As I was thinking about what I learned while running the NYC marathon, I saw a quote that truly expresses my personal experience. “The finish line is for the ego; the journey is for the soul.” Patti Gonia
I have thought about that quote a lot, and have asked myself; what is it about those words that pull on my heart strings? I decided to research and better understand just what a soul journey is. In short, nourishing the soul means to choose to love yourself unconditionally and wholeheartedly.
WOW!!
No wonder that the quote resonated so deeply with me! Choosing to love myself unconditionally has been a lifelong struggle for me. It is what led me to publish a book, Going to the Well, A Journey to Awakening Worth in Yourself and Others, as well as develop an entire workshop around that very topic, Powering Self- Worth and Performance.
If we are to nourish our souls, we must choose to do several things, many of which happen naturally during a marathon. Here are a few of them:
1) Choose to take care of your body
2) Spend time connecting with nature
3) Realize it’s OK to let go of control
4) Learn to slow down
5) Acts of kindness
I am a Baby Boomer. Slow down? I have lived my life around “I am OK because I am productive, rather than I am productive because I am OK.” Frankly speaking, I raised my now adult kids similarly. I hurried them as well as myself to non-stop activity. I overindulged them, and put them above everything, including my self-care.
From my earliest childhood memories, I recall seeing a plaque on my Nana’s bedroom wall that read: “And as your days, so shall your strength be” Deuteronomy 33:25. My Nana, who never graduated from high school, would often say to me, “Jannie, life is sweetest when we live it day by day, moment by moment”. I also remember that while she cooked, the best beef stew ever, she would hum a familiar hymn:
“Day by day and with each passing moment
Strength I find to meet my trials here
Trusting in my Father’s wise bestowment I’ve no cause for worry or for fear.”
A marathon is exactly that. A day by day and moment by moment experience. Although every day is different, one thing remains the same; a marathon can serve as a journey to nourish the soul. For me, running the New York City Marathon became a metaphor of life and lessons learned and yet to be applied.
You cannot cram for a marathon. Nor can we cram in life. The euphoria and exhilaration of crossing the finish line is the fruit of the nourished soul, day by day, moment by moment.
A marathon starts with small steps. It restores your faith. It entails pain. It teaches you to live life expectant of receiving and enjoying the simple pleasures that are laid at our feet every day. The whole world changes when we begin to look for the blessings that come through people, places, and acts of service, including raising funds for a worthy cause, in my case the JDRF ( Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation) in honor of my daughter, Sara.
Yes, the marathon finish line feeds the ego, but the journey is for the soul. Time to nourish my soul and go for that run.
Be well, Janet Cronstedt
