I am sure that we have all heard that old adage that bad things happen in 3's. Well death, depending on how you look at it, is one of those bad things. The week of June 22, 2009 was an incredible example. Monday began with the death of Ed McMahon. At the time of his death he was 89 years old. Thursday the world woke up to the news that actress Farrah Fawcett had lost her 4 year battle with cancer. The world went to bed in shock at the sudden death of Michael Jackson.
These deaths have sent me into reminiscence mode. I grew up with these 3 souls having a tremendous impact on me. As a kid, I didn't get to watch much television, so it was a treat to be able to sneak late at night and watch the antics of Johnney Carson. I waited with baited breath to see how my ladies from 'Charlie's Angels' were going to crack the next case. I will admit that I wanted to be Sabrina Duncan (played by Kate Jackson). I thought she was brilliant. Who didn't have a favorite Michael Jackson song?
As the weeks have passed on since their deaths, I have had to take stock and examine each of their legacies. What gift has each person left to make this world a better place? I can only speak for me.
Ed McMahon has left me with the importance of laughter. One cant sleep on the fact that laughter is an integral part of life. I wish that more people would do it. Farrah Fawcett helped to teach me that women are more than just a pretty face. She taught me that we are smart, we are talented, we are multi-faceted, we are independent, we are strong, we are brave, and most importantly...we are love.
Michael Jackson taught me that God's gift to the world is music. I don't think that anyone has lived or will ever live that understood that better than he did. He had the ability to unite all people, all races, all religions...simply by sharing God's gift. It was all about the music.
I remember when I was a kid, my cousin Pebbles (Lisa) was beginning to take a deeper walk with God. To demonstrate to us mere mortals that she was serious about her new path, she decided that she was going to give up all of her love of "worldly music" including her almost obsessive love (my opinion) for Michael Jackson. I think most of us were happy for her new life, even if it was just to see her take those humongous Michael Jackson posters down from her wall. Pebble's took a giant step in her faith shortly after PYT began playing in regular rotation on the radio. I remember walking into her bedroom and watching her dance and sing... "I want to love you. PYT...Pretty Young Thing...And I'll take you there." She explained that she heard it and just couldn't help herself. There was just something about the music. She understood that God showed his love in every one of his creatures.
It was always funny when I heard folks that were older than me say, "Ya'll youngins dont know this or that...I ain't now like it was back then." The world lost some great people the week that was June 22, 2009. I'll have a good time telling the "young folks" what they've missed.
Monday, June 29, 2009
Sunday, June 7, 2009
What I learned from the Inaugural Maryland Half Marathon
The morning of Sunday, May 31, 2009 began cold and damp and with plenty of rain. I showed up to the Maryland State Fairgrounds in Timonium and sat in my car contemplating whether to go back home and skip the 13.1 mile run that I had committed to run. I sat in my car and wondered to myself, “Why do you even need to run anyway?” Honestly, the answer was not as simple as my needing to keep my word. Months of training wasn’t swaying my feelings either. Running for the cause (the Greenebaum Cancer Center) was doing nada. While watching two runners run back and forth doing warm-ups and seeing race volunteers direct the crowds, a woman in the vehicle next to mine was trying to get my attention. I rolled my window down and she asked, “Do you know if the staging area is where all those people are headed?” I didn’t know, but answered, “Yes, I believe so.” The woman thanked me and then got out of the car. I decided that even though it was raining I should probably get a move one and at least see what was happening in the area where everyone was gathering.
I arrived in the staging area (thank God I was correct) and turned on my IPOD, being able to tune out all the pre run chatter helped calm my nerves. Questions began to swirl in my head. Would I have to run in the rain? Was the course difficult? Would I make my time goal (which for me was under 2:12:24)? What if I couldn’t finish? Then I noticed that the woman from the parking lot was standing next to me. “They just blew the rallying horn. I guess that means things are going to start soon?” I introduced myself and then we began to walk towards the start line. Kim (parking lot woman’s name) and I began talking about what we both heard about the course. We compared training stories. And then Kim said, “This is my first race, ever. I am worried that I won’t be able to finish.”
Well my experience spirit took over, which in itself is hilarious (the Maryland Half was going to be only the 2nd organized half marathon that I had registered). I advised: Don’t let the energy from the crowd take you out too fast. Take advantage of the water stops. Take the race one mile at a time. I even told her how I dedicate each mile to think about something different. Have a plan when you go through the water stops. Get to the finish. Kim seemed to be taking in all of my tips and then she asked, “Why are you running?”
I didn’t get to answer her because the start crowd began to move and then we were off. I lost Kim shortly after mile one. Miles 2-3 were alright. I loved the course between miles 4-5. Running on the 2 lane road was kind of cool. I think the covering of the trees added to the effect. I was mesmerized by the man I saw shortly after the split. He decided he was going to do his 13.1 while skipping rope. I met up with Kim again at the overlap at mile 7. She was looking good. I cursed the course organizers for all of mile 8. Why they felt a hill at that point was a good idea I couldn’t figure out. The Little Red Devils at mile 9 provided the comic relief. I had to dig really deep, so that I could navigate the hill at mile 11. I wish I had gotten the name of the race volunteer, so I could thank her personally for her encouraging words. I was wearing a hat that said, “I run so that I can drink wine.” The race volunteer reminded me that I had a bottle of MD wine chilling at home. I was stoked when I saw the 12 mile marker. As I crossed the finish line and heard the announcer say my name, it hit me.
I run because I can. I run because nothing mimics life more closely. I run because nothing is more satisfying than coming across the finish line knowing that you’ve done it. You’ve finished. My icing on the cake was my finishing time of 2:10:52.
I arrived in the staging area (thank God I was correct) and turned on my IPOD, being able to tune out all the pre run chatter helped calm my nerves. Questions began to swirl in my head. Would I have to run in the rain? Was the course difficult? Would I make my time goal (which for me was under 2:12:24)? What if I couldn’t finish? Then I noticed that the woman from the parking lot was standing next to me. “They just blew the rallying horn. I guess that means things are going to start soon?” I introduced myself and then we began to walk towards the start line. Kim (parking lot woman’s name) and I began talking about what we both heard about the course. We compared training stories. And then Kim said, “This is my first race, ever. I am worried that I won’t be able to finish.”
Well my experience spirit took over, which in itself is hilarious (the Maryland Half was going to be only the 2nd organized half marathon that I had registered). I advised: Don’t let the energy from the crowd take you out too fast. Take advantage of the water stops. Take the race one mile at a time. I even told her how I dedicate each mile to think about something different. Have a plan when you go through the water stops. Get to the finish. Kim seemed to be taking in all of my tips and then she asked, “Why are you running?”
I didn’t get to answer her because the start crowd began to move and then we were off. I lost Kim shortly after mile one. Miles 2-3 were alright. I loved the course between miles 4-5. Running on the 2 lane road was kind of cool. I think the covering of the trees added to the effect. I was mesmerized by the man I saw shortly after the split. He decided he was going to do his 13.1 while skipping rope. I met up with Kim again at the overlap at mile 7. She was looking good. I cursed the course organizers for all of mile 8. Why they felt a hill at that point was a good idea I couldn’t figure out. The Little Red Devils at mile 9 provided the comic relief. I had to dig really deep, so that I could navigate the hill at mile 11. I wish I had gotten the name of the race volunteer, so I could thank her personally for her encouraging words. I was wearing a hat that said, “I run so that I can drink wine.” The race volunteer reminded me that I had a bottle of MD wine chilling at home. I was stoked when I saw the 12 mile marker. As I crossed the finish line and heard the announcer say my name, it hit me.
I run because I can. I run because nothing mimics life more closely. I run because nothing is more satisfying than coming across the finish line knowing that you’ve done it. You’ve finished. My icing on the cake was my finishing time of 2:10:52.
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