Grumpy, or no guts, no glory.

I'm grumpy and I've decided to take it out on you. You may have more fun if you come back tomorrow.

*Beginning of rant*
Over the last few weeks several people have told me they probably won't do (an event) because they'll be 'too slow' or will do a 'bad time'. It seems what they're really saying is that they don't want to join in because they don't think they'll be good enough at it.
Maybe these are just excuses to not do things that they don't want to do? In that case, why not say, well actually I don't want to do that because I'm not interested. Why make up fake reasons?
But what I want to know is this - waddya mean, 'good at'? Waddya mean, 'too slow'? Who said Time A is 'better' than Time B? Where did this come from? When did effort slide down the kudos scale?
We must STAMP OUT this thinking. It sucks the pure animal joy out of moving our bodies. It sucks the joy out of our well-earned triumphs and achievements. This kind of thinking makes us smaller than we are. It's a waste.
Accept that as an 'adult onset' athlete you will never be 'up there'. And unless you make your sport a, or even the, highest priority in your life - and if you really want that, then good on you, I will cheer you as you zoom by - and spend a huge amount of time and effort, and manage yourself really really carefully so you don't get injured, you still won't be 'up there' even if you've kept at your sport all your life. Suck it up.
Then go for real glory.
Have the guts to dream big. Accept your real limitations and responsibilities and still live the biggest life you can. What's tickling the back of your mind that you'd do 'if only'? Find a way.
Glorious.
Have the dedication to say, I know what I need to do - even if that means taking waaaay longer than you'd like - and I am prepared to do it (says she, who blew off yet another 5.30am this morning, sigh...).
Or else say, this isn't what I thought it was, it isn't for me , or it isn't the right time for me to do this.
Take heart and pride in the small daily triumphs over heredity and history and inertia and fear.
Glorious.
Glory is being out there out there in the waves and the dark and the wind and the sun. It's crossing that finish line you weren't really sure you would reach. Glory is in going harder than you thought you could and doing stuff you never imagined.
It's saying, well, that didn't go so well, but I did my best and I'm proud of myself. No-one cares what you look like or your time except you. How freeing is that?
Give those 'not good enough' thoughts the finger. Show up. Have a go. HAVE FUN.
See how good it feels?
*End of rant*

In other news:
Two nights ago I went to check on Noddie becuase she was being unnervingly quiet. She'd rearranged her bedroom furniture.