Starts, Middles, Finishes
“There is no end to education. It is not that you read a book, pass an examination, and finish with education. The whole of life, from the moment you are born to the moment you die, is a process of learning.” – Jiddu Krishnamurti
This weekend, I finished what I started two years ago.
I signed up for the Marine Corp Marathon in Washington DC in 2020.
COVID – canceled like most things in life in 2020 and 2021, still lingering today.
Ran it virtually in 2020.
2021 – marathon canceled due to security concerns.
Yesterday, I ran the 47th Annual Marine Corp Marathon live and in person.
Fifth and final marathon.
“Genius begins great works; labor alone finishes them.” – Joseph Joubert
A beautiful day and awesome course through our history.
Watching others who were running in memory of others.
Wheelchair racers struggling to get up hills.
Runners pushing others in wheelchairs.
The Marines either running it or working the water stations.
I sighed at mile 18 with a deep breath and a woman offered me her energy gels.
At mile 23, a man running with one leg and a blade prosthetic.
“Indeed, this life is a test. It is a test of many things – of our convictions and priorities, our faith and our faithfulness, our patience and our resilience, and in the end, our ultimate desires.” Sheri L. Dew
So many lessons woven through one day and two years.
I started the race and just kept reminding myself, one mile at a time.
Not too far out ahead, remain present and aware of the place and space to take it all in.
Each mile mattered, nothing wasted as in life itself.
Sometimes we finish in a few steps and moments, sometimes it takes years.
Struggle. Fall. Get back up. Fall. Get back up. Succeed.
Dream and do the work.
Keep going, striving, looking ahead to the finish lines, ready to start again and again.
“When we tackle obstacles, we find hidden reserves of courage and resilience we did not know we had. And it is only when we are faced with failure do we realise that these resources were always there within us. We only need to find them and move on with our lives.” – A. P. J. Abdul Kalam
“Resilience is all about being able to overcome the unexpected. Sustainability is about survival. The goal of resilience is to thrive.” – Jamais Cascio
