Going the distance

A very wise man once said:
"If you want to go fast, go alone but if you want to go far, go with others"

I was finally taught how our hood is numbered. The colonial numbering system or British numbering system (It sounds more politically correct). Your house number is given to you according to how far your gate is from the closest main road(or artery-sounds more English!)so if you live in Hse. No. 257, you probably live 257 meters from the main "artery". The guys on the left get the odd numbers and the guys on the right get the even ones. So the guy who lives directly across No. 257 automatically becomes 258. Hence you never see a number 01 because very few people can manage to live 1 meter from the road in our part of the woods. Pretty great and profound knowledge there. Being in a former British stronghold, I get to pick up random facts like that. Some help me, others just waste brain space.

For the longest time, I had forgotten about this small piece of brain waster until I started running and suddenly started noticing this. I was 257m from the next junction. I was exhausted and wanted to teleport myself back to my room and never think of running again.But I knew after that junction the next house would be 110 meaning I'd be 110m from the next junction. and then another almost 155m to home. It felt like a lifetime was left between me and the house. Me and total surrender.

I don't leave in a hood where people are known to walk freely at night so when the sun starts setting, you best be close to the front door. So I tried running faster. My lungs gave up on that story and collapsed. So I decided maybe switching strategies might help my cause. I ran slower and slowly but surely reached the front door and with relief, the shower. The sun hadn't set yet.

Here's the lesson I took out of this: We are all on a journey to somewhere.To opening our business, to being CEO's, to running the global market and even to being renowned terrorists (I don't judge destinies)but when we look at the signs, we feel like we are moving to a destination that is unreachable.

Our first instinct is usually to give up. At least mine usually is and many times I have given up on a lot of things I shouldn't have. But I need to keep moving forward. Pace in any journey is important. It avoids burn out. Run too fast and you will die before you get there and run too slow and well, I guess you will still die before you get there. I get distracted by other people around me and although I know I have picked a good crowd to move forward with, it often feels like I'm moving forward much slower than everyone else. Like I will reach a point and everyone will have left me.(I sometimes run with one of my brothers and never have they left me behind. I run really slow in comparison. But they do take me much further and push me much harder but never once do they leave me behind!) I think that's the kind of faith I need to have with the rest of the people who are on my journey. Faith that they will push me on to move further. Faith that will not leave me behind. Faith that no matter what happens when I reach the end I will not be alone. But I have to always remember, there are always people who will get there first.

In this numbering system in the hood, pan style="font-style:italic;">every single road starts with a new measuring stick so if I make a turn, I start again from scratch. And you start from one again. Occasionally, I turn into the lane/ road from the back (The hood has the misfortune of not having dead ends) so I start counting from the back and I have to run back to the beginning. It's sometimes the longer route from the back but the destination is very much the same...No, not home...but the shower! And knowing my destination is very important or else I'd end up running in aimless circles. I know I haven't lived long enough to make many wrong turns into the back routes but I'm bracing myself for the future. That wrong turns won't make me stop trying to hit my final end game. I have a feeling with my ability to embrace depression (everyone has a secret power,depression is mine) , it will be harder to take than most but I am hoping that I will take it in stride.

Darkness tends to fall alot when I'm on the road by myself. I don't need to remind the faithful readers how the dark scares me but for you new bees....Darkness creeps me the hell out. Since I'm into all sorts of dark and dull colours, my running gear comes in dark blues, greys and blacks. The only colour I have on are the sneakers on my feet and my brilliantly sweaty complexion. (If you want to take up running in the dark, I suggest the brighter the clothes, the better.) But here's the profound lesson in all this: Darkness will fall. Many times. But if you know the direction. Or at least you have made a calculated guess and you have hit a consistent comfortable pace and you have the right support system and you are wearing the right brightly coloured clothes, there should never be a reason to worry. Because whatever happens, you know you have everything you need to make sure you get to where you need.

I think my biggest issue is usually the finish line. I am terrible at ending and goodbyes. Happy or otherwise. For some reason they scare me. If I never used to need to go home, I'd probably crash a few meters from the gate and declare mad surrender. It's my sad reality. I'm hoping that won't happen when it comes to reaching my goals. Hence the reason why it is really important for me to have people to drag me by the hairs to the end. Constructive critisisers (is that even a word!! My blog thinks not!).

Anyway, I guess this running thing has become more than just about exercising my abs and back. It has become a way to re-arrange my thoughts and to release the pressure. I still mildly dislike it but its growing on me slowly but surely and though it feels like I'm not getting any fitter physically, I am getting fitter psychologically. Which is way more than I expected.