Going on almost 27 years now when Sarah and I said: “I do!”. It has been a great adventure. Ups and downs, good times, not so good times…but mostly, great times! We believed in each other then, and we do even more now. We have 3 kids, all now out of the house. One still in college, but the other 2 just graduated in May. We have been active ever since we started dating, and we still work out together, exercise together, and support and cheer each other on. It has taken continuous work and effort. It does not just happen. We push each other to keep going. That is what life is about. Finding that person, or people, who can support you, and you return the favor. I have written now for the last several months on what it takes for you…for me…to become better. Confidence, courage, vision, teamwork, remembering our past, how to improve the future, and taking time to relax. I also discussed about never stop learning, becoming a difference maker, and going after your dreams. It is a continuous process, and one where we will make mistakes along the way. We just have to figure out how to pick ourselves back up, stay motivated, and continue to put one foot in front of the other. The process never ends! We need to work on becoming better for our entire lifetime. For Sarah and I, it has continued from that day when we said “I do”. We have not quit. We keep pushing forward. And…we are having fun along the way, and enjoying adventures I would have never dreamed of.
We participate in a lot of races together, and we sponsor a lot of races/events to help make sure there are plenty of activities for other people to enjoy too. It is also a way to help other people stay motivated, and to get out and stay active, and help them take control of their own health. As Family Physicians, that is also our job description. Our primary focus is on the family…how to take care of them, how to help them in tough times, sick times, and to help keep them motivated as well. If we are not, how can we expect anyone else to be? This is all part of becoming better, and we learn along the way. Life always has a curve ball to throw, and we either swing and miss, and learn from it, or hit it head on! You don’t know how things would be unless you try.
We have gone through many things together over the years, and hopefully there are many more adventures, many more races, many more activities to spend together. I am going to help Sarah finish her first marathon coming up in October. And, we are running for charity, helping to raise money for research in regards to Friedreich’s Ataxia, and there are several people in Watertown alone afflicted with this genetic disease. We are working together…helping each other, and others. We have many finish lines yet to cross together!
We start together, and we finish things together. That helps me become a better me! I am always learning though. It takes continuous effort, just like taking care of your own health, you have to take care of your mental health. Be supportive…be there for others! There may be some occasional posts that I make have again if the right subject comes up again on “Becoming a Better You”. For now, I am going to begin something new. Something new as I/we continue to Strive to Survive. I am titling this next segment of posts as “A Running Doc’s Life”. In it I will explore different aspects of myself, and different times of my life, including current issues, about my life as a doctor…a running doctor…and what I do to help promote exercise and health, and hopefully lead by example. I will help explain things that I have gone through, good things, and struggles, including injuries, and what you can do for them, and can do instead while you may be injured. I write this blog in an attempt to help motivate and inspire others, but, I find it helps inspire and motivate me as well. We all need that. We all need to be reminded of that, and how to do it. We all need to keep working on it as well, “in good times, and in bad times, in sickness and in health, for all the days of my/our life”. Sound familiar? We took a vow all those years ago, to each other, for each other, and will help you too! So stay tuned…if it inspires or helps motivate somebody, then it is all worthwhile! If it is helpful to you, let me know, and feel free to pass it on to someone else…maybe it can help them too! If you become better, everybody around you wins!
Keep moving everybody!
Dr. Dan — “The Running Doc”
Consecutive Exercise Day #: 3557
