Those Days
Yesterday was one of those days... Yeah, we have all had them, everyone in a different way and yet almost everyone I know can relate to Those Days. I will get directly into it:
When I was young I remember losing my grandpa was shocking (besides the overwhelming sadness) because I knew how people are born and how they die... What I did not know was that MY family, MY friends, the people in my life could die. It sounds just as absurd as it is, but also as true as it was. Death was but a word that would happen to others, that would show up in the news, far away from my life.
Death showed me perspective like never before, suddenly all of my grandpa's stories, jokes, laughs, smiles, gifts... They all came back to me. Someone I follow and listen to often was asked once to give the best advice he could in just 3 words: "You're Gonna Die" he said, with a smile I'm sure.
Yesterday one of my close friends passed away, and although I could tell you guys so much about him, I'll show you the results of his life on me. The impact he had on my day to day journey. He saw death as something inevitable on its way, he always told me the craziest ideas for me to do, just to see how many of them actually inspired me to do things he wished to help me with. He made me run for something: I run every race with a purpose, he told me running is boring, but if you have a purpose in mind through however many kilometers you have to get through, when you get to the end you will highly appreciate the journey more than the goal. He viewed every dream he had as just a goal without a close date of arrival...
Added to the saddening news of my bud passing away, yesterday was a packed work day. Which on the one hand does take your mind of bad thoughts, but on the other does "pack up" your emotions and out of nowhere they just came out like uninvited guests at a wedding: evident and out of place. Suddenly gushes of anger came, smiles where blurred with out of place tears (very few). Today I knew I had to let the tears flow to get this knot lose... I knew exactly how long I was going to cry: 45 minutes. That's how long my training took, and sure enough I dehydrated by running and crying... Almost a poetic mess of a man that in doing that which he loves to do, cried because he will miss his friend.
The end of this post does not exist, because every time days like these have happened I wonder how long I have left? If I have given enough or asked more than I have given?
All I know is that now every time I run, I have one more reason to look up and smile in gratitude that I managed to finish yet another day in my life. After all we are a result of the people we meet and the choices we make.
