I made small talk with a nice man at the coffee shop. He was waiting for his first dose of thunder, I was poised for round two.
He wore a bright white v-neck t-shirt and even brighter white pants. I assumed he was a painter.
“I’m guessing your outfit will be a lot dirtier by the end of the day,” I said with a hint of apprehension.
“Well, now, actually it’s gonna be a clean day,” he replied with a calculated drawl.
“Where ya from?,” I asked.
“Originally Texas. Spent a lot of years in Virginia, but there’re a lot of Yankees there, so it don’t really count,” he said with a tinge of remorse.
“Not a big fan of Yankees?”
“Well, they just weren’t nice.”
“I’m from Wisconsin and we are some of the nicest people around,” I said trying to win him over.
“Well, I was born in Iowa, so I guess I’m a Yankee on some level.”
Ha! So, that was a real conversation. And it proves my point about life and humanity. If you dig deep enough, we’re all the same.
———–
With that in mind, about 2,500 friends of mine will be tackling Ironman Louisville next Sunday in 90 degree heat. We’ll come from a melting pot of backgrounds, geography, and philosophies. But we’ll all be focused on one thing . . . ascending to a higher plane.
Of those 2,500 people, every one will have a different training philosophy. Some will chase miles, some will race for fun, others will be energized by fear.
But we are all the same.
We all want to become better, stronger, and more consistent people. It would take a while, maybe a lifetime, but I would love to sit with each one and drill down to our connective center. Find our common fears, battles and dreams. Feel the relief as hypocrisy falls from our bones.
Yankees, Southerners, Texans, Blacks, Whites, Asians, Jews, old, young, men, women. All seeking the truth. All not settling for a pre-definined place in life . . . or a label.
People from the SEC, the Big 10, Pac 10, ACC, and Big East. All releasing their differences for a cause. A cause that rises higher than logos and exists in a place we can’t define.
There will be an endless list of pretense, but for one day, 2,500 of us will dispose of trivial beliefs and focus on the real meaning of faith. Faith in a higher and more meaningful quest. A direct apprehension of something bigger than our collective selves. We will experience the ultimate meditation. Up to 17 hours of being in the moment. And when we are in the moment there are no Yankees, Southerners, Texans, Blacks, Whites, Asians, Jews, old, young, men, or women.
There just is.
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