TODAY IS YOUR DAY! YOUR MOUNTAIN IS WAITING, SO……GET ON YOUR WAY.
I have had the privilege and honor for many years to volunteer and tutor homeless children. There is nothing like the smile of a kids face when you read a great book to them. You can see their faces light up and in a small way you can see their imaginations running free in their eyes. It truly is a sight as many of you know I am sure. But for homeless children it really is a special thing because they really have nothing and if you can make them smile its like they have everything. Yesterday I read to them, “Oh! The Places You’ll Go” by Dr Seuss. As I was reading it the story started to resonate with me how simple life really is and how Dr Seuss was not only talking to children but to everyone. The lessons are so simplistic and so real and teach so much to be great and happy in life. Here are a few lessons I believe you can take from this brilliant book.
1.YOU ARE IN CONTROL OF YOUR OWN DESTINY
“You have brains in your head.
You have feet in your shoes.
You can steer yourself any direction you choose.
You’re on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the guy who’ll decide where to go.”
2. DONT WASTE YOUR TIME WAITING FOR THINGS TO HAPPEN
“You can get so confused that you’ll start in to race down long wiggled roads at a break-necking pace and grind on for miles across weirdish wild space, headed, I fear, toward a most useless place.
The Waiting Place…for people just waiting.
Waiting for a train to go or a bus to come, or a plane to go or the mail to come, or the rain to go or the phone to ring, or the snow to snow or waiting around for a Yes or No or waiting for their hair to grow. Everyone is just waiting.
Waiting for the fish to bite or waiting for wind to fly a kite or waiting around for Friday night or waiting, perhaps, for their Uncle Jake or a pot to boil, or a Better Break or a string of pearls, or a pair of pants or a wig with curls, or Another Chance. Everyone is just waiting.
No! That’s not for you!”
3.MAKING DECSIONS IN LIFE
You’ll look up and down streets. Look’em over with care. About some you will say, “I don’t choose to go there.” With your head full of brains and your shoes full of feet, you’re too smart to go down a not-so-good street.
4. LIFE’S UPS AND DOWNS
“I’m sorry to say so but, sadly, it’s true that Bang-ups and Hang-ups can happen to you.
You can get all hung up in a prickle-ly perch. And your gang will fly on. You’ll be left in a Lurch.
You’ll come down from the Lurch with an unpleasant bump. And the chances are, then, that you’ll be in a Slump.
And when you’re in a Slump, you’re not in for much fun. Un-slumping yourself is not easily done.”
As I was reading this story to the kids I was thinking about running and life at the same time and its funny because it apples to both and all the ups and downs we experience in both areas, but most of all I believe it teaches us that your
Running and life will be what you believe it to be.
Running and life has so much potential.
Reminds us to RISE when we fall down.
Reminds us there is light at the end of a tunnel if that’s where we find ourselves from time to time.
And you cannot always have it your way, you cannot change other people, or situations or make people feel a certain way, you cannot control famine or war but what you can do is choose your thoughts, your words, your actions and if you set your sights on something you want more than anything else, NO ONE CAN STOP YOU. Have a great day, your mountain is waiting so…get on your way.
Ryan
Oh! The Places You’ll Go!
by Dr. Seuss
Congratulations!
Today is your day.
You’re off to Great Places!
You’re off and away!
You have brains in your head.
You have feet in your shoes.
You can steer yourself any direction you choose.
You’re on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the guy who’ll decide where to go.
You’ll look up and down streets. Look’em over with care. About some you will say, “I don’t choose to go there.” With your head full of brains and your shoes full of feet, you’re too smart to go down a not-so-good street.
And you may not find any you’ll want to go down. In that case, of course, you’ll head straight out of town. It’s opener there in the wide open air.
Out there things can happen and frequently do to people as brainy and footsy as you.
And when things start to happen, don’t worry. Don’t stew. Just go right along. You’ll start happening too.
Oh! The Places You’ll Go!
You’ll be on your way up!
You’ll be seeing great sights!
You’ll join the high fliers who soar to high heights.
You won’t lag behind, because you’ll have the speed. You’ll pass the whole gang and you’ll soon take the lead. Wherever you fly, you’ll be best of the best. Wherever you go, you will top all the rest.
Except when you don’t.
Because, sometimes, you won’t.
I’m sorry to say so but, sadly, it’s true that Bang-ups and Hang-ups can happen to you.
You can get all hung up in a prickle-ly perch. And your gang will fly on. You’ll be left in a Lurch.
You’ll come down from the Lurch with an unpleasant bump. And the chances are, then, that you’ll be in a Slump.
And when you’re in a Slump, you’re not in for much fun. Un-slumping yourself is not easily done.
You will come to a place where the streets are not marked. Some windows are lighted. But mostly they’re darked. A place you could sprain both your elbow and chin! Do you dare to stay out? Do you dare to go in? How much can you lose? How much can you win?
And if you go in, should you turn left or right…or right-and-three-quarters? Or, maybe, not quite? Or go around back and sneak in from behind? Simple it’s not, I’m afraid you will find, for a mind-maker-upper to make up his mind.
You can get so confused that you’ll start in to race down long wiggled roads at a break-necking pace and grind on for miles across weirdish wild space, headed, I fear, toward a most useless place.
The Waiting Place…for people just waiting.
Waiting for a train to go or a bus to come, or a plane to go or the mail to come, or the rain to go or the phone to ring, or the snow to snow or waiting around for a Yes or No or waiting for their hair to grow. Everyone is just waiting.
Waiting for the fish to bite or waiting for wind to fly a kite or waiting around for Friday night or waiting, perhaps, for their Uncle Jake or a pot to boil, or a Better Break or a string of pearls, or a pair of pants or a wig with curls, or Another Chance. Everyone is just waiting.
No! That’s not for you!
Somehow you’ll escape all that waiting and staying. You’ll find the bright places where Boom Bands are playing. With banner flip-flapping, once more you’ll ride high! Ready for anything under the sky. Ready because you’re that kind of a guy!
Oh, the places you’ll go! There is fun to be done! There are points to be scored. There are games to be won. And the magical things you can do with that ball will make you the winning-est winner of all. Fame! You’ll be famous as famous can be, with the whole wide world watching you win on TV.
Except when they don’t. Because, sometimes, they won’t.
I’m afraid that some times you’ll play lonely games too. Games you can’t win ‘cause you’ll play against you.
All Alone!
Whether you like it or not, Alone will be something you’ll be quite a lot.
And when you’re alone, there’s a very good chance you’ll meet things that scare you right out of your pants. There are some, down the road between hither and yon, that can scare you so much you won’t want to go on.
But on you will go though the weather be foul. On you will go though your enemies prowl. On you will go though the Hakken-Kraks howl. Onward up many a frightening creek, though your arms may get sore and your sneakers may leak. On and on you will hike. And I know you’ll hike far and face up to your problems whatever they are.
You’ll get mixed up, of course, as you already know. You’ll get mixed up with many strange birds as you go. So be sure when you step. Step with care and great tact and remember that Life’s a Great Balancing Act. Just never forget to be dexterous and deft. And never mix up your right foot with your left.
And will you succeed?
Yes! You will, indeed!
(98 and ¾ percent guaranteed.)
Kid, you’ll move mountains!
So…be your name Buxbaum or Bixby or Bray or Mordecai Ale Van Allen O’Shea, you’re off to Great Places!
Today is your day!
Your mountain is waiting.
So…get on your way!
So Imagine if you can, the gun has gone off and you are cruising at a pretty fast speed, you are moving and everything is right. You past mile 1 and at mile 2 you feel pretty good and then you turn on to Hayes St and this infamous San Francisco goliath hill is just starting Down at you waiting for you to battle this 11% grade hill. Talk about crazy stuff. This is the Bay To Breakers Race in San Francisco, a great party on the course that you should experience. I took this picture somewhat at the top and lets just say the picture doesn’t do the hill much justice. As I approached the base of the hill I was flying and said “eff it” in my mind and attacked this goliath, I crushed 90% of the hill and died a slow death the rest of the 10%, hence the picture.
My time in San Francisco was amazing. I was fortunate enough to explore the city by day and night, finding the city’s hidden gems along the way. On Saturday it was an eventful day for me as I spoke to about 60 plus runners on the lawn of SF City Hall and talked to runners who were accepted into the NYC Marathon in November. My speech was not like a YOU CAN DO IT speech but rather an inspirational speech of the power and exhilaration you experience when running NYC. My focus was to show them how to train for this race. For those running to try to PR my message was how to train for this brutal race, how to strategize and what to expect. For the runners just running to finish, my message was to help them visualize what to see and what not to miss along the way. I think the majority were all there to try to PR so the emphasis was preparation for the greatest race in the world. When I finished my 45 minute speech, they all had a glow in their face and were ready at that moment to run NY. It was a great moment we all shared there on the lawn.
Despite the great speech to inspire the runners in San Francisco all headed to NYC in November and the great race, the week was really all about my sister Alizabeth here to the left on my shoulders. She took her last state board test to become an official practicing Dr. There is no greater feeling in the world for her knowing she wont have to pick up a book to study anymore and the weekend was a celebration of her long journey. She inspires me daily with her commitment and her passion to make the world around her a healthy and more loving environment. We had a great time here in San francisco and just another page in our book. Goodbye from SF, have a great day and never forget to find a way to become legendary.
