Dreams In Motion

   Dreams In Motion

           Wow – times flies!  18 years and 11 months ago (to the exact date of the race eve) our first child was born.  Holding the precious baby with tears in my eyes I did what all parents do – wonder about the future.  Would we be adequate parents?  How would she turn out?  Will she want to run . . . with me?  And, I will be an old dad . . . how will that work out?  You know, all the important stuff.

Now, away at college our little Annecy, oldest of three, is doing great in all aspects.  She is thriving academically, socially, spiritually, and in extracurriculars.  And, she continued her running just for fun and fitness.  With ongoing diligence she pronounced that she wanted to run a marathon.  Would I do it with her?  Are you kidding – for a fitness-a-holic like me it is one of those dreams of a lifetime!  The old man running a marathon with his daughter.

So, we did it!  We ran the Newport News One City Marathon on March 4^th.   It was my first trip there and it was a fantastic venue and race.  We ran it (sort of) together . . . she dropped me during the second half and I couldn’t have been more proud seeing her fade away in distance in front of me.  Once reunited at the finish line it was all joy.

We wonder and worry about the future of our children from the day they are born.  In fact, the day Annecy was born I called and thanked my parents for all they did and all the love they gave because I had never realized it in quite the same way before.  I also didn’t realize how powerful these words are “Kids don’t listen to or remember much of what you say to them but they watch you like hawks and will copy everything you do, so being a good role model is really important.”

A friend sent me a beautiful e-mail after the race that included “Our accomplishments are actually larger than our individual performances.  Through our example, we have put dreams in motion for our next generation by showing them how to chase goals and all the possibilities in life that are attainable (with a little hard work, of course).”  I cried, again, 18 years and 11 months later.

We all put dreams in motion with our daily actions and example.  Example is every day, every day, every day.  Consistent execution over time.    It is hard and takes a long time, but the payoff is priceless.  Be the example you want the next generation to follow – they are watching.

Dreams in motion,

David