Spirit of the Marathon

Last night, Jacqueline and I went to see the "Spirit of the Marathon" a documentary that follows runners participating the Chicago Marathon in 2005. One of the most interesting aspects is that is follows all subsets of runners involved. It followed a single mother running her first marathon, repeat marathoners trying to qualify for Boston, those running for a cause, all the way up to the elite runners in the world. I came away pleasantly surprised at the film. In no way, however, did it inspire me to run another. I ran my two marathons last year, and I have no intention of doing it ever again. That being said, there was a line in the movie that struck me

"People run marathons to prove to themselves that there is still triumph and possibility in their lives."

Such a profound statement got me thinking...What a wonderful way to sum up why someone would want to do that to themselves. Let's break down the statement. Possibility. I think many people forget that at the beginning of each day, there is nearly unlimited possibility and opportunity. We all forget this sometimes. The truth of the matter is that every day we wake up provides the perfect forum to better ourselves and impact the world around us. It is a powerful feeling to change your thinking in this way. It reminds me of a quote from Ellen Goodman.

"We spend January 1 walking through our lives, room by room, drawing up a list of work to be done, cracks to be patched. Maybe this year, to balance the list, we ought to walk through the rooms of our lives... not looking for flaws, but for potential."

Triumph. Here are the first three entries according to the dictionary:

1. the act, fact, or condition of being victorious or triumphant; victory; conquest.
2. a significant success or noteworthy achievement; instance or occasion of victory.
3. exultation resulting from victory; joy over success.

Triumph is one of those words that can elicit powerful feelings. It feels good to win, but how much better does it feel to triumph, to be triumphant?!? It got me thinking about a new way to perceive things, a new outlook, a fresh catch phrase perhaps...I will put it at the bottom of this post. Let me know what you think. In closing here is another of my favorite quotes about potential.

"It seems to me that people have vast potential. Most people can do extraordinary things if they have the confidence or take the risks. Yet most people don't. They sit in front of the telly and treat life as if it goes on forever." - Philip Adams

Have a great weekend everyone.

Live Triumphantly.

Without form and (thus) void

Good afternoon Blogosphere.

I shall attempt to post with something resembling regularity about life here in our nation's capitol for me. This will include rants, raves, musings, meandering streams of consciousness, babbling brooks of verbosity, ideas for television commercial ads, thoughts of sporting events, political rhetoric, journal entries from various world travels, haikus, and drafts for the motivational speaking classes I plan to give after moving out of the van by the river.

Salaam alaykum.