Can you keep a secret?
I try not to let this get out, since everyone thinks being a homeschooling Mom is sooo much work - and I have sooo little time, because I am basically lesson planning, teaching, cleaning and baking bread from scratch ALL DAY LONG.
But the fact is that I have perfected the art of wasting time. And one of my time-wasting addictions is computer games. I don't mean the fancy online social games like World of Warcraft or even Farmville. Nope, my dealer is Big Fish Games, and I love a good, old-fashioned "Download and Play all by Yourself" time management game. Like this one:
I played this game for weeks... until I had made "GOLD" on every level. Sometimes I would work on one level for hours, just to get that elusive gold star. Silver was not good enough!
All for what?
No one knew but me.
No one cared but me.
But I had a blast just challenging myself! I loved that game, and was kinda sad when I finally completed it.
Last night - as I was replaying a level of my newest favorite game for the 5th time, I had a thought.
Running is just like computer games.
Absolutely NO ONE cares how fast I run - or even IF I run.
No one cares if I PR.
Oh, my husband or other family members might act like they care, but what they really care about is me and how I feel. They do not derive any personal sense of accomplishment or joy from my faster time.
And that doesn't bother me one bit.
You see for me, running is all about the numbers.
Yes, running is a fantastic anti-depressant and great for fitness. But so is Zumba, or Spin, or Yoga.
And no, I do not just looove the great outdoors! I live in the hottest, most humid, most bug-infested area of the United States!
Nope!
I run for the thrill of shaving 5 seconds off my 400 meter time.
I run for the thrill of running 1/2 a mile further than I did the last time.
I run for the thrill of running 1 more mile this week than last!
I run for the thrill of looking down at my Garmin and realizing that I am running a 10 minute pace and I'm not even breathing hard.
No, I'm not leaving my Garmin at home! And yes, I'll keep playing these levels until I make GOLD!
Proof that S.E. Georgia is a HOT and BUGGY place to run! Those little black dots are Sand Gnats. (BTW, they taste like chicken!)
Why do YOU run?
Love this! And yes, it is time management in MANY ways. :)
ReplyDeleteSo true! If I were a less lazy blogger I could have carried the analogy much farther :)
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