April 19, 2021
Heart and Will
This is our Lemon Drop Hill.
We are in a marathon that none of us signed up for, but we are going to get to the finish line. We are going to keep going together.
When I was younger, I ran Grandma’s Marathon three times. I trained before each race, but I can tell you that no matter how well I trained or how prepared I felt, I had to battle my way up Lemon Drop Hill.
For those of you who may not know, just after the 22-mile marker comes Lemon Drop Hill. It is not long, but it seemed so steep. By the time I had run 22 miles, the self-talk had kicked in. Crossing the START line was a distant memory. Any runner’s high had worn off. The crowds of unknown people cheering on runners from either side of the road carried me for a while. But Lemon Drop Hill was just a gut punch.
You can see it coming from a distance, but you don’t want to look at it. I kept my head down. Watched my feet shuffle forward. Listened to my breath. Felt the heat of the day. And then the incline hits. And at first, it just breaks you. Even though I knew it was coming all three times, I just wanted to stop.
But I wasn’t going to stop. The runners around me kept running. I kept running. Step after step, soon it would be behind me.
And that is the truth of this terrible pandemic, too. Despite vaccinations and light at the end of the tunnel, we’ve got a hill to climb. We have to meet this moment. We have to pull together and help each other keep going.
Soon, this will all be behind us. For now, we need to tap into collective heart and will. We need to call on the grit that lives in all of us deep inside. We can get over this hill and we will. And then the end will be in sight.
I believe in every one of you.
Tom