(This is a picture of me and Elise. Elise PR’d on Saturday at St. George!!! How freaking awesome is she? Also, she looked like a million bucks, and I looked like a walking zombie. She is a blog reader, and now friend, and boy did she help improve my attitude on Saturday.)
After my race on Saturday, I didn’t have much time for pity parties because I met people at Swig that were telling me that I inspired them, that they enjoy my blog, and my favorite- that they don’t read my blog because I can run fast and PR. How amazing. How flattering.
I also met up with four other really inspiring, positive, sweet, runners and bloggers. It was just what I needed!! Do you have any idea how awesome it was to talk about things like how obnoxious it can be when your little kids won’t stop stepping on your sensitive toes and have others completely relate?? Such fun.
(Me, Katie, Heather, Ashley, and Candice)
Anyway, there’s a story I’d like to share with you:
A young man is walking along the ocean and sees a beach on which thousands and thousands of starfish have washed ashore. Further along, he sees an old man, walking slowly and stooping often, picking up on starfish after another and gently tossing each one gently into the ocean.
“Why are you throwing starfish into the ocean?” He asks.
“Because the sun is up and the tide is going out and if I don’t throw them further in, they will die.”
“But old man, don’t you realize there are miles and miles of beach and starfish all along it! You can’t possibly save them all, you can’t even save one-tenth of them. In fact, even if you work all day, your efforts won’t make any difference at all.”
The old man listened calmly and then bent to pick up another starfish and threw it into the sea. “It made a difference to that one.”
I’m throwing starfish, guys. I may not have the most followers of all the running bloggers, or the most readers, and I may not be able to PR after having my 4th baby (who’s almost 4, also why do I still say baby), but I meet people like Elise, and I get emails saying I helped someone get their PR, and then another one thanking me for giving them someone to relate to during training because everyone else in their life says they’re crazy…. It’s a reminder that this little old blog is making a difference to not miles and miles of starfish, but some. That’s more than I could ever hope for.
Who wants a NYC meet up?? Just a forewarning: it will involve sweets.