Unfortunately, my running blog hasn't been established as yet, so I am going to have to blog this post here.... I am too fired up to actually manage to find the time to write it and then have nowhere to post it.
So, what am I fired up about right now? Right now, I am reveling in that wonderful feeling that comes from having watched an inspiring video. A running video.
But it doesn't have to be a running video, or any kind of sport for that matter. You know the videos I am talking about. Those videos that have you captivated. The music is perfect, the story resonates with your soul, and evokes feelings in you that make your heart swell. For some of us, our eyes tear up, our throats tighten, and we are totally focused on what we are seeing, there is nothing else that could possibly distract us from completely dissolving ourselves into what we are vicariously experiencing.
This week, for me, it was the Boston Marathon and Josh Cox of Powerbar pacing one of the runners, Geoff, to his first sub-3 hour marathon. What was it that got me? It was my ability to be able to relate to the desire for a specific time and to want to achieve something that has eluded you for so long but you just know inside yourself that you can do it.
It was the shot of the "group" running for 2:50. You can hear Josh saying, "this is the group", and it takes you to your place in a race. You might not know the other runners around you, but you start to label them. "Pink shirt & pony tail girl", "Guy in the red Nike shorts", or whatever feature you decide to define about them. A group of you start to pace together and this creates a bond out of thin air. You find yourself looking out for your "group" as you go through the drink stations. You hope that no one drops back. You find yourself saying some words to the girl in front who starts to drop her pace, doing what you can to inspire her even though your own legs are calling for a stop.
We don't "race" each other, we race "together".
I was also touched by some of the things that Josh had to say, like "your heart will get you through". He is so right. When your legs are heavy and your lungs are hurting, it isn't just your head that gets you through, but your heart. Your love for running, your love for achieving personal goals, your love for the freedom and space - whatever it is for you.
But in the end, feel your heart swell and just know, it is all about love.
30 May 2010
01 May 2010
The importance of being selfish
I have noticed that I have become a little more selfish than I used to be... And all for good reason.
As parents we often put the needs of our children before our own. This is a remarkable part of biology that we are so hard wired to respond to every demand of our child starting with those little "mew" sounds they make in the first few days. Now that my children are getting older I am starting to think about the impact of my actions on their development.
I was recently reading in Buddhism for Mothers of School Children (Sarah Napthali) the importance of allowing your children to experience discomfort. This resonated with me. How will our children grow up to face the challenges that life throw at them if they have had no experience of the smaller sufferings that can happen on a day to day basis.
Let's think about the simple examples in our lives. Heading out to the supermarket with your newborn and toddler which turns into a recipe for disaster. Quickly ducking out to do something forgetting that rain has been forecast and getting soaking wet. Carrying heavy shopping bags and a child through the local shopping centre until your arms ache. Flat tire on your car. Phone stops working. Laptop battery runs out in the middle of an important conference. On it goes including those incidents that leave you worn out and frazzled. Now, you made it through all that discomfort, but how do you think your children will fair?
My children are getting older and I can now see the importance of them developing emotional and physical resilience. No longer am I jumping at their every request and I am making sure that my husband doesn't either. I consider all the little decisions during the day which may enable them to learn how to manage themselves and take responsibility for what they do. It is a tough process as my hard wiring kicks in, but really, parenthood is ALL about guilt, so what is a little more when I know that it is for the greater good?
So what exactly am I doing? Well, I allow my children to be "bored" and find their own entertainment. I make my children carry their bags to and from school and kinder. I give them the space to work out their own fights - so long as no one gets hurt (too badly). I let them walk in the rain, get wet feet in the puddles, wear themselves out completely, climb too high in the trees, ride their scooters beyond tired. And many other simple things. Pushing them when they have had enough to just keep on going is slowly helping them to experience tiredness in their bodies and know how to manage it. By developing their own strategies for dealing with each other during play time means they are better when with their friends.
It is slowly all coming together and I am finding I am less emotionally caught up (read: roller coaster has flatten out) and I have more time for other things which make me a better mother.
As parents we often put the needs of our children before our own. This is a remarkable part of biology that we are so hard wired to respond to every demand of our child starting with those little "mew" sounds they make in the first few days. Now that my children are getting older I am starting to think about the impact of my actions on their development.
I was recently reading in Buddhism for Mothers of School Children (Sarah Napthali) the importance of allowing your children to experience discomfort. This resonated with me. How will our children grow up to face the challenges that life throw at them if they have had no experience of the smaller sufferings that can happen on a day to day basis.
Let's think about the simple examples in our lives. Heading out to the supermarket with your newborn and toddler which turns into a recipe for disaster. Quickly ducking out to do something forgetting that rain has been forecast and getting soaking wet. Carrying heavy shopping bags and a child through the local shopping centre until your arms ache. Flat tire on your car. Phone stops working. Laptop battery runs out in the middle of an important conference. On it goes including those incidents that leave you worn out and frazzled. Now, you made it through all that discomfort, but how do you think your children will fair?
My children are getting older and I can now see the importance of them developing emotional and physical resilience. No longer am I jumping at their every request and I am making sure that my husband doesn't either. I consider all the little decisions during the day which may enable them to learn how to manage themselves and take responsibility for what they do. It is a tough process as my hard wiring kicks in, but really, parenthood is ALL about guilt, so what is a little more when I know that it is for the greater good?
So what exactly am I doing? Well, I allow my children to be "bored" and find their own entertainment. I make my children carry their bags to and from school and kinder. I give them the space to work out their own fights - so long as no one gets hurt (too badly). I let them walk in the rain, get wet feet in the puddles, wear themselves out completely, climb too high in the trees, ride their scooters beyond tired. And many other simple things. Pushing them when they have had enough to just keep on going is slowly helping them to experience tiredness in their bodies and know how to manage it. By developing their own strategies for dealing with each other during play time means they are better when with their friends.
It is slowly all coming together and I am finding I am less emotionally caught up (read: roller coaster has flatten out) and I have more time for other things which make me a better mother.
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