A marathon not a sprint

It was a week chock full of exploratory meetings, coaching sessions, a fascinating talk, and granny day! Some weeks are busier than others, and last week was one of those. Not the crazy-can’t-fit-it-all-in-busy, more a delicious feast of engagement and connecting.

There were moments of “aah how are we going to fit it all in” but some deep breathing and a walk around the garden or sunroom settled the whizzing. We did fit it all in and we did get it all done. Of course.

Since lockdown most meetings and coaching sessions have transitioned online so last week there was a great deal of screen time to manage. As much as it is convenient and time saving not to have to factor in travel and traffic, screen fatigue does set in. The opportunity for Chantal to meet with a dear friend and coaching colleague in person on Friday afternoon was therefore a welcome change.

We live between 25km and 35km away from each other, depending on the route taken, so we meet at a restaurant halfway. As Chantal drove towards the venue along Winnie Mandela Drive (previously William Nicol) and Main Road (still Main Road), the already grey sky started darkening ominously. There was no thunder or lightning and Chantal crossed her fingers that there would only be rain and no hail.

The heavens opened

Just as Chantal pulled into the parking lot, the heavens opened.

Here. Whatsapped her friend.

Me too just arrived, Chantal messaged back. In my car waiting for a break in the downpour 🌧️⛈️🌧️

I know. I got here just before as it was starting, She responded.

Lucky her. Usually a storm lashes down, then breaks for a breath before lashing down again. This time it had more energy and kept up the intensity. After waiting for over five minutes, Chantal decided that she would run for it.

Of course she expected to get wet. Rain does that. She did not expect to encounter deep puddles of water hemmed in on either side by large SUVs, with no way round. She gingerly stepped across the water hoping her platform sneakers would be high enough to keep the water from wetting the canvas. She then hopped, skipped, and jumped along the pavement in front of a set of outlets with no awnings or roof cover to protect her.

It was going well until she encountered the landing before a set of slippery steps that would take her to the entrance. With inadequate drainage the water had covered the landing up to the first step. Her heels were not thick enough to get her across the divide. The thought of sodden shoes and pants sent her scurrying back to find a drier place to take her shoes off.

The manager of a gift store, opened the door and ushered Chantal in. Here, she tugged off her socks and shoes, rolled up her jeans and with a hasty “Thank you” dove back into the rain, across the flooded landing and up the steps.

A waitron opened the door to a very bedraggled woman.

“I’m meeting someone,” spluttered Chantal.

The waitron gestured towards those seated in the restaurant. Near the back Chantal spotted her friend. She walked barefoot and dripping past curious patrons to greet her, surprised and laughing.

Warmth and connection

“You should have waited,” gasped her friend.

“It’s still pouring,” said Chantal, pointing outside, “We only have a limited time to meet, I had to make a choice.”

She peeled off her wet jacket and spread it with her shoes, socks and scarf on the chair next to her. A wishful attempt to dry them out. She squeezed her hair, and wiped her face and glasses with a cloth from her bag.

In all this time nobody came to see if help was needed. The waitrons gave the table a wide berth but her friend grabbed one as they whooshed by to order a warm drink.

The warmth of the connection and catching up stayed the cold. Too quickly it was time to go.

“You see it is still raining, imagine if I had waited,” laughed Chantal as they hugged goodbye.

Damp but satisfied, Chantal drove back home. She was grateful she was driving against the traffic, now a parking lot on the other side.

Dig deep and stay the distance

That meeting rounded out what had been a week of gratifying conversations. Coaching sessions had resulted in real movement and growth and exploratory meetings had unfolded with mutual respect and recognition of each other’s mark on this world.

Ideas had sparked and opportunities had presented themselves between sips of tea and bites of biscuits that sat on either side of the screen. These had fueled our bodies and minds, that were slowly tiring after a long year. They gave us the energy to keep on going a little while longer, reminding us that the work we do is a marathon, not a sprint.

A marathon requires training, lots of it. It requires stamina and tenacity. It also demands of us that we do not lose hope, that we keep putting one foot in front of the other and stick to the route even when it feels like everyone else has already finished the race.

It asks us to be patient, determined and focused. It asks that when times are tough, that we find the will to dig deep and stay the distance.

A bit like what the Springboks had to do on Saturday against the French. With one man down and out on a red card, and the French looking cocky, they had to pull together, hunker down and just keep on going. Relentlessly, courageously, with bullheaded determination.

The French had sprinted to an early lead. They had pushed through to the middle distance but started flagging by the end of the third quarter. They were still able to show moments of brilliance that, had the ball bounced their way, or stayed in play, a try or two was in the reckoning.

Luck played a role, as it always does. But the boys in white (not green this time) kept their eyes on the goal and did not let up. They did not let the upsets deter them, or steer them off course. They ended victorious.

A marathon not a sprint

Isn’t that what life is like? Plans go awry, the work you were counting on gets cancelled, or you get “red carded”, no longer a part of the team. Budgets get cut, people move on, and you are left wondering, do we have what it takes to keep going?

That’s when it is useful to remember that it is a marathon we are part of. Possibly not only a standard marathon either, but an ultra marathon. Extra long, extra hard, but worth it in the long run. Who really knows what they are in for when they embark on a journey high on meaning and purpose but low on social acceptance and understanding?

It is good to encounter like minded people who appreciate and understand the journey because they are in the same space. We all know what it is like to train hard: to put in the long hours, to craft significant content and design solid solutions.

It is challenging to do that when many view our work as less crucial than product that feeds the bottom line. We don’t have a widget or a get rich scheme, a slimming product or a new food fantasy to prod our customers with. We do have knowledge, strategies and real world steps to feel better and be better human beings.

Our job is to run beside those that want a better life. Our job is to share our knowledge, educate, inform and offer alternatives. Our job is to show up with all those others that have put in the miles and together make the world a better place. One step at a time.

Until next time.

Yours in feeling,
Chantal & Matthew

Credits for this issue — Images: 5th Place