A dear friend of mine finished her 5th NYC Marathon today. She told me after the race that she was suffering from pre-race shin splints like “she had never experienced”. The pain was so severe that she was nearly relegated to the status of spectator instead of participant. She did not want this. Friends and family told her about “next year” and “past years” and that her attempt at being a heroine was not worth the pain she inevitably would and did withstand for 26.2 miles through all five boroughs.
When I asked her why she ran, her answer was simple: I wanted to teach my son to “finish”. I too often hear that the date was over in minutes. That the relationship had “run its course” (no pun intended). I do question why those in the dating world do not finish. One appetizer. One drink at a bar. One false move. One untoward comment. One untoward comment that is misconstrued. One untoward comment that is misconstrued because of nerves. One untoward comment that is misconstrued because of nerves because the person is so attracted to the other person that they fumble. One… and the balance of what could be, what might be, or what might not be at all a good relationship could be over in a moment’s notice.
There is so much discussion, literature, and entire professions given wholly over to the study of human complexity. Yet, despite this universal understanding of how we are complicated, unique and superior to all other species, the wrong text message might mean that we are onto the next date.
Maybe it’s time to finish.
As always, I would love to hear your thoughts.