Tuesday, July 6, 2010

Subsistence training

An idea today...."subsistence training" We, as Americans, might have a distorted view of the word subsistence. "The minimum, as of food and shelter, necessary to support life" Yet that really doesn't capture the true meaning of the word. Subsistence means-"real being" such as existence. It means continuation and persistence, and the character of that which exists. I know this is kind of a deep thought and is difficult to grasp because of the distorted usage of the word.
Yet it is a beautiful picture of a person who makes the most of what they've been given, such as talent, giftedness, time, possessions, etc. As a runner it is a picture of each one of us finding ourselves on the roads; alone, suffering, sweating, seeking something distant and shrouded in mystery, not needing more but less, not discovering failure but victory, not complaining of every ache and pain and set back but discovering that each run has given me subsistence. Strangely we begin to turn into grateful people! That's why I kind of like running and runners!
33:45 minutes today. Peace!

5 comments:

Marlene said...

Mark, you have the most insightful posts. Thanks for sharing with us!

5 Miles Past Empty said...

Beautiful. I had a similar thought today as I was running on my familiar sidewalks...you put it into words perfectly.

Thanks for keeping my dad in your prayers. he needs all he can get right now.

Johann said...

Nice post Mark! Running keeps me humble and I see the same in the runners around me.

Terri said...

Excellent post Mark. You know I love this type of analogy and thinking=)Your words today are very timely for me. Thanks for this post!

Jamie said...

Very nice post Mark!

Sauna

      This is the most wonderful time of year! I love the heat and humidity! Yet I still get out earlier due to my advanced age! 4.4 miles! ...