Taking Your Fun Seriously.

Earlier this year we went to the Harold Stevens Athletic Track in Coburg where the Coburg Harriers have their base and where a 24-hour Marathon was in Progress.
I am told that these runs are just for fun and for personal bests, but boy do they take their fun seriously. Not only to they count the laps to get the total distance, but I was told that when the 24 hours is nearly up, each participant is given a sack of sand on their last lap and when the siren goes showing the 24 hours is up they have to drop their sand there and then and, thus not only is each lap counted but even each individual metre in the unfinished lap. Talk about taking your fun seriously!!
What about us too? Do we take our fun that seriously too? And if so does that seriousness also follow us from our fun to our work too? Yes, whether at work or play, do we take every endeavour we do as seriously? Or just those things we really like, and then give a half-hearted commitment to everything else?
I personally think our fun should be fun, and only taken as seriously as it needs to be to have fun, while treating those things that need to be taken seriously, seriously!
So let us take all things that need to be taken seriously, seriously. And treat as fun, those things that are meant to be fun. What say you?

The Great Man

Back in our Missionary days in South Africa, we started corresponding with a couple from Western Australia and have continued to do so since our return to Australia some 8 years ago later this year, but had not met them before.
This changed last week when they came over to Melbourne to watch their son, who lives over here, run in a 24-hour Marathon in Coburg.
Being about 40 kms away across town we are not that familiar with that side of Melbourne, but had heard of the Harold Stevens Athletics Track where the event was being held, before, as back in the early 70’s there was a local controversy there when it came to naming this then new reserve. Some wanted to name it after a former famous Olympic Gold medallist who had done some training there, while others wanted to name it after a local son and member of their club, Coburg harriers. And so in 1971 the local son won out and so it was that the other day my wife and I went to the Harold Stevens Athletic Track, to meet some friends and see their son run in the race for a short time.
While there we had a look in the clubrooms and saw lots of pictures and memorabilia and even some photos of the great man himself. Thus later when one of the competitors, when passing where we were, and looking past us, shouted, Hi Harold”. We were able to ascertain, when looking ourselves, that this was the great man himself.
Now looking at the shambling old man hanging on to his walking frame and gasping for breath, it might seem that I am being sarcastic when I call him the Great man, but considering that he is into his 70’s and has spent half of this year in Hospital at or near death’s door, it showed the man's greatness and dedication to his club, to at least be in the Clubhouse when events are on. I was also touched by how people from the club rushed to help with genuine love and concern for Harold and His wife June Showing.
At this time I decided I should go over and say hello, so went up and spoke to his wife June, who just happens to be one of my cousins, but one I haven’t seen for a few years. (Just thought I should put that in as some sort of public discloser.) Now back to Harold. Even though he cannot do much these days, he has still set himself the task of collecting replica uniforms from the clubs 100 plus years in existence. Yes, he does need help even with that, but still he is helping and contributing to his club, and not resting on his laurels and past achievements as a top runner in his prime.
So yes Harold Stevens is a great man and one worthy of having a ground named after him. But again what about us? We may never have anything named after us, but will we continue to contribute to our community over and over, throughout the years? Or are we just going to be Flashes in the Pan? Maybe doing some thing worthy for a little while and then not able to do anything else because we are too busy living in the past.
Let us learn from this truly great man and just keep on contributing to our community, even if it is a little less than we could last year.

Walking and swimming

Went the other day to see a young man run in a 24-hour marathon and met his main support man, who was a Walker himself, but was only getting back into walking after a long layoff through an ankle Injury, (so was not competing himself that day in the concurrent walking event).
Tell me, what would you have been doing in the meantime if that had happened to you? Sitting back and moaning about it and putting on weight.
Well this young man did put on weight, but intentionally so. For you see, as he could not walk for too long on his ankle, he took up swimming to strengthen it again. And obviously not being one to do things lightly, he set himself the task of swimming the English Channel.
To do this he had to put on the extra weight to give himself some body fat protection against the cold, and also had to find a support team and money etc. But the thing is, that when he found he could not do one thing he loved, he didn’t whinge and complain and sit back and expect sympathy. No! He simply changed his focus, albeit at considerable cost and effort, and set himself a new target. A target that he also met, and he has also since lost that extra weight and is now back easing himself back into His first love of Walking again.
So again what about us when obstacles and set backs present themselves? Do we just give up and sit back and moan and complain?
Or like this young man, do we just adapt and change our focus for a short time, even if it is uncomfortable and costly, and set and meet other objectives, and returning if possible, to our original goals when and if possible later.
Again something to ponder on for today.

Walkers & Runners

Recently went to see someone participate in a 24 hour Marathon out at the Harold Stevens Athletics track at Coburg. They actually had 4 separate events happening at the same time. They had men and Ladies groups running and Men and Ladies groups walking around the same course at the same time.
These people supposedly run/walk for fun but are also very competitive. Yet, can still co-operate together. The runner we went to see, had as his main support team, a Walker who had been injured and is only now getting back into walking again, but was not competing here but satisfied to help someone else and a runner and not a fellow walker to compete and to give of his best.
What about us? Are we as prepared to help others when and where we can, or we so competitive that we will not help anyone and especially someone outside of our own discipline?
Just something to think about for Now!