Winning every day
Once again, it's been a while since I've shared some words from Lou Holtz. Last night I opened his book Winning Every Day and read a particularly good passage:
Dreamers positively seethe with youthful excitement no matter what their age. I've seen eighty-year-olds with teenage eyes sparkling with hope and expectation. They attack each day, foraging every hour for adventure, challenge and opportunity. Then sadly there are the twenty-year-olds I've seen with eyes as lifeless as tombstones. My guess is that some naysayers have brutalized these young people by denying them their right to dream. We can help them heal by encouraging them to live large lives filled with challenges so that they rise each morning thinking, "Everyday someone accomplishes the impossible. Today, that someone will be me!"
Now, if you're a regular blog reader but you don't know much about Lou Holtz, let me tell you. He's a very excitable old skinny man who talks with a pronounced lisp. You kind of have to remember that to get the full effect of the quote. You can feel the hairs on your arms start to rise with excitement and adrenalin as he speaks because he's got that much passion. Tony Rice, quarterback on Notre Dame's 1988 national championship team once said, "There's no question who's in charge. Here's this little old man who has control over me.... His voice really carries and it can scare you."
Anyhow, as I type this, I feel I've found another reason for my list of 26.2 reasons I want to run the marathon.
Reason No. 21: It's what I'm dreaming about right now. Maybe I hope to find some sort of pot of gold at the end of the race. But it's just largely been my controlling passion for the last few months and I hope I can channel that into a good race and a continuing healthy and competitive lifestyle. (Of course, the real competition is with myself, not other runners right now. But if I compete with myself really hard, other people ought to notice.)
Dreamers positively seethe with youthful excitement no matter what their age. I've seen eighty-year-olds with teenage eyes sparkling with hope and expectation. They attack each day, foraging every hour for adventure, challenge and opportunity. Then sadly there are the twenty-year-olds I've seen with eyes as lifeless as tombstones. My guess is that some naysayers have brutalized these young people by denying them their right to dream. We can help them heal by encouraging them to live large lives filled with challenges so that they rise each morning thinking, "Everyday someone accomplishes the impossible. Today, that someone will be me!"
Now, if you're a regular blog reader but you don't know much about Lou Holtz, let me tell you. He's a very excitable old skinny man who talks with a pronounced lisp. You kind of have to remember that to get the full effect of the quote. You can feel the hairs on your arms start to rise with excitement and adrenalin as he speaks because he's got that much passion. Tony Rice, quarterback on Notre Dame's 1988 national championship team once said, "There's no question who's in charge. Here's this little old man who has control over me.... His voice really carries and it can scare you."
Anyhow, as I type this, I feel I've found another reason for my list of 26.2 reasons I want to run the marathon.
Reason No. 21: It's what I'm dreaming about right now. Maybe I hope to find some sort of pot of gold at the end of the race. But it's just largely been my controlling passion for the last few months and I hope I can channel that into a good race and a continuing healthy and competitive lifestyle. (Of course, the real competition is with myself, not other runners right now. But if I compete with myself really hard, other people ought to notice.)
posted by bl at 8:26 am
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