The Journey – 377.5 Miles:
The A2B Journey is starting to round the top of the loop around Las Vegas. The first part of the run passed by the unexpectedly large Darling Tennis Center. The complex contains 23 tennis courts, a stadium, and is home of the Tennis Channel Open. The rest of the run continued through a number of residential communities until finishing today’s leg at the Desert Shores community
The Run:
I have been forcing myself to take extra time to stretch. So, this morning I woke up a little earlier than normal to make time. I have also added a couple of yoga-based stretches to better loosen my hamstrings.
This morning, I decided to run one of my normal 6-mile loops backwards. I just wanted to see what it was like to run up hills that I normally run down and vice versa. It was also interesting trying to gauge the run by the normal landmarks in reverse order. It occurred to me that if I continue to run the route this way, I will get to watch the sunrise when running at dawn.
All in all, I think I prefer running this route counterclockwise. I will try it a few more times to be sure.
The Mind:
While running, I spent part of the time thinking about a question recently posed by a Facebook friend. She invited her friends to respond to the following question. “If you could offer INSIGHT and Advice to a younger You…….What would you say??”
Without really thinking about it, I quickly responded with, “Don’t accept the rules and constraints that others throw on you. Pursue the things that make you happy. Regardless of what others say, there is always a way to achieve your dreams and desires. Create! Move! Live!”
So this morning, I reconsidered the question. I wondered how I might have answered it had I taken some time to ponder it before responding. After about a mile of thought, I decided that I would have responded pretty much the same way.
I have seen these kinds of questions before. Brad Paisley even wrote a clever country song about it! However, I usually do not consider questions like this. The past is pretty fixed. There is not anything that my younger self can do about it. Given that, I think that for many people this kind of question allows too much room for regret and unproductive speculation, the “I Coulda Been A Contender!” Syndrome. To me, this is wasted energy. Of course, everyone has the ability to choose what to think about.
So, I wondered what is the value of questions like this. More importantly, if this is how I feel about it, then what made me take time to respond in the first place?
As I reconsidered my initial response, I realized that I had not really offered the advice to a younger me. Rather, I had set a standard for my life from today going forward.
And, perhaps, that is the value of such questions.
Do you have any additional thoughts or ideas to share? Please post them at:
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Email: a2b@sub4minds.com
Or in the comments section below
As the years pass and “real life” sets in with all the resonsiblities, rule and constraints, very often dreams are put on hold. But you never let go of those hopes and dreams! Dreams can be achieve but not always in the time frame you wanted or in the way you thought you would. You and Dr. Dennis Harris are good examples of that. Every day you need to do something that makes you happy — that puts a smile on your face and in your heart!
You have made a wise observation, Daryl, and if you look around you will see how true it is.