Mile Markers: “The Two Spirations”

I read something awesome recently by the writer Emmet Fox. He wrote that for every worthwhile achievement there are two “spirations”: inspiration and perspiration.

It’s true. You can’t make a great idea, dream, or goal come true without putting in the sweat and hard work. And you can’t just blindly forge along without forethought, clarity, and direction. You have to have both the aha, and the oomph.

I thought about those two “spirations” as I busted out a track workout this morning, inspired by the thought of A Part of Hearst Digital Media, and perspiring in the unseasonably warm temperatures. My 400-meter time was close to where it used to be, back when I felt like I was in reasonable racing shape.

But I have a lot of work to do to before I’m able to run at this pace consistently, to increase my capacity for being uncomfortable for longer periods of time. I see my weakness here, and for some reason it feels more inspiring than demoralizing. I guess I’m simply happy to be back at it again.

The track is not merciful. She makes no accommodations for age or atrophy. She says it like it is. I respect her for that, even if I don’t always like her.

* * *

This weekend my son Luke is playing in his second round of playoff games for his high school football team. This would be exciting anyway, but his story makes it even sweeter. It is not easy to play varsity football in Texas, especially at a large, competitive high school. Earlier this season he was “double dipping:” playing JV on Thursday nights then dressing out for varsity games on Friday nights—but standing on the sidelines, not playing.

Being on both teams meant he has had double the practices and double the meetings. He’s gotten up at 4:30 in the morning, and had practices that start at night. He’s needed ice baths and still had to make his offensive line dinners on Wednesday nights, plus team dinners on Thursday nights, plus games, and game reviews on Saturday mornings. What this all adds up to is exhaustion.  It’s also been humbling, because what he really wanted most was to be playing varsity on those Friday nights.

I wondered if he would lose heart. I wondered if football would lose its glow if his Friday Night Lights dream eluded him. I wondered how he would respond to not getting what he wanted right away. Some people wilt, others work. You don’t really know what you’re made of until you have to make something of yourself.

Published: Nov 17, 2016 12:45 PM EST.

A few weeks ago he texted me that he needed to talk to me, that it was important. Would I come up to his room when I got home? Uh-oh, I gulped. A mother’s mind can go many places.

Beginner Running Gear.

He told me that he had gotten moved up, and would only be playing varsity for the remainder of the season. He had what I recognize as his most genuine smile on his face. It’s the smile he has when he’s not just happy, but happy with himself. As his mother, I know this smile. I live for it, in fact.

My father went to the coach’s breakfast the week after Luke’s first varsity game. You know you live in football land when there is a weekly coach’s breakfast at a barbeque joint, and people come from all over, whether they have kids playing or not. The whole Friday Night Lights thing is real, I’m telling you. As a California girl, I am both mystified and mesmerized by the world of Texas football.

At these meetings, the coach reviews the previous week’s game and highlights the upcoming game. He got to the O Line and mentioned a new starter, Luke Armstrong, who had the highest points on the line for his first game.

Apparently they assign points to the offensive line for their form and their blocks, who knew? My Dad was misty-eyed with pride. There is nobody a grandfather loves more than his grandchildren, and there is nothing an old man from Pittsburgh loves more than seeing good old-fashioned hard work. The combination of the two was obviously more than he could bear.

DAA Industry Opt Out and his perspiration. He has pushed himself in both “spirations” and no matter what happens this Friday, he is already a champion to me.