When I was picking up dinner Friday night (Cafe Rio to go!), I ran into a friend I hadn't seen in a while. She told me she follows my blog and is inspired by me. It was the highlight of my day. And it made me think, because standing in line to get our food, I didn't feel very inspiring.
On Friday, I skipped my run to vacuum and dust my house. I didn't really feel like running so just about any excuse would have worked for me. I ate pumpkin chocolate chips cookies for breakfast. And lunch. And I washed them down with Dr. Pepper. Before walking out the door to get dinner, I survived one of the Bean's almost daily temper tantrum meltdowns, the kind that used to suck the life out of me for the rest of whatever was left of the day but now just leave me slightly numb because they are such a common occurrence. (If you have a 3-year-old or remember what having one is like, you know what I'm talking about. Forget the terrible twos. We loved the twos around here.)
(Look closely and you'll see a 3-year old crying outside the front door because
she likes walking out of a room and slamming a door when she's mad.
The front door was the closest one this time.)
I felt far from inspiring Friday night. As I thought about all of this, I realized that one of the things that inspires ME the most and keeps me going back to the blogs I follow is that the person writing the blog is human. I can relate to him or her on some level beyond the fact that we both run.
I sometimes have a hard time showing myself as more than just a runner or as a mom who runs because I don't like to admit my vulnerabilities, but I think it's important. And I want to be inspiring not only because I run but because I find the time and the passion for running while juggling a job, the busy life of being a wife and the awesome adventure of being a mom.
I hear you on the terrible 3s! I'm living that now too. Thank heaven's God made that little man so cute because I just can not stay mad at him. But it is trying at times.
ReplyDeleteThis weekend I was tired. Probably a bit sadden about not getting into my A race so when the kids whined about my runs being too long (even though I only ran 60 miles this week) I said, ok. Instead I ran shorter runs and hung out with the kids. That time together snuggleing will help me remain a bit more calm the next time he decides to pee right outside our front door. Motherhood. No one can prepare us for it. ;-)
I love reading your blog and find it very real and inspirational. :) I also find it hard to show my vunerabilities too, I think everyone does. However I've been trying to let down my guard more as days go by. I think not being conventionally 'strong' and exposing yourself is where true strength lies.
ReplyDeleteI really like this post. I think we all tend to show this very strong nearly not normal human face on our blogs most of the time. I always enjoy seeing the human side of others and must remember to show mine more often as well.
ReplyDeletethis is a fantastic post and such a good reminder and lesson. i have had more people telling me that i "inspire" them from the race on saturday than anything else ever i am pretty sure. its kinda nuts really because post race i really just felt like a fraud and a failure but i think what makes it stands out is that it was real. not every race, run, day, etc is perfect. and thats okay. people relate a lot more to knownig you are normal than super human i guess :)
ReplyDeletealso. are you really down for one of those races this summer!?!
Very good points! We all try to show our best face to an extent but I think that also helps us keep our own optimism up. I'm sorry I have to admit I chuckled a little at the tantrum stories, it's probably because I don't have kids but I still feel your pain! :-)
ReplyDeletei love this! we all have our weaknesses. and it's beyond easy to show our best selves on a blog. i'm with you though, i'm drawn to blogs that i can see that the blogger is HUMAN. i love that. regardless, kudos for putting it out there.
ReplyDeletebeing a normal human being actually makes you MORE inspiring...
Sometimes I think we get so wrapped up in trying to do more or do what we're doing better that we forget we are inspiring others just by doing!
ReplyDelete