Run your own race
Sherri T.
Run your own race. These were the wise words of a famous mother, the late Joan Rivers.
It is no secret that she was one of a kind. While Joan was an astute observer of human behavior, she herself was always observed.
And the observers did not stop at seeing. They also had much to say.
Because those who run their own race don’t go unnoticed. Those who follow the less-trodden trail live the consequences.
Those who run their own race rarely follow the footsteps of peers their age or background. They are writing their own script.
Enter the judgment-passers who quickly line up and are more than prepared to contribute their two cents worth.
They are willing (yet rarely welcome) to offer their comments about all that is wrong with someone else’s life, while missing all that is right. They have their scorecards ready and raring to go.
In their accounting notebooks, the scorekeepers are busy calculating the deviation from the traditional tried and (maybe not so) true.
It really is not easy to run your own race. Those who do meet many raised eyebrows along the way.
Ask my friend Karen who shared with me the wise words that both motivate and move her: All who wander are not lost.
These are not actually Karen’s words. They were written by J.R.R. Tolkien for The Lord of the Rings. But these words have profound meaning for her. Why? Because Karen is profoundly unique.
The words she shared are wise. And they have power. They send a strong message to all the armchair observers of the world.
Your unsolicited judgment is not welcome. And it is wrong.
Karen knows, maybe more than anyone, that those who wander are not lost. They are not last. And they are not less.
Those who wander have courage. Those who wander are strong. Those who wander are curious about other places, people and culture.
So don’t be afraid to run your own race – even if it means at times that you wander off track.
Because those who wander have wanderlust: a passionate love of life. The most magical and life-affirming race of all.