First Step Toward My Next (and possibly last) Marathon

Today, I did the first six miles as part of the official training for the Philadelphia marathon this fall.  20 weeks from yesterday.  Six miles at an easy 8:20ish pace.  Was supposed to run within 10 seconds of 8:30.  The first two miles were overlay fast.  First one wanted to make sure not to go too slowly.  Second one was mostly downhill and I got way ahead of myself but pulled back.  Then, the last four were run all within 2 seconds of 8:25 (plus or minus).  So, I once again have reached a point at which I find that I can settle in.  That is good.  Hopefully I'll be able to settle into a 7:20 pace by the time of the Philadelphia marathon.  Today--easy run.  Good start.  Nothing certain given that I am 20 weeks out.  But for day one it is just fine.

That puts me up to 1090 total miles for the year.  That puts me near Nevada, Missouri.  In that city there is a church called St. Mary's.  Once again, it simply fascinates me that so many churches are named to honor the Mother of Jesus.  

Today's observation.  The first day of training is the beginning of an evolution.  An evolution from someone who, no matter how much I love running and no mater how many marathons I have done before (five), I go from being a runner to a marathoner.  Planning to earn that title one more time.  Perhaps for the last time although none of my running friends believe that.

The evolution is not a revolution.  Marathon readiness does not occur all at once.  

What does Mary tell me about evolution?  Mary's trasnformation from a young woman engaged but not married to the Mother of Jesus was a revolution.  She accepted God's presence.  She accepted God's word.  While surprised, she just went with what the angel Gabriel said and followed God's will.

I shared a prayer with a friend that is my expansion of the Serenity Prayer.  The standard Serenity Prayer is "God, grant me the serenity to accept the things that I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference."  As someone who recited the Lord's prayer each weekend, I thought it would be interesting to adapt to a more specifically Christian context.  Not for everyone.  Not everyone is Chrisian.  But it works for me:

God,
grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
the courage to change the things I can,
the faith to follow Thy will in all things,
and the wisdom to sort it all out.

I have blogged about the Serenity Prayer before.  This is a new version for me.  I'll see whehter I still like it in a few months.  But the key is that it forces me not only to ask God for gifts, but also to remind myself to follow His will.  Combining these two things is a powerful guide for me to live my life and evolve over time to being all that I can be and all that God has intended for me to be.  

The Spirituality of Advent, Day 4, Week 3

Today, I did not run.  Today, I am going to ponder something that didn't bring me joy or suggest any degree of spirituality.  

Yesterday, I got back from a trip to London that lasted less than a total of forty-eight hours.  I felt joy at being home.  I felt joy at the sense of comfort.  I felt joy at the sense of familiarity.  I felt joy because I was home with family.  I felt joy at being able to cuddle with Sherry.  Easy discussion.  Catching up after two days.  Understanding what I missed while away.  Breathing together.  Being together.  Resting together.  Just being at peace.  And a spirituality as I realized how important it was to come home to something other than just my own existence in a house.  

But that was just one part of what I felt.  That was the part that brought me joy.

Which isn't to say that I felt no joy in being home and talking with my kids.  Finding out about the concert in which Christopher played that I'd missed.  Finding out about hockey practice.  Finding out about Joshua's high school thoughts.

But I found that very few (if any) of the hand washable only dishes had been washed.  I had given one simple instruction before I left--make sure that I did not have to do three days worth of dishes when I returned.  My children didn't do that.  And that frustrated me.  The joy was not there.  

What is interesting is thinking about how long it takes growing children to realize what I refer to as spirituality, i.e., that we are a part of something bigger.  No matter what example I set.  No matter what we hear at church every Sunday.  No matter what they are taught in school.  It interests me to ponder just how long it takes children to take in the idea that they are a part of something bigger--and act on it.  In this case, it is being part of a family.  It is being part of a group that if not everyone acts together we end up with a less than ideal outcome.

So, how do you get a child to appreciate that he or she is a part of something bigger?  Hopefully, the child will eventually get there.  I know that after reading my oldest son's college application essays, he understands that he is a part of something bigger.  Orchestras.  Family.  Community.  That the world is a place that he is a part of.  That the world does not center around him.  

Interestingly--it is sometimes incredibly difficult to get him to do things within the family.  However, the other day when I thought I had completely lost my university ID, he went to look for it in the grocery store parking lot while I took a shower to get ready for work.  That just shows that the growth in spirituality is not even across all aspects of life at the same time.

Then there is my 14 year old.  Yes, he realizes that he is a part of a social dynamic and that he is part of a a boychoir.  And he will contribute by making dinner.  He just doesn't like to clean up afterwards.

Even my 8 year old sort of begins to realize that he is a part of something bigger like the teams he plays on.  But that only goes so far.

So, I guess I can see the evolution of understanding that a person is part of something bigger by watching my three sons.

And some day, I hope they will ponder how they are part of many things bigger just like I do.

And some day, I hope they will come to some fascinating conclusions and take joy in those conclusions.

But right now, I just hope that the next time I travel for work, my three children remember that they are part of a basic family unit and act on it.  That would be a good start toward a stronger sense of spirituality in the world.   

As  a final thought, it is interesting to think that being part of something bigger is not just enjoying the fun parts of being something bigger, but also being willing to do the things we don't enjoy along the way.  It reminds me of a comment from the owner of Charm City Run and a blog entry posted by Emily Sloman the tattoo artist I went to.  The blog entry is about becoming an apprentice tattoo artist, but it reflects not being selfish and wanting things to come too quickly.