It IS You

I couldn't explain it. Dropping out of my ironman training was really a hit and I wondered why this should matter so much. My wife was friend enough to allow me to talk myself through it. Why do I want to an ironman? Why do I want to do all this training-this work? My haltering speech rambled through several thoughts but finally it came down to that endurance sports is more than hobby or pastime. It was a need, and yes, it is a calling. There is something spiritually intertwined in these efforts that I can't completely explain, except to say it is a calling. But, why?

How can these alleged games be so important anyway? How can it compare to the allegedly "important" things of life, that perhaps, I should be busy with? I have all these other work duties and roles to perform like husband, care taking son, father, grandfather, child of God, and last of all there is endurance sports athlete.

My wife listened intently several minutes to my questions and thoughts. When I was through she calmly told me that endurance sports is not last of all.

You can't quit. It is deeply embedded in who you are that it would be hard to separate the two of you. And, who you are is what balances your life, and gives you strength and competence, and hope to do what you have to do in your other roles. If that were lost, the rest of it would suffer greatly. Endurance sports IS important. It IS a worthy pursuit. It IS you.