Travel Transition Truth Part 3

Part 3: Truth

"All truths are easy to understand once they are discovered; the point is to discover them." -Galileo Galilei

This is by far the hardest of the three in this series of blogs to write.  The truth is, being honest and truthful can be really hard.  It's not because I have anything to hide, but more so because my truth is constantly changing.  I am still growing and evolving into the person I have been created to be and each time I think I have myself figured out, I discover something else.   

In the past few weeks since my last blog, I have faced some hard truths.  Some have been tougher pills to swallow than others and I know it is because I often let my pride get in the way.  But, I have also learned that by taking a step back, reflecting, and being really honest with myself, I can gain something postive from each of those situations.

One of my "here's your sign" moments came during a long run and then again the day after.  As I had mentioned in my last blog, I am preparing to run a marathon in 2017.  I have been training for about a month with the expectation that I would run the marathon at the beginning of April. The training plan began around the the first week of November and thought that would give me plenty of time to work up to a marathon distance.  I knew this was going to be a goal that wouldn't be easy and I actually welcomed that.  I like working toward things that seem just out of reach because it makes the want to accomplish it that much more of a need.  What I didn't take into consideration is that although I am not new to running, (I've ran several distances including a half marathon in this year alone) I have not been consistant with it.  So as I began long run days that were becoming two hour runs instead of hour long runs, my brain, my body, and my will just wasn't ready.  After being more sore than I would like to be after days that were supposed to be "easy", I realized I needed to take a step back and reassess.

My initial thoughts were that of defeat.  I was upset that I was letting myself down as well as others.  After all, I had just announced to the world/those that read this blog that I would be running this marathon and now it was beginning to look and feel like I wouldn't.  After some anger, tears, and a pity party, I allowed myself to become much more realistic about the goal I had set for myself.  I had to remind myself that I still had plenty of time to train for a marathon and to run one in this next year.  I just needed to take it slow.  Instead of running a full in April, it was decided that I would run a half instead and from there continue my training till October where I will run the full 26.2 miles.  I find out in about a week if I got picked for the Chicago Marathon Lottery which takes place mid October and at the perfect time in my new training plan.  I have also faced the reality that I may not get picked for the race so I have found another one that I will do instead so that I stay encouraged to continue working toward this goal I have set for myself.

The truth is, running can be hard and running a full marathon can be harder but knowing one's limits and enjoying the journey makes the struggle worth it. 

Another truth about myself that became apparent in the past few weeks is one of my biggest faults.  It is the want and often times the need to be right.  I am not the only person in the world that struggles with this.  I know because often times the people I find myself wanting to be right around are the people that have the same want and need.  Depending on the person and the topic being discussed will determine how persistant I am about getting to an end result where my truth is THE TRUTH.  Often times it is over trivial things, which makes this fault so much worse.  I have a need to be right about things like who used a camp vehicle last and didn't put gas in it, where to find something in the grocery store, or telling someone what time they sent a response text and why it didn't make sense.  This actually happened a couple of days ago and sent me into more of a tizy than it should have.  This fault has become something of a burden for me.  I have found that I have been letting it get in the way of some of my friendships.  I hope and pray that my friends have not felt this burden like I do.  It just isn't worth it.  I care so much more about them than I care about being right and I have found it very life giving to admit to myself and aloud when I am wrong.  It not only humbles me in those relationships, but it gives credit where it is due.

The truth is, the need to be right isn't what is important.  The relationships that you can trust to have those arguments with are.

In my last blog, I jokingly mentioned that I see myself going through some early midlife crisis due to some new thoughts or actions that have crept up on me in the past few months.  I am still wearing a ton of flannel instead of the cardigan that you would have seen me in earlier in the year.  I am still contemplating a nose piercing even though I will most likely never follow through.  And, the desire to get out and see the world continues to grow stronger by the day.  In this time, I have found that I don't need to get things right the first time and I dont need to be right every time.  I will continue to struggle and in that struggle there will be growth.                                                    
                                                                                                               
Because the truth is, life is a blessing--full of discoveries.  And, what we make of it is the best gift we can give ourselves.