This is not about being normal

Every so often as I go through my days, something reminds me of why I'm training to run a marathon. An exceptional came last Sunday at a class at church.

Today I was reading a newspaper column that reminded me again why I want to do something like run a marathon. On the side of this page, there's a link to several blogs, one of them belonging to my friend Jody. The picture on his homepage isn't really what he looks like.

Anyway, Jody's a phenomenal mandolin player. Arguably one of the best in the world. By far he's one of the best mandolin players I know.

He's in a band called Big Smith that you ought to know about. You may think you don't like hillbilly music, but you don't know what you're talking about. No sir, you don't.

Anyhow, after a small hiatus, Big Smith is about to start making new music and touring the country. Check them out if you get a chance.

One of the reasons they're going to tour is an epiphany that Jody's wife had. Here's the essential part of what she said to the writer, Mike Brothers:

"Life's not about normal. It's about not being normal, about the exceptional."

That's part of why I want to run a marathon. For me, it will be an exceptional effort.

Watching Jody play the mandolin can be inspiring. To see other people run a marathon has inspired me. And hopefully, I can do the same for someone else.