The Finish Line and Full Circle and Random Thoughts

I had a great weekend.  I swam another mile as you probably know if you saw my check in from last week.  Also on Saturday I took the girls to the driving range.  My oldest daughter will be playing in her first official year of school golf.  She had the opportunity to practice with the team as a 6th grader last year, but could not compete until this year.  She is super excited about this which makes her Daddy super excited.  I believe I now have a life long golfing partner.  Look out Bartlesville mixed scrambles here we come.   It is fun to watch her work so hard at something and begin to see true results from her efforts.  Her swing has improved greatly in just a few weeks, and she mostly 2 and 3 putts now.  Gone are the days of 5 and 6 putts.  There is nothing better in the world than seeing her face after lacing one 170 yards down the middle of the fairway.

Then on Sunday it was the younger daughter's turn.  She participated in the Oklahoma Bedlam Softball clinic (They run a good clinic ya'll, if you have a young softballer that is looking to work on their game this would be $35 well spent.)  I got to spend the day watching her do what she loves.  It was fun to hear her talk about it on the way home. How she caught all but one of the pop flies in the drill, how they fixed a pitching issue she was having and she even admitted that they told her some of the same stuff I have been telling her about a bad habit she had developed in her throwing motion and that she will work on fixing that now, because you know, the definition of an expert is anyone living more that 20 miles away.  

Also on Sunday I kept up with my new local hero Brett Andrews and his quest to finish his first full Ironman.  For those of you who don't know what this is Brett swam 2.4 miles, biked 112 miles and then ran a full marathon (that's 26.2 miles ya'll.)  I received Facebook updates throughout the day as his wife posted his progress.  I even had the opportunity to watch him leave the transition from the bike to the run. While he as on his run I watch a couple Ironman videos called Full Circle.  The Full Circle videos are inspirational stories about individuals who are running in a particular Ironman race.  The video I watched while Brett ran showed a daughter running because her mom had been diagnosed with ALS and a man who did the Ironman for a friend with cancer, as well as a man who used his journey to Ironman to lose a lot of weight.  Soooo, I was hooked.  I think the producers sole goal with the videos is to make you cry, but you are so emotionally invested in these athletes as the video goes on that you ride the emotional roller coaster with them and you are inspired. Just as I was inspired as I later watched as Brett triumphantly cross the finish line.  

As I waited to see Brett cross the finish line I watch the most fascinating thing I have ever seen.   The finish line of an Ironman Triathlon. The finish line is a whirlwind of emotion, watching the athletes that have pushed themselves for 14+ hours to complete this heroic task cross that line was magical. The range of emotions, the support from the crowd, this is now one of my favorite sports viewing pleasures, and I will be partaking regularly.  If you ever doubt the human spirit, just watch the finish line of an Ironman, you gain a greater understanding of the will one human can possess, and you will be motivated to reach higher than you thought you could.

Brett's Ironman Finisher's Medal

This weekend was awesome.  Getting to watch my daughters do what they love and being inspired in so many ways by Brett and his Coeur d'Alene compatriots. As I move through this journey, I know the days will continue to get awesomer and awesomer!!!!     

Grateful

I stole this quote from one of my Facebook friends (Thank you Linda!)  It sums up quite well the feeling and thoughts I have had today.  On my walk today I was reflecting on the last seven years and decided that I would/could have not made any decision differently with the information I had at the time.  I think today I finally completely put that tough chapter of my life behind me.  I am grateful I made it through in one piece with the love of my family to keep me propped up.  I don't know that I feel the need to "forgive" myself for anything, but I did need to let it go.  I prayerfully did that today.  Also while on my walk today, I  prayed for Brett Andrews.  Brett is a professor at our local university and will be doing a full Ironman on Sunday (follow Brett's Ironman Journey Here. He is bib # 2146.)  I know I will be drawing on his experience in the future.  I have also watched some very inspiring Ironman videos.  I am truly looking forward to working toward the goal of calling myself an Ironman and hitting all of the mini and not so mini goals to get there.  I know I will need a lot of faith and support to get there, but I must admit knowing you are watching got me on the road today. 

The wisest thing though is to be present in the present, gratefully.  I am extremely gratefully that I was able to play golf with my oldest daughter on Monday and play Apples to Apples with the whole family and hanging out with my girls at the pool and play monkey in the middle and the dunk game.  I am gratefully that I was able to get finger printed at the Sheriff's department and take a drug test (sorry about the poor 1st attempt Raquel), why you ask, because that means I have a new job.  Not only a job but a job with no commute (8 minute from my house, 3 minutes from my gym), which to me is another omen it is time to begin this journey.  Commute time just became training time.  I am grateful to for my  talented and patient wife who loves me no matter what, and makes my life so much easier to live in the present.  

So while I am prayerfully looking to the future, I am so so grateful for my present!!!!!