inspiration*

the boston marathon was last monday, and it was hot. record-breaking hot. my dear friend shannon and her husband casey were staying with us from utah because shannon was running in the marathon.

if you don’t follow national racing news – over 26,000 runners were expected at this years boston marathon. 4,300 of those runners opted to sit-out when the organization encouraged people to defer to next year because of the heat. leaving 22,500 to run. after the race started, things became gloomy as we watched everyone run by – you could tell they were suffering. you could see the mental battle they had to each overcome – the constant choice to quit or finish.

in the end, over 2,000 participants were medically treated for dehydration, heat stroke, etc., and yet – my girl finished.

we met shannon in the family section after the finish line, we crashed on the curb together as she poured out her heart. she expressed how the marathon was challenging from mile one, she had blisters on her feet after never having a blister before from running, her fears of heat stroke…

it is women like shannon who teach & inspire me to be better. no, not by actually standing by my side as a friend and teaching me to raise my kids/cook/study/set goals/etc. – shannon is an example to all of us, that anything worth having in life is worth working for. she inspires me not to quit. she inspires me to be the best i can be at what i do. set my goals high and never lose sight of the finish line.

shannon said after the race,

it was so good to see Casey {her husband} at mile 15, it was just what i needed to keep going…

in this moment she taught me that none of life’s challenges or successes mean anything without loved ones to share them with. we need loved ones to help us.

none of us can do great things alone. just like the heat in this year’s marathon, nothing in life turns out exactly as planned.

quite often, i find myself telling my kids, stop fighting me. listen. i am cheering for you – i am president of the {kiana/myla/kj/sela} fan club. i am here to help. to love. to nurture. to inspire. allow us to be a team. we are all tougher than we think, and able to accomplish more than we think. we just need each other, all the time.

*i recently asked what inspires you and why do people compare themselves one to another? thank you for the comments, emails, and links. i wanted to share shannon’s marathon story with you because it’s displays how i feel. i will most likely never run a marathon. simply due to the fact that i don’t have a goal to do so – yet, i am so proud of shannon and her success inspires me to do more!!! to care for myself. to accomplish my goals. no one should think, i could never run a marathon. i can’t imagine doing something like that! i’m a loser… – NO! find inspiration in her training, her desire to prepare, and conquer what you can do. live life to it’s fullest by your terms.

a reader linked to this list. it’s 43 great lessons for life.

also, my friend wyatt posted this video {Make It Count} on Facebook yesterday. husband and i love it. we have lived through so many funny moments that this video portrays – late to the airport*irresponsible starts/the trouble is all of the street signs are written in squiggly lines {ha!}/gnarly airplane food/stuck in airports/terrible taxi drivers…

great quotes from the video —

*  life is either daring adventure, or nothing at all. – helen keller
*  buy the ticket, take the ride – hunter s. thompson
*  you only live once but if you do it right once is enough – mae west
*  above all, try something – franklin d. roosevelt
*  i never worry about the future it comes soon enough – albert einstein
*  mind your step
*  one who makes no mistakes makes nothing at all – giacomo casanova
*  do one thing everyday that scares you – eleanor roosevelt
*  in the end it’s not the years in your life that count it’s the life in your years. – abraham lincoln
*  do more
*  if i’d followed all the rules i’d never have gotten anywhere – marilyn monroe
*  action expresses priorities – gandhi
*  #makeitcount

just pick one, write it on your bathroom mirror – write it on your kids’ bathroom mirror – write it in a note to a friend – surround yourself with people who inspire you – be inspired & stop comparing yourself to others. amen.

{photos by husband. he was snapping away on my camera while shannon and i talked, we looked up and spotted him.}