Never Say Never

Someone recently asked me what my most memorable experience has been. While there have been many, one sticks out above the rest.

A group of friends were doing their best to persuade me to join them in a Spartan race. It’s a series of obstacles of varying distances and difficulty. Things like climbing cargo nets, hoisting over walls and throwing spears—all of which were out of my comfort zone. Then there was my fear of heights.

I resisted as long as I could. Despite my fears and apprehensions, I finally gave in. I sent in my registration fee that sealed the deal. Now, I was part of a team. There was no turning back.

Five days before race day, my mother, who suffered from Alzheimer’s, was rushed to the hospital. The prognosis wasn’t good. The doctors didn’t think she’d survive to be admitted.

Little did they know.

In that moment, everything changed.

I thought about canceling. I didn’t want to leave my mother. On the other hand, her condition hadn’t changed in those five days. I also knew that if she could speak, she would tell me to go. She would have said, “Be with your friends. I’ll be okay.”

Reluctantly, I went. As we pulled into the parking lot my nerves were working overtime. My stomach was in knots and my palms were sweating. I kept thinking about my mother as I waited for the race to start.

I’ll never forget what happened next. Knowing my fear (and what was going on with my mother), my teammates stayed close by and helped me whenever I needed it. Thanks to them, I finished the race.

That day, I learned to never say never.

That day, I learned to clear my mind of can’t.

That day, I learned anything and everything is possible.

That day, I learned that everything I want is on the other side of fear.

That day, I learned that God was in charge.

That day, I learned how strong my mother was. She held on for another 11 days.

That day, I learned I can do anything if I put my mind to it, especially when I have amazing friends to lean on.

So thank you Courtney Sim, Mark Powell, Max Fischer, Sue Brown, Michael Yevoli, Gina Tralongo, Jacquie Rosenbaum, Sam Kubik Mike Grogan and Billy Kiernan. I love you all.

"You raise me up so I can stand on mountains. You raise me up to walk on stormy seas. I am strong when I am on your shoulders. You raise me up to more than I can be." Josh Grobin

BTW: If you told me that day that I'd be doing Spartan races I would have laughed and said, "Yeah, right...never gonna happen." Then I did--for the second time.

What's YOUR most memorable experience?