I was one of those school children who would study subjects they did not like only if there were some kind of game attached. So when midlife brought me the realization that I needed to take up exercise, I realized I would only succeed if I could make it competitive and fun. Unfortunately, I do not play sports of any kind and never have . As a kid, when my girls' gym class learned softball I would be banished to the far outfield where I would sit, yes sit, and pray that no ball came my way.(maybe that's when this prayer thing got started.)
Needing a sport that would be practical(scuba diving and skiing are clearly on the list for my next life, not this one) I did some research at Borders and came upon the idea of race walking. It required no equipment, could be done within two blocks of my house, and offered the opportunity to compete in half marathons in fun places. A year ago, I sold this idea to my husband who actually is disciplined about exercise but allowed himself to be recruited for the project anyway. He liked the idea of the trips. We trained all spring and walked a half marathon(13 miles) in Anchorage, Alaska on June 21 in three hours and thirteen minutes. We did not win any medals, but quite a few people came in after us, and the adventure was all we had hoped for.
The marathon was to benefit Leukemia research, but we did it to benefit ourselves.(The truth is, I can't figure why my family and friends should support a particular cause because I don't have enough self-discipline to exercise on my own).
This fall, we started training for our second race in New Orleans, March 25th. We will be taking a route all around the city, through many of the neighborhoods that have yet to be rebuilt. Some of the participants will be raising money for the rebuilding of New Orleans. We chose this particular locale because I liked the idea of helping the economy in a place that is working to re-establish itself. Once again, we are not collecting money for this event.
However, when we actually get there and visit the church that our friends from Mishkan Shalom and St. Vincent's helped rebuild on two trips this past year, I suspect we will be moved to stay involved financially... you may even hear from us about tzedakah opportunities. (But they won't be keyed to our racing.)
In the meantime, this is posted under travel, not tikkun olam, and it is unabashedly midlife yuppie self indulgence.
Needing a sport that would be practical(scuba diving and skiing are clearly on the list for my next life, not this one) I did some research at Borders and came upon the idea of race walking. It required no equipment, could be done within two blocks of my house, and offered the opportunity to compete in half marathons in fun places. A year ago, I sold this idea to my husband who actually is disciplined about exercise but allowed himself to be recruited for the project anyway. He liked the idea of the trips. We trained all spring and walked a half marathon(13 miles) in Anchorage, Alaska on June 21 in three hours and thirteen minutes. We did not win any medals, but quite a few people came in after us, and the adventure was all we had hoped for.
The marathon was to benefit Leukemia research, but we did it to benefit ourselves.(The truth is, I can't figure why my family and friends should support a particular cause because I don't have enough self-discipline to exercise on my own).
This fall, we started training for our second race in New Orleans, March 25th. We will be taking a route all around the city, through many of the neighborhoods that have yet to be rebuilt. Some of the participants will be raising money for the rebuilding of New Orleans. We chose this particular locale because I liked the idea of helping the economy in a place that is working to re-establish itself. Once again, we are not collecting money for this event.
However, when we actually get there and visit the church that our friends from Mishkan Shalom and St. Vincent's helped rebuild on two trips this past year, I suspect we will be moved to stay involved financially... you may even hear from us about tzedakah opportunities. (But they won't be keyed to our racing.)
In the meantime, this is posted under travel, not tikkun olam, and it is unabashedly midlife yuppie self indulgence.
1 comment:
I respectfully disagree. What you and Seth are doing is not yuppie self indulgence. As an action oriented person you are merely taking a first step in choosing to participate in this marathon walk. The potential result of this effort will be to draw attention to the plight of a city that has faced utter destruction. If your efforts lead to the raising of funds or to further action on your part once you finish your participation, you will be performing acts of Tikkun Olam as you walk through this stricken city. Those that take actions will ultimately choose to take subsequent actions depending on what the experience is. A doctor cousin of mine went down for one weekend to provide medical care to the stranded people in the Superdome two weeks after the storm. He has since reorganized his busy medical practice to spend one week each month there assisting in hospitals to those still needing care. A rabbi that periodically throughout his career has assisted in Habitat for Humanity endeavors has decided to take an early retirement from his congregation of 30 years to move to New Orleans and, with his wife, help rebuild homes. They took a baby step and then a bigger one. That is what you and Seth are doing here. Life is an evolving story and the future is a blank slate that has yet to be filled in. Who knows where a marathon walk, something you enjoy doing, will lead. It is the stuff that makes all of us keep on plugging.
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