I Was So Lost...

This past Saturday, I got lost.  

How in the world does that happen in this day and age?  Well, to put it simply, hubris and a over-reliance on technology.  Saturday I woke up at 4 am and left the house at 5 am.  I am training for the Shamrock Marathon (it will be my fifth) that happens in March in Virginia Beach.  I signed up for this marathon about 2 months before hand and started training thereafter.  I am not an amazing athlete, nor am I a running superstar.  But I thought "I can do this."  I just dont want to quit, once I start something.  Saturday my training goal was to run about 15 or 16 miles.  And be home by about 10 am.  Outside temp was 36 and I felt good in a hat, sunglasses, a long sleeve shirt, and a sweatshirt.  (And pants, obviously).  I ran east to the beach, and the GPS said that was 8 miles.  Perfect!  Toe in the water (freezing), and a quick drink break at a Starbucks.  I checked the GPS and it told me instead of running home, I could run to the gym where my wife and kids were at the time.  Distance?  About 8 miles.  Great.  Total would be around 16 for the day.  I set off and ran into the headwind, then turned south.  

I checked my GPS a few times.  It kept telling me that the distance to destination was increasing as I knew I was getting geographically closer.  This was disconcerting.  I ended up at a Food Lion to get a chocolate milk.  The wife was growing increasingly worried.  So was I.  Oh well, I thought, at least I will get in a good training run, and its gotta be 16 miles, right?  WRONG.  I finally reached my destination at almost 12:30 pm.  Statistics: drank a juice box, a chocolate milk, ate a larabar, ran or walked for 5 hours and 55 minutes, and finished with a milage of 21.65 miles.  I ran longer than the longest training run on my program.  With almost nothing to eat and an unsafe amount of liquid to drink.  I was very tired.  But I was glad I finished, uninjured.  

Whats the moral of this story?  Sometimes you think you can do something yourself, without any help (professional or otherwise), whether its running on this training run, or writing your will, or taking care of your aging parents.  And you know what?  Most of the time you CAN do that thing by yourself.  BUT, here's the catch.  Its not going to go as smoothly as it could, it may not end well, and you (or a loved one) could be seriously hurt in the process.  You might have all kinds of problems that you cannot solve during the course of the action.  The end results of the action may not be anywhere close to what you sought to do in the first place.  And if you are physically, fiscally, or emotionally damaged in the process, was it worth it in the end?  I was glad to run the run that I did on Saturday, dont get me wrong, but I was not happy that I trusted the GPS and didn't listen to my body.  I could have been seriously injured during the course of me "gutting it out" along the streets of Virginia Beach.  My body temperature was off the whole rest of the day.  You can see what I mean.  I should have preplanned the run better, and run according to the plan.  

Please take some time, after you have read this blog, and think about an area of your life where you are trying to "gut it out" or "go it alone."  Just because you CAN, doesnt mean you SHOULD.  Get help if you need it from a friend or family member.  Its okay to need help!  And if that help necessitates a good estate planning lawyer or elder law lawyer, give me a call.  You can rely on me!

Today's song is "Lose Yourself" by Eminem.  This was the last song I listened to as I finished the run Saturday.  It has been really inspirational to me throughout my running life, which started in the early 2000's.  I dont know of any more motivational song than this one.  It is supposedly quite autobiographical of the artist--if you take one thing from this song, realize that he talks a lot about "making it" in the music industry, and know he did succeed when all the odds were against him.  

Article on the song HERE.

​"Lose Yourself"

Look, if you had one shot, or one opportunity
To seize everything you ever wanted, in one moment
Would you capture it, or just let it slip?

Yo! His palms are sweaty, knees weak, arms are heavy
There's vomit on his sweater already: Mom's spaghetti
He's nervous, but on the surface he looks calm and ready
To drop bombs, but he keeps on forgetting
What he wrote down, the whole crowd goes so loud
He opens his mouth, but the words won't come out
He's choking, how? Everybody's joking now
The clock's run out, time's up, over, blaow!
Snap back to reality, ope there goes gravity, ope
There goes Rabbit, he choked, he's so mad but he won't
Give up that easy, no, he won't have it, he knows
His whole back's to these ropes, it don't matter, he's dope
He knows that but he's broke, he's so stagnant, he knows
When he goes back to this mobile home, that's when it's
Back to the lab again yo, this whole rhapsody
Better go capture this moment and hope it don't pass him, and

You better lose yourself in the music
The moment, you own it, you better never let it go
You only get one shot, do not miss your chance to blow
This opportunity comes once in a lifetime, yo
You better lose yourself in the music
The moment, you own it, you better never let it go
You only get one shot, do not miss your chance to blow
This opportunity comes once in a lifetime, yo
You better…

His soul's escaping through this hole that is gaping
This world is mine for the taking, make me king
As we move toward a New World Order
A normal life is boring; but superstardom's
Close to post-mortem, it only grows harder
Homie grows hotter, he blows, it's all over
These hoes is all on him, coast-to-coast shows
He's known as the Globetrotter, lonely roads
God only knows, he's grown farther from home, he's no father
He goes home and barely knows his own daughter
But hold your nose, 'cause here goes the cold water
These hoes don't want him no mo', he's cold product
They moved on to the next schmoe who flows
He nose-dove and sold nada, and so the soap opera
Is told, it unfolds, I suppose it's old, partner
But the beat goes on: da da dum da dum da da da da

You better lose yourself in the music
The moment, you own it, you better never let it go
You only get one shot, do not miss your chance to blow
This opportunity comes once in a lifetime, yo
You better lose yourself in the music
The moment, you own it, you better never let it go
You only get one shot, do not miss your chance to blow
This opportunity comes once in a lifetime, yo
You better…

No more games, I'ma change what you call rage
Tear this motherfuckin' roof off like two dogs caged
I was playin' in the beginning, the mood all changed
I've been chewed up and spit out and booed off stage
But I kept rhymin' and stepped right in the next cypher
Best believe somebody's payin' the Pied Piper
All the pain inside amplified by the
Fact that I can't get by with my 9-to-5
And I can't provide the right type of life for my family
'Cause man, these goddamn food stamps don't buy diapers
And there's no movie, there's no Mekhi Phifer, this is my life
And these times are so hard, and it's gettin' even harder
Tryna feed and water my seed, plus teeter-totter
Caught up between bein' a father and a prima donna
Baby mama drama, screamin' on her, too much for me to wanna
Stay in one spot, another day of monotony's
Gotten me to the point I'm like a snail, I've got
To formulate a plot or end up in jail or shot
Success is my only motherfuckin' option, failure's not
Mom, I love you, but this trailer's got
To go; I cannot grow old in Salem's Lot
So here I go, it's my shot: feet, fail me not
This may be the only opportunity that I got

You better lose yourself in the music
The moment, you own it, you better never let it go (go)
You only get one shot, do not miss your chance to blow
This opportunity comes once in a lifetime, yo
You better lose yourself in the music
The moment, you own it, you better never let it go (go)
You only get one shot, do not miss your chance to blow
This opportunity comes once in a lifetime, yo
You better…

You can do anything you set your mind to, man


Writer(s): jeffrey bass, luis resto, marshall mathers