I am recovering from a leg injury that is preventing me from participating in my daily runs. I pulled a muscle in my calf severely enough that I wonder if I will be able to participate in this year’s Chicago Marathon which is now less than 4 weeks away. Today I am a little better that I was yesterday, which was a little better than the day before. Each day I measure my range of movement gingerly, each day I test my leg’s strength, each day there is a little progress. Last night I ran for ½ mile, infinitely farther than I could have just a week ago. Afterwards I rode a stationary bike for some time and my mind began to reflect on the weekend.
DeAnn and I watched our youngest daughter preform on stage this last weekend, well actually very little of her performance was on stage more in the grass as it was “Shakespeare in the Park.” Of course as parents we felt she was the star of the show, but setting that aside for one moment both her mom and I would also confess that this daughter has improved her skills. She is better today than she was the last time we watched and she is a long way from that first time we set in a dark theatre just praying for some success for her, hoping she didn’t embarrass herself. Dad chewing his fingernails hoping she remembered her lines.
If you start looking at my career I have quite a few years’ experience doing what I do, I started in this profession in 1979, 34 years ago. Other than a small detour for a couple of years I have been preforming industry related work for that entire time. I hope I have been improving. I think I do my work well, while I am not an actor like my daughter, I forget my lines from time to time, I trip on stage, I do have my moments of mistakes still but for the most part I think I have learned my art. My skills are much better than they were 34 years ago.
I have three hobbies, remodeling houses, running marathons, and this blog. I started these much later in life. I am not a skilled carpenter, but I am better than I was years ago. I have developed skills, bought several dollars’ worth of tools, and have enough scars to document my learning. When it comes to running I am still very slow, but I am faster than I was 5 years ago when I started, I am 35 pounds lighter, have the appropriate attire, and on my wall hangs a number of finisher medals, testimony to my steady improvement.
If an experienced carpenter were to look at my work, if a true writer were to critique this blog he or she would find numerous errors or deficiencies, but my recent work isn’t all that bad either, it is better than it used to be. Others have asked me for carpentry advice, and some have asked me to do work for them, that to me is high praise indeed. When it comes to marathon running there is a whole world of people faster, I am not competitive even on a small local scale. I am much further from being a runner than I am from being a carpenter, and I am not very close to the latter. I run only because I want to, and I derive pleasure from it, and I have a sense of accomplishment as I am better today, I can see improvement. In my chosen work and in my hobbies I am better than I was years ago.
I wish I could say that about all the facets of my life, a better husband and father, an improving grandfather, a better Christian than I was yesterday, but more importantly I wish I was able to understand and take pleasure in that growth. I want to examine each facet and truly know I am better today than yesterday. Isn’t that the measure of accomplishment, to improve, to gain knowledge, and to add skills?
Taking pleasure, celebrating personal growth is how we enjoy success. When I look at my craft and can say “that is good”, when I read my own lines and they move me, when I cross the finish line and I know I did better this time, when I stretch my calf and the pain is less I feel successful. It is that inner enjoyment that makes improvement a worthy goal. I watched my daughter enjoy herself on “stage” this weekend and suddenly I was less worried about her future in acting. Where she will be in 34 years I do not know, she is better today than yesterday and that is the first step. Secondly she was stretching and enjoying her chosen craft. What more could you desire from life. Today she was a success.
May my tombstone read “He was getting better.”
David
