I must dish on my husband – yes, AGAIN :) - and also because this post is about him. Steve has the gift of prolonged youth – I mean, does that guy in the picture above look like he’s pushing 50??
The gift has spilled over into other aspects of his life too. Maybe it’s his wild wife that gives him the fire, but he persistently views life as an adventure and age as only a number. I wish more people thought this way. I see so many people in a frightful hurry – in traffic, at airports, in the grocery store - and for what? To cram more activities into an already-full life? Or to cram more activities into a relatively empty life, hoping to stumble upon some purpose or meaning?
Steve is nearly never in a hurry, and truth be told, sometimes it’s a bit annoying, but in reality it’s me who needs to slow down at those times. Sure there are occasions when being in a hurry is appropriate, like when crossing a busy intersection or when you’ve waited too long to go to the bathroom, but by and large being in a hurry is addictive and a slippery slope to becoming an elegant excuse for being “busy” – the (misguided) siren call of having purpose and meaning in our lives. (More on that in a different post).
So in true non-hurried character, Steve came to me with his training goals yesterday – after weeks of having the outline on his desk. He put a lot of thought into them and it showed. He was also highly organized, using paper like this, which makes anything easy to read. Sure impressed me!
The gift has spilled over into other aspects of his life too. Maybe it’s his wild wife that gives him the fire, but he persistently views life as an adventure and age as only a number. I wish more people thought this way. I see so many people in a frightful hurry – in traffic, at airports, in the grocery store - and for what? To cram more activities into an already-full life? Or to cram more activities into a relatively empty life, hoping to stumble upon some purpose or meaning?
Steve is nearly never in a hurry, and truth be told, sometimes it’s a bit annoying, but in reality it’s me who needs to slow down at those times. Sure there are occasions when being in a hurry is appropriate, like when crossing a busy intersection or when you’ve waited too long to go to the bathroom, but by and large being in a hurry is addictive and a slippery slope to becoming an elegant excuse for being “busy” – the (misguided) siren call of having purpose and meaning in our lives. (More on that in a different post).
So in true non-hurried character, Steve came to me with his training goals yesterday – after weeks of having the outline on his desk. He put a lot of thought into them and it showed. He was also highly organized, using paper like this, which makes anything easy to read. Sure impressed me!
He has a LOT of natural ability, especially in running speed. I’m certain if a coach had encouraged him in high school, he would’ve been a track star, possibly All-American – he’s that good.
There’s a rub, though. While I have to claw my way to every gain in speed and ability, I have LOADS of drive and enthusiasm, and it’s enough for both of us, more like the entire neighborhood. In fact at times I think it’s over the top for Steve, kind of like an overenthusiastic preacher who’s sounding the altar call for everyone to come forward to REPENT AND BE SAVED!! (Well-intentioned but a bad idea…) Steve is very patient though, and given that it’s impossible to not answer THE call from the Creator of the Universe (in the Bible every encounter a human had with God was off the charts to say the least), my relentless fitness pursuits over the years have ignited a flame he can call his own.
He is willing to push the envelope. It’s no accident he looks as young as he does. He’s a former Marine and has made a lifelong investment into taking care of his health, eating sensibly and exercising regularly. But he’s willing to draw a line – actually several – and push past where he is now into the Unknown. There were items on his Goal Sheet that I previously thought would NEVER come about unless pigs sprouted wings.
This is huge for my husband. It’s the key that turns the lock for him – desire. My coach coined the phrase I used for the title of this article, and it is absolutely true – you can’t coach desire. While God gave me the gift of enduring health, He was far more generous on the desire front, and I’ve longed to see Steve’s aspirations come alongside his exceptional abilities. He doesn’t view exercise with the same enthusiasm as I do, more as a necessary evil (like a yearly physical complete with the requisite probing), but there are goals that he wants to achieve – badly, mind you – and he’s willing to move the line and go to the next level. YEAH BABY!!
So we had The Talk yesterday – about goals, both short-term and long-term, how badly we want to achieve them, and the price we are each willing to pay to get there.
I heartily applaud my husband’s desire to improve. Life itself is often not an easy journey, and there have been and will be days when the last thing he wants to do is get up early to train. But I know from personal experience that often those are the days when the opportunity for growth is the greatest. I cannot remember either feeling personally or hearing another athlete regretting they got out to do what was necessary to move closer to their goals. When we were babies, it was fine to mostly do what we wanted. As adults, we must realize there is a price to pay for anything, and our willingness to pay is driven by our desire to achieve the goal.
I have an awesome coach and am regularly humbled by her relentless pursuit of her goals. She gets the job done under the most daunting circumstances and is undeterred. My grandmother had this trait and it resonates with me as well. We don’t know how to say quit in anything.
I can’t wait to see what the next 12 months unfolds for Steve. It’s been said (and not kindly I might add) that behind every good man is a great woman. I am “behind” Steve 1000%, but I much prefer to walk alongside him as his wife and buddy, and rejoice with him in all the hard-won and God-honoring victories that are headed his way :).
There’s a rub, though. While I have to claw my way to every gain in speed and ability, I have LOADS of drive and enthusiasm, and it’s enough for both of us, more like the entire neighborhood. In fact at times I think it’s over the top for Steve, kind of like an overenthusiastic preacher who’s sounding the altar call for everyone to come forward to REPENT AND BE SAVED!! (Well-intentioned but a bad idea…) Steve is very patient though, and given that it’s impossible to not answer THE call from the Creator of the Universe (in the Bible every encounter a human had with God was off the charts to say the least), my relentless fitness pursuits over the years have ignited a flame he can call his own.
He is willing to push the envelope. It’s no accident he looks as young as he does. He’s a former Marine and has made a lifelong investment into taking care of his health, eating sensibly and exercising regularly. But he’s willing to draw a line – actually several – and push past where he is now into the Unknown. There were items on his Goal Sheet that I previously thought would NEVER come about unless pigs sprouted wings.
This is huge for my husband. It’s the key that turns the lock for him – desire. My coach coined the phrase I used for the title of this article, and it is absolutely true – you can’t coach desire. While God gave me the gift of enduring health, He was far more generous on the desire front, and I’ve longed to see Steve’s aspirations come alongside his exceptional abilities. He doesn’t view exercise with the same enthusiasm as I do, more as a necessary evil (like a yearly physical complete with the requisite probing), but there are goals that he wants to achieve – badly, mind you – and he’s willing to move the line and go to the next level. YEAH BABY!!
So we had The Talk yesterday – about goals, both short-term and long-term, how badly we want to achieve them, and the price we are each willing to pay to get there.
I heartily applaud my husband’s desire to improve. Life itself is often not an easy journey, and there have been and will be days when the last thing he wants to do is get up early to train. But I know from personal experience that often those are the days when the opportunity for growth is the greatest. I cannot remember either feeling personally or hearing another athlete regretting they got out to do what was necessary to move closer to their goals. When we were babies, it was fine to mostly do what we wanted. As adults, we must realize there is a price to pay for anything, and our willingness to pay is driven by our desire to achieve the goal.
I have an awesome coach and am regularly humbled by her relentless pursuit of her goals. She gets the job done under the most daunting circumstances and is undeterred. My grandmother had this trait and it resonates with me as well. We don’t know how to say quit in anything.
I can’t wait to see what the next 12 months unfolds for Steve. It’s been said (and not kindly I might add) that behind every good man is a great woman. I am “behind” Steve 1000%, but I much prefer to walk alongside him as his wife and buddy, and rejoice with him in all the hard-won and God-honoring victories that are headed his way :).
2 comments:
You two make a GREAT PAIR!! And, you can keep Steve fired up - and he WILL meet his goals and even get faster and stronger! Jerome is kinda the same way. He is super focused, but is VERY low key and doesn't care much about anyone else - if he races a non "A" race he is just there participating. I admire him for that...b/c I am NOT like that. Everything is an A for me...well, sorta. Anyway, nice post and Steve has his OWN desire! :) JEN H.
Oh that is awesome! I look forward to hearing about Steve's progression in meeting his goals!
Kristin M.
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