Tuesday, January 1, 2008

New Year's and Do-overs

I love New Year's Day. Football is on every channel, but that's not the real reason I love this day. There's a simplicity this day brings in the midst of the complexities of life called a "do-over."

All the things I did wrong last year--all my broken resolutions--can be righted. Like the half-marathon I had to back out of because of health issues. I wanted to lose a little more weight and didn't accomplish that goal. The time I should've been spending in God's word got pushed to the back shelf as life kept competing for every precious minute in my day-planner.

New Year's Day brings the hope of renewal. It's the next year Cubs' fans always talk about. It's the time we ponder all the possibilities before us, like changing careers, or rekindling relationships, or improving ourselves.

I'm just minutes away from embarking on my first run of the New Year. And as I enter into this endeavor I do it with a hope of fresher legs and a chance to be a better runner in 2008. Yes, I'm the Fat Runner. I'd like be a skinnier runner in '08, with better endurance and speed for an almost 44-year old.

As I enter this new year of running, I want to regain all the simple pleasures I first discovered in running over a dozen years ago. Those pleasures are the reasons I enjoyed running in the first place.

2008 will be a year of challenges and opportunities, all of which I hope to face with passion and gusto. I'm ready to grab this year by the horns and get after it.

Whatever your do-over, I hope you attack it with all your might. Make 2008 a great year.

My running shoes are laced, my watch is on, and I'm about to grab my hoodie and winter hat. It's 40 degrees out and I can't wait for the fresh, cool air to hit my face.

Life is good and so is the chance of a do-over.

God bless you all with a great year, good running, or whatever it is you're all about.



TFR

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