What Are YOU Running For?

'Cause Everyone Is Running for (or from) Something?

Yesterday as the polls started heading toward closing time and the votes got guestimated first, then called by various news outlets, I couldn't wait for it to be over. But is it ever really over?

The Motherlode: NY Marathon

It's a new day. And while I'm pleased that my board of ed candidate won, there were no surprises in the Senate, making me want to put my head in the sand for the next six years... by which time we'll have elected at least one new president. 

As I was running up Van Holten road yesterday I remembered how it felt to run for a political office. The highs and the lows. I realized that just running for board of ed impacted me in many ways. I thought I knew who my friends were, but there are always surprises. People who stood by me every step of the way, and others who didn't, teaching me that some affiliations trump friendship. Time has healed that, and I have put it behind me, but it left enough of a scar to keep me from running again for any office, ever. If you can't count on friends' support, how can you expect the general population to support you? Like jogging, running for office is largely a solitary venture. Maybe that's why they share the same verb?

If I take it a step further, and think of running more as a metaphor, so many ideas open up. Years ago people would ask me what I did. I was a stay at home mom, but I'd sheepishly say I'm a writer. In the interim, I "ran for" a few jobs. And now I'm a writer. Statement of fact with a salary (and writing samples) to prove it. When my daughter starts applying to college next year, she'll be "running for a place at the colleges of her choice." At work we have this new push to have quantifiable results, so you might say I'm now running for improved metrics. 

We run for lots of things... we run red lights, we run households, we run meetings, we run for cover. Over the next few busy, pre-holiday weeks I'll be thinking of my next goal. What will I be running for? 

But here's a better question: what will you run for? What are your goals for today, next year or the longer term? Good sneakers are a must for a distance runner. Consider the tools you need to make your goal. Remember that the most important part of running for something isn't winning. It's about creating experiences that will give meaning to you. Running a 10 mile race isn't about the medals. It's about the endorphins.

Good luck newly elected candidates. Serve your pubic well because before you know it, you'll be running again.