life is not long for the living. That finish line is clearly in my future, and distractions could very easily leave me short of finishing the race with a legacy. I’m noodling things – do I want a career in the healing arts? Do I desire another try at a relationship? Is the Appalachian Trail truly calling me? Would I like to live overseas and teach English as a second language? Should I try to monetize my writing?
The options feel overwhelming. There are so many choices and so little time. I can find myself paralyzed from the decision-making. Why do I have to choose one? What if I choose the wrong path? Can I in some way choose them all without getting overwhelmed? My dream reminds me that I need to just get on the course. There may not be a map for my future, but I do have guides – God, friends and my heart. Surely the journey is as important as the finish line… one foot in front of the other… one step at a time.
Run your race. The starting line is right here.
Hits of the Past Week
Midlife Moments 