This week while living at my in-laws (recall I am out of my house currently b/c of never-ending construction that I know I will someday appreciate) I was looking for something to read. I wanted something light, cheesy; something to fall asleep by. The hub and I are sleeping in my brother in-law's old bedroom, and I found The Road Less Traveled by Scott Peck sandwiched in his bookcase. I pulled it out.
The Road Less Traveled belongs to a collection of books I associate with my late high school years. At that time I loved the self help section of the bookstore, which I believed held the secret to understanding myself and all the people on which I had crushes. These were books I reasoned would help me to become wise and deep beyond my years. Sure, most of them were intended for those in mid-life, but I was mature. I could appreciate such poignant reads as The Way of the Peaceful Warrior, Jonathan Livingston Seagull, A Gift from the Sea, The Fountainhead and Letters to A Young Poet. All are required reading for the seriously deep teenager.
Peck opens with the platitude, Life is Difficult.
duh.
But then I paused. Life is difficult.
Later he says, that personal growth is a "complex, arduous and lifelong task."
duh again.
pause.
I get it. I really do. But sometimes I forget... Or maybe most of the time I forget?
I think, sometimes, I believe that life should not be so hard--and that happiness should be the dominant feeling in one's life. We all deserve happiness. I deserve happiness. Something is wrong if one is not happy.
__________________________
Ironman World Championships. Difficult. A "complex, arduous, and potentially lifelong task."
Ironman is life in a bottle. Uncorked it takes under 24 hours to play itself out. And we watch with intensity, fervor, hope, fear. We want the athletes to overcome the adversity of it, but we also watch with relish when one gets a penalty, a flat, must drop out, is disqualified.
Ironman is a way to confront life and take it on. Real life, raw life. Competing in these races, even the shorter ones that I have done, is hard. They are difficult. They hurt. Just like it's supposed to be--like life is supposed to be. And through the difficulty meaning is achieved.
Because if we can get through the adversity, there is joy. And if we don't really get through the adveristy? If we have a bad race, or worse a DNF? We pick ourselves up, and go back at it. The next episode will be better.
I want to take on Ironman. To do well at it I must take on the difficulty of it--the enormity of it. I know it's going to be very hard. I need to keep reminding myself that I don't expect Ironman to be easy--and I should not expect life to be either. I embrace that Ironman is hard. It makes it more worth it that it is.
This is the same with life.
10 comments:
you can take it on..
and I beleive you would do very well...
because..to do an ironman..heck to even race in triathlons is like take the road less travelled...
nice new header mary!!
This is not Claire, this is Blair, her bitchy alter-ego who doesn't care about people's feelings. Blair also thinks she knows everything, which is an unappealing trait in anyone. Claire is sorry she cannot be here right now and apologizes for anything that Blair says.
I think that "life is an ironman" analogy is bullshit. In an ironman you can plan out every detail, and within a certain margin of error, you know what is going to happen. In an ironman MOST things are under your control. You know everyone's motives, and you know who is out to get you. In an ironman if something really fucked up happens, you can drop out and try again later and it's not the end of the world. In an ironman you are the star of the day and everyone thinks you're special. In an ironman everyone is pretty and rich and no one can lie about their age.
Not so in life. In life sometimes you work hard, you do everything right, and shit still gets worse. In life sometimes there are no second chances or next races. In life people are nice to you to your face, and talk shit about you behind your back. In life, the fat people, ugly people, and uneducated people far outnumber the pretty people. We are not all given the same goody bag to start with, and the same prizes at the end of the day. In life, people lie about their age, and anything else they can lie about. In life, the marshals aren't nearly as good at busting cheaters, and the cheaters usually get away with it. In life no one is going to be putting chalk arrows on the street and handing you everything you need to get to where you're supposed to be. In life you have to figure it out.
Ironman sure is a great escape from the harsh realities of life, though. Sure, you wind up walking like an 80-year-old at the end of it, but in Ironman you get to recover and go back to being 25 or 38 at the end of it.
Was that Blair again? Ugh, I hate that chick. She thinks she knows everything and all she says are these cynical, obvious things that help no one.
I think you could walk out your door tomorrow morning and have a great ironman. But I know you want to be at your very best on that day. I know that you'll be able to put it all together. I was actually thinking yesterday about how scary you'll be out there. Why? Because you care SO MUCH that I believe you'll leave no stone (or book) unturned in your quest to be the best triathlete possible. Keep kicking ass and the rest will come together, I'm sure.
Blair,
You make some good points--but I still think Ironman, THE RACE, is a good parallel to life. I'm not talking about triathlon, I'm not talking about triathletes--I am talking about the race that is Ironman.
In prep for Ironman you can work really hard, and still have a shit race. In Ironman, like in life, you can plan every detail and you still could end up in the med tent. In Ironman there are a zillion things not in your control: the weather, the wind, the competition, mechanical failure, your health on race day. In Ironman you know that everyone wants to get to the end, and that some people want it more than others--and in life, that's the same. In life, you are pretty dense if you don't know who's out to get you--ditto with Ironamn. In Ironman you can drop out and do it again another day. In life--well-- you can too. If you don't, what is that, like suicide? You never get a second chance to that specific Ironman you were attempting, and in life, you don't get the same exact chance again either--but you do get others chances. Other things arise. In Ironman you are the star at the END of the race when they shout your name for like 2 seconds. In life, you have a funeral at the end of the race, where you are the start again for like 2 seconds. You are right about the last one--most people who do Ironman are rich and most are pretty, but again, I'm not talking about who does it, I'm talking about the sport itself.
Also, the marshals are arbitrary in there assigning of penalties, thought they think the are fair, just as in life. In Ironman, the cheaters often get away with it, too.
Ironman, the race itself, is not an escape, I don't think. The trianing, yes. The race itself, no.
Is it trite to compare the two? Probably. You can call me on that.
Nice new header. I like that.
As far as the road less traveled--Even though triathlon is growing in popularity and more people are doing them, you are still taking the less traveled road. We all are!!
As far as doing an IM--I say go for it. The only person holding you back is YOU. Its not like your spouse is threatening divorce if you decide to take on the challenge. It may take more time, but then again it may just take smarter time. Its all up to you. But we all know you can do it.
Love the new header Mary!!
And I agree with you! And nice reference to Letters to a Young Poet -- brings me back to junior year of college when i thought i had it all figured out.
I also think so much of what you are talking about is for people who examine their lives and what they truly want out of it.
So many people go through life on the surface, seemingly simplistic & easy because they are living an unexamined life - and are they happy? sure. well, maybe, they are not happy, they are not unhappy, they just don't know any different. They are as deep as a rain puddle. Whereas in attempting an ironman, you cannot undertake such a goal by having an unexamined life. IronMan forces you to examine your life, confront yourself and dig deep into who you are and what you are made of.
Eventually we are all faced with the honesty of who we are and what makes us tick, happy & strong, whether we want to accept it and live it out on the surface of our lives is another story entirely.
I applaud you for going after IronMan. I will be rooting for you all the way!
Wait... what about figuring out all your crushes? I wanted to hear that part!
I also like the tough girl header... you look like you are ready for Worlds now.
Well after reading what Claire/Blaire said...I think she's right. Geesh! I hate to say it again but...
what claire said.
Love reading your blog. But this topic is to complicated for me. Good luck on your 1/2 Baystate this weekend.
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