Seven Years Later…

And I’m back. Someday I’ll try to explain my hiatus but not today because today is…

June 7th!

June 7th is a very special day for me because it was on that day back in 2008 that Mary took a picture of me after I walked 3 miles. As my friend Bennett commented after I posted the picture below on Facebook: No matter how many times I see that picture on the left, it never ceases to amaze and inspire me.

And here is what I wrote on Facebook that accompanied the picture:

On Saturday June 7, 2008 (my wife) Mary took my picture after I walked 3 miles. 7 years later I ran out to Hopkinton (start of Boston Marathon) and back. At the 30 mile mark, Mary called and asked if I wanted a ride. I told her no because I was not finished. I would not be able to take either picture if I ever gave up. There’s got to be a lesson there.

And the lesson is quite obvious: if you want to succeed you can’t give up when things get a little tough.

But there’s a little more to this story…

What I didn’t mention in my Facebook post, or actually ever mentioned to anyone else until now, is on that Saturday back in 2008 when I was walking those three miles, Mary met me at mile two. She was there with a cold Gatorade and a tempting offer comprised of her sincere love and concern for me. This is how the conversation went as far as I remember it:

Mary: Do you want a ride home?

Me: Yes I do, but please don’t ever let me get in.

Mary: Are you sure?

Me: I have never been more sure in my life.

And with that, I kissed her and continued on my walk home, almost chasing after the car as she drove away, questioning my sanity. And as I walked the next mile home, seemingly much longer than the first two, I debated whether I had made the right decision. I was hot, my feet and legs ached and my body and mind hated me for the decision I had made.

Eventually I got home, and even though I was covered in sweat, my wife hugged me, telling me how proud she was of my decision. And contrary to what I had convinced myself would happen, my feet did not explode, my legs did not fall off, I did not have a heart attack and eventually my heart rate DID come back down.

I then had an idea: just as I did yesterday, and every month after that day back in 2008, I grabbed my camera and told her to follow me to the front door. As I stood there she took my picture.

And even though it is not quite as obvious in the “picture on the left” as it is in the one on the right, inside I was smiling more than I ever had in my life. I had made the right decision and one I will never forget.

The “7th Of The Month” pictures

July 2008 (254.6)