Live Your Dreams

My dad has always been a runner. Every morning at 4 A.M., he would quietly leave the house for his morning jog. It was his time to think, plan for the day, and figure out how he could save the world… all before breakfast.I always admired my dad and wanted to be like him, but there was no way I could run as far as he did. Each morning as we would run together, he encouraged me and would take my mind off the distance by teaching me about setting goals and living my dreams.We ran a lot of small races together over the years. Each time without fail, my dad would finish well ahead of me, yet he would always return to the last mile marker so we could cross the finish line together. It was finally time to run our first half marathon. I had always dreamt of running a big race, but even with my dad’s confidence in me, I was nervous and unsure. When I received the news that he had to travel out of town on the race day, I was devastated. I had never run that far by myself and felt very discouraged. My dad reminded me, “Living your dreams can only begin by placing one foot in front of the other. You can do this. I believe in you.” It just wasn’t the same.When I hit mile 11, I was ready to quit. I had barely enough energy to make it one more mile. I knew, unless something changed, that I would have to walk the rest of the way. It was just too hard. As I approached mile 12, I was struggling. In the distance, I thought I saw a familiar face. I rubbed my eyes and hoped I wasn’t hallucinating, but it looked like my dad! It was! He had changed his plans to drive 4 hours so he could meet me at the last mile… just like always.I could barely hold back the tears as we crossed that finish line together. I learned how to live my dreams because, through his example, my dad showed me how.
Taken from http://www.forbetterlife.org

"Treat people as if they were what they ought to be, and you help them to become what they are capable of being."

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe