I Couldn't Do It
Today I am grateful for the therapeutic value of ice cream and for our dog Oliver. I am also grateful for my husband Darcy and our marriage.
Remember those worn out gloves I blogged about last week? (Read the post here.) Remember my plan to give them a proper send-off in St. Louis? I couldn't do it. They went to St. Louis with us, they covered the 26.2 miles with me, and they made it back home. The picture below shows them with my newest marathon medal:
It was a chilly marathon morning. The gloves helped pre-race and also through the first couple of miles. By Mile 3 my hands were getting warm. I decided to toss them at Mile 4 (4 being significant as my sobriety date-September 4). But as I thought about it, and as Mile 4 came and went, I decided that I needed to keep the gloves. They carried too much sentimental value to me. They hold too much good energy.
So for the next 20-plus miles I alternated between carrying them and keeping them in a pocket in my shorts. I thought about family, friends, previous marathons, the joy running brings me. I thought about my, our, good fortune to have our health and be able to run. I washed them and will now retire them from use. They will become part of our running archives.
Those archives include medals, race bibs, results, paperwork, and more. Also included are many memories, shared experiences with my husband Darcy and other family members, and an ample supply of gratitude. These gloves don't take up much physical space, but they do take up considerable positive mental, emotional, and spiritual space.
When it comes to your personal archives, literal or symbolic, what are you thinking about today?
Remember those worn out gloves I blogged about last week? (Read the post here.) Remember my plan to give them a proper send-off in St. Louis? I couldn't do it. They went to St. Louis with us, they covered the 26.2 miles with me, and they made it back home. The picture below shows them with my newest marathon medal:
It was a chilly marathon morning. The gloves helped pre-race and also through the first couple of miles. By Mile 3 my hands were getting warm. I decided to toss them at Mile 4 (4 being significant as my sobriety date-September 4). But as I thought about it, and as Mile 4 came and went, I decided that I needed to keep the gloves. They carried too much sentimental value to me. They hold too much good energy.
So for the next 20-plus miles I alternated between carrying them and keeping them in a pocket in my shorts. I thought about family, friends, previous marathons, the joy running brings me. I thought about my, our, good fortune to have our health and be able to run. I washed them and will now retire them from use. They will become part of our running archives.
Those archives include medals, race bibs, results, paperwork, and more. Also included are many memories, shared experiences with my husband Darcy and other family members, and an ample supply of gratitude. These gloves don't take up much physical space, but they do take up considerable positive mental, emotional, and spiritual space.
When it comes to your personal archives, literal or symbolic, what are you thinking about today?
Congratulations on latest marathon Lisa and Darcy. So glad to hear that you kept your gloves... I don't regret not reaching out to you last week when I read you intended to toss them. I still have the socks I wore from my very first marathon and use them to illustrate a point in my professional work (as part of a story I tell).
ReplyDeleteWhether tattered socks or gloves, some items hold such significance beyond the physical form they take... I suspect my socks have even more to teach me too. For that I am so grateful.
Nice to hear from you Steve. I didn't surprise myself when I ended up keeping the gloves. The stuff of life takes many forms and carries many lessons. Those gloves will have a nice place to rest and hang out now. I too am grateful I hung on to them. Thanks!
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