Challenges

My friend Jenny wrote in her blog about running a 5k race and the sense of accomplishment that she got from it. I sent her an email encouraging her to train for a marathon and she shot the challenge right back at me: wanna do one?

It's the kind of challenge I can't resist.

The last marathon I ran was in 2003. I had been laid off six months before and the fissures in my marriage were rapidly widening. Running 26.2 miles was a fabulous way of saying "fuck off" to everything that was going wrong in my life at the time and reaffirming my sense of myself and my place in the world. It was a life-changing event.

Without realizing it, Jenny has sent me another challenge: I have decided to write a novel. It may never get published and in all likelihood no one will ever read it. However, it will be written. I'm not a great writer and I know my limitations, but I firmly believe that I have some interesting stories to tell.

We all challenge eachother by example. I will remember this and henceforth try to provide a more positive example for others.