Slice of Life: Day 30 -- A Perfectly Imperfect Finish #SOL22 #TWTBlog

We are now 30 days into the challenge. There have been lots of posts in the past few days about staying the course this week.  It is so easy to set goals but seeing a goal through to the end is really tough.  I train for marathons.  I say train because I have trained for more marathons than I have actually run.  Injury often gets in my way about two weeks before the race.  I do all the long runs, persevere through the grueling training schedule, and then have to say goodbye to the achievement.  This has happened to me six times.  I have trained for eight marathons and only ran two of the races -- well, technically only one.  Ten years ago, I was recovering from a hip injury that prevented me from running the New York Marathon. I was determined to run it the next year.  I had my number and set my goal.  My body stayed healthy and I was good to go –until Hurricane Sandy hit.   There would be no New York Marathon. Something inside me said …no way. I decided I would run a marathon that weekend – my marathon.  I quietly shared my plan with family and friends.  I mapped out a 26.2-mile route and dropped off fuel in hidden locations along the way.  I set out to run my marathon, by myself and for myself. I ran my best time ever to a playlist created by my family to keep me company along the way.  Instead of crowds cheering me on, I awaited the surprise of the next song on the list and spent time thinking about the meaning of each chosen song.  Instead of being among thousands of runners, I was completely alone. 

At 26.1 miles, I made my final turn toward the finish line and saw them, my family, anxiously awaiting me … but they were facing the wrong way.  There were signs, flowers, and music all set up for the opposite approach. They were there, waiting for me with pride and love, but they were looking in the wrong direction.  I knew I should turn around and enter the park from the other side so that their finish line would work as they planned, but all I could do was laugh.  I broke down laughing and could barely run. 

It was the perfectly imperfect ending to an imperfect achievement of my goal. Sometimes the goals we originally set are merely an entry point to a bigger goal in our lives.  We need to allow ourselves space to discover ourselves - the good, the bad, and the ugly - through the process of working towards a goal.  The journey gives us insights into our strengths and weaknesses, our commitments, our distractions, and our joys.  It helps us understand what we truly need and how to set up a life that helps us meet our needs and our goals.  It is not about the goal itself it is about what we learn through the process of working towards the goal. In that moment, I chose not to turn around to make a perfect ending.  I decided to embrace the journey and redefine success.

I have found myself making the same decisions this month and applauding many Slicers who did the same.  There are many ways to define success in a 31-day writing challenge.  I can’t help but think about the opportunities we will have to connect with our students when we share our experiences and what we have learned this month with them.  In my family, when the going gets rough, one of us almost always references the Clarathon (the name my family gave this race) and we try to remember that the best finishes often are the ones we never envisioned.

Tomorrow morning we will all turn the corner … I hope we take time to embrace and celebrate the journey.

Thank you, Betsy, Beth, Deb, Kathleen, Lanny, Melanie, and Stacey for this weekly forum. Check out the writers, readers, and teachers here.