The NYC Marathon took place on this crisp, sunny, autumn day. It was a very interesting event to watch. I was there, with thousands of New Yorkers, on the sidelines cheering the runners as they ran towards their goal. I watched them run some with gritty determination on their faces and others with a spirit of fire in their eyes. Most were smiling with pure joy on their faces. Some of the runners were actually running down the street dancing. Yes, I saw dancing. Unfortunately, some of the runners looked stressed out and scared. They were probably thinking “what if I don’t make it.” I even saw some runners “running funny.” I don’t know how to describe it but it looked like their running style would get them in trouble later on. Their feet hit the ground in what looked like a painful way. I saw bodies and legs twisting and arms flailing.
At the beginning of the marathon you do not see so many people. Just the few you know will cross the finish line faster than the rest of the crowd. But, it is not important when you finish I do not think most people do it to be first. They just “do it” as a personal challenge for themselves. They train hard to achieve a goal. You could feel the passion in the air. It makes me think of life in general. We are all running in this race called life. Many of us start out together. We may even train together. But that does not mean we will finish together. We may even end up in different places on our life’s journey. Some want it all. Family, career, and a busy personal life can be important to some people. Others may just want family or career. So we “train” accordingly. I noticed some runners had faces contorted with fear, others with relaxed expressions. The runners who ran with fear probably give themselves a hard time all the time. Life’s too short for that. Those who loved the attention knew how to woo the crowd with funny costumes and gestures. I loved watching the runners who physically reached out to the supporters to say “thank you for your support.” You could see the personalities come out. The playful ones literally did funny things like making faces or little dance steps. I saw a few cat women, a sumo wrestler, a few supermen, Betty Boop, many wild costumes and a few kings just to name a few. The happy runners were obviously enjoying the moment, drinking it in bit by bit. I bet basically that is the way they live – in the moment, drinking it in bit by bit. They are the ones who can take a challenge and make it work for them so they can learn and move on in life. They don’t sweat the small stuff and can see the beauty in a situation. They know how to find balance and help others in need. I saw some runners who had to massage out a cramp. I did not see anybody get upset. I did see them look disappointed but not upset. They just rolled with the punches by massaging the cramp right out. They jumped right back into the race. When people are facing a challenge, you get to see who they really are underneath. Isn’t it funny what you can see when a person is running in a marathon?
We face many challenges in life. Sometimes it seems more than what we can bear. These economically challenging times can make us feel helpless, angry, and sorry for ourselves. It would be so easy to just give up. Stop running life’s race and look for a place to hide. I know I have felt this way many times. When I am afraid, I start to think about people who may have challenges bigger than mine. In the Marathon I saw quite a few blind people running – with guides. I can’t forget the runners in wheelchairs. I saw many of them. These runners have a challenge to overcome and do so with grace and dignity. They also had smiles on their faces. They set a goal and were accomplishing it. I must admit when I think of how mankind meets adversity or any challenge head on I am in awe.
You could feel the energy there. It was powerful, passionate, intense and inspirational. The crowd and the runners fed off each other. I noticed some from the sideline even joined in the running for a while. I noticed a group of children running with the marathoners. I knew they did not belong there but they got caught up in the positive energy. I also learned by watching this that if you are on the right path people will be there to cheer you on – even strangers. If you are working toward a goal and your public does not support you, you are in the wrong crowd. When you get tired they should help you stand up and keep running. Just like thousands of strangers did for thousands of strangers during the Marathon. Accomplishing a goal makes you stronger. The stronger you are the more you grow. Some people came to win a marathon, some came to challenge themselves, and others came to raise money for their favorite charity. Imagine what all of that positive willful force can do to help the world if we just channeled it properly.
The diversity was amazing. I saw men, women, young, old, black, and white. Europe, Africa, Asia, South America and the Caribbean were represented. Nobody said “I’m too short, tall, skinny, or plus size.” I saw everybody. And everybody was cheered on no matter who they were or what they looked like. In life we are all running in a race. How we train and who we align ourselves with will determine if we will meet our goals. We have to support our family and friends and expect support from them. Feed your body, spirit, mind, and heart good things. Make sure the people around you are feeding themselves properly. Surround yourself with positive people. You are going to need all of the positive energy to meet your goals and be happy. You are as strong as your supporters around you. Keep running the race for life with passion and the best support system possible.
