365 Ways #274–Life’s in session

#274--Leukemia has been a good teacher. There was a time when I couldn't cross the finish line truly happy unless I came in first. But if you see pictures of me at the Hawaii Ironman, you'll see I had a smile on my face the whole day (bawling in my wife's arms after the race doesn't count). I was ecstatic to just toe the line. To get another chance to pursue a passion. To achieve a goal. To test myself against myself.

And that lesson of simple, untainted appreciation has spread to every other aspect of my life, too. I won't say I'm perfect (I'll let others do that...). There are days when I need to remind myself to look for the lesson in the loss. Moments when inconveniences or hurdles temporarily trip me into negative talk or self-doubt. That's normal. But I've been an athlete all my life and, with practice, I've become more adept at listening to the truth. And the truth is that when you're going through Hell, you better keep going. Whatever it is, this, too, will pass. Acceptance of this fact is neither giving up or giving in. It's simply realizing that time and distance will often give us the perspective we need to see the growth which would never have happened without a particular challenge.

What will you learn today?