Writers and Runners

I hate running. It stinks.

My siblings say that they hate it, too. But the difference between them and me is that they typically place within the top 15 whenever they race for cross country. My youngest brother won for his age group at the district race this fall. My sisters were numbers 5 and 6 in their age group. My other brothers placed 3rd and 14th in their respective age groups.

And then there's me. Cheering at the sidelines, freezing my butt off. Yay. . . .

I admire runners. Running takes guts. It takes a strong will. It takes a fearless, I'm-sure-as-heck-not-giving-up attitude. My dad says that running takes imagination. It takes strength to realize that where you are on the course is not where you will always be. You have to remember that there is a finish line waiting to be crossed and fans (ahem, loyal big sisters) are waiting to welcome you home.

Sounds sort of like writing, huh? It takes guts to write, to declare to the world that you are a writer. It takes a strong will to vow not to give up. It takes fearlessness to proudly pursue the writing goal. Writing takes imagination. It takes strength to realize that where you are in the writing process is not where you will always be. You have to remember that there are editors waiting for you. Readers wanting to read your story.

Now ready, set, go write! Or run. Or write about running, like I did=)