What defines a runner?

"If you run, you are a runner. It doesn't matter how fast or how far. It doesn't matter if today is your first day or if you've been running for twenty years. There is no test to pass, no license to earn, no membership card to get. You just run."
                      -John Bingham

I've been running for 8 years now, but for some reason I never consider myself a "runner". I've grown an obsession for it but still I never think I'm doing enough to earn the title.  But then I realized that anyone can be a runner. Most people tell us runners that they could never do what we do. That is false. Many times, as Gandhi quoted, "strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will." The will to fight until you succeed.
Upon finding out I shouldn't be running due to a tear in my hip, I was crushed. All I ever knew was running. I found myself thinking "Am I no longer considered a runner..?". Well here I am now haven't gone on a distance run since November, and it has been quite the struggle, let me tell you. After so long, it's easy to feel defeated, however, I watched Lolo Jones documentary about her many defeats, and nothing stopped her from pursuing her dream.  Obviously I'm not becoming an Olympic athlete, but seeing her fight made me motivated to never give up.  While I can't wait til I can race again, I think I took for granted my ability to run, so being injured has only made me appreciate it more. 

"The only one who can tell you you can't is you....and you don't have to listen"

I think people get annoyed at me when I talk about running. People used to ask me why I run every day...after trying to explain to them why countless times, I've found that I can never put it into words. I then came to the conclusion that if they need to ask, then they will never truly understand. We were all born to run. As babies we learn to crawl, walk and eventually run. As children we run as fast as we can for as long as we can just in hopes of not being tagged "it". So how did so many of us grow away from our natural born ability to run? 

Could You Live on $1 Per Day?

Could you?  I know I couldn't.  I feel like there are times when we think things couldn't get any worse.  Well guess what...they most certainly could. Why is it so hard for us to be positive sometimes? Why is it so hard to just pause for a minute and appreciate the good in our lives?  After watching a documentary about 4 students going to Haiti to experience life for 30 days how the Haitian people did..on $1 a day, it made me not only appreciate all I take for granted, but it made me want to do more good and serve others. Why does it seem that people who have so little are willing to give so much more than those who seem to have "everything"...?. I think when it comes down to it, it doesn't matter how much wealth you gain or how beautiful your house looks.  What matters most is whether you are happy. Working at a fast food restaurant part time, it's easy to become frustrated at times, but I've come to realize it's all in how you look at it.  We all have the choice when we wake up in the morning whether we will be miserable or happy. In being able to appreciate the littlest things; a compliment from a stranger, a warm smile, or even a simple "thank you", I've found life to be much more meaningful.  We walk through a majority of our lives blinded sometimes finding it a trial just to "get through the day".  I know I'm guilty of it too.  We are so concerned with our busy schedules, we can never take a moment to appreciate the good.

One afternoon after leaving my grandparents, as we drove down the street my dad commented on the beautiful trees.  I barely noticed them or even cared..I meant they're just trees right? Well they were just trees..until my mom remarked that we should take a video to show my granddad who hasn't left his house in over a year due to ALS. I think at that moment I realized the beauty surrounding me everywhere I go not only in nature, but in people as well. We encounter so many different kinds of people throughout our lives. Some are easy to love, but lately I'm realizing how true it is that those who are hardest to love really need love the most. My mom always tells me when I struggle to give people the benefit of the doubt to be patient because you never know what someone's day has held. I've found these words to be so helpful and instead of getting angry at those causing me most frustration, I try to practice loving them instead. What if each day we treated every person we encountered as though they would die tomorrow.  Yeah, it does sound morbid, but let's be real, if we woke up each day thinking "I'm going to change at least one person's life today for the better" or "I'm going to try to make someone's day today", our world would be such a better place! If only we could all just embody the compassion of a child or the kindness of  a stranger putting a few coins in an expired parking meter to save someone from receiving a ticket.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VGeFpz10baw

here's a link to the $1 a Day video!! It's long, but, trust me, it's worth it.