As I head down for my third running of the Disney Princess Half Marathon, 10 things that running Disney teach about life here in the Trenches:
1. It's not the destination; it's the journey. Sure, you can run a personal best at Disney, but you'd miss all the great photo opportunities. You can win your litigated case, but miss out on an opportunity to grow by handling it collaboratively.
2. As a corollary to number 1, sometimes you have to put relationships before results. For the second year in a row, Daughter has not trained past the 10k, which means I either stay with her and urge her to the finish of the half marathon, or leave her in the dust. You know which one I choose. Again, you can win your case at any cost, or you can preserve that relationship with your stepchild, in law, or even your spouse.
3. It helps to have people who are in your corner no matter what. Certainly, I roll my eyes as my lovely Aunt wants me to stop for a photo opportunity in the middle of the race's biggest traffic jam, but knowing she's there, waving her sign and jumping up and down, means the world. In the Trenches, we all need people who are just there for us, not to give advice, but just to be there.
4. "Family" means adjusting to accommodate all of its members. Mom, who doesn't run, would much rather eat dinner at the civilized hour of 7:30pm, but because the runners have to get up at 4:00am, eats at 5:30pm instead. Splitting holidays means that Thanksgiving is sometimes on a Friday, and Christmas is a week late. As long as everybody's there, you'll get over it.
5. Being picked up by the bus isn't so bad. (You know who you are ;)) We all would like to run the race to the finish line; sometimes, that's not in cards. There's a certain comaraderie among the folks picked up by the Disney bus. No, you didn't want to get divorce, but others in your shoes might become your best friends. After all, you have something in common.
6. Patience (Yes, this is hardest for me). We have 7 people staying in one resort. 4 are running the 5k on Friday, 2 are running the 10k on Saturday and the half marathon on Sunday. Some are in their 20s; others are almost 80. We're all doing different things at different times, and things do not always go as planned. It's still fun. The biggest disasters are some of our best memories, both before the Trenches and after.
7. The element of surprise isn't always so great. I'd much rather have a runner ahead of me signal that they're going to walk beforehand, rather than running them over. Surprise depositions, bank withdrawals, affairs and the like, make the road in the Trenches much bumpier than just owning up and coming clean.
8. The end of the race is the measure of the runner. The end of the half marathon takes place over two or three exit ramps. That means big hills. Those runners who went all out at the beginning or never trained on hills, slow to a very slow walk on them. Those runners who paced themselves and trained on hills, keep running. Life in the Trenches is a half marathon, not a sprint. You have to pace yourself so you and your case don't fall apart before you reach the home stretch.
9. The planning is half the fun. I love planning the trip; the costumes, the dinners, the transportation. I love running the race, but that's only a few hours. The planning takes months of smiles and anticipation. I don't mean to say that being in the Trenches is fun, but preparation means you get what you need to move forward, and have a better opportunity for happiness after you leave us.
10. Every life needs a little silly. We don't have to run in costume, but we do. Disney gives us permission to make fools of ourselves. I give you permission too; you need it after being in the Trenches. Silly is liberating.
See you next week!
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