Winning and Losing

As I posted earlier, on Wednesday night I went to Goose’s Acre after track. I was in great company. Each of the people there was an athlete, a runner to be more specific. We all range in our level of athleticism from beginner to very accomplished. But each of us shared some things in common. We shared friendship and running. Each of the people who was there is a winner in his/her own right.

So, what is winning? For each of us winning is something different. I have a friend named Sara who is a winner. She went from not running a year ago to completing her first marathon in Nashville. A feat she did not even consider before a year ago. In her own words, this has helped make her a better mom. She may not have crossed the finish line ahead of everybody else, but she still won. Another winner I think of is a friend named Frank. Frank is an 80 year friend who also fought non-Hodgkins Lymphoma. He has since completed numerous Ironman races including Hawaii many times. He may not cross the finish line first, but he has beaten cancer. One more example is my wife. Dana-Sue is a very talented runner and triathlete. She does not seek glory in that and rarely talks of it. She is a winner in that she takes great care in doing the every day details of life. She is a very supportive wife (going along with most of my crazy ideas). She is also an amazing mom, always knowing exactly what to say to our kids in every situation.

I have given examples of winners, so what defines a winner. Someone who overcomes adversity to accomplish a task. Yes, maybe. Maybe more like someone who does their job/activity to the best of their ability always looking for ways to improve and acting on those ways. Not every winner gets the gold medal or the podium finish. Some of the most amazing winners I know have never had their names in the spotlight. Yet they are winners. They are winners because they take to their task and they see it through to completion, again looking for and finding ways to make improvements in the process. They do not quit. They may stumble along the way, but they always get up and press on. They are not seeking attention for themselves, but often find ways to help others along the way. Their focus is not on themselves or what they have accomplished, but their focus is on others and who they can help along the way. These people accomplish amazing things in their own right. Some of them go on to the “podium” finish, but it never really is about that. It is about the people along the journey.


“Your talent is God's gift to you. What you do with it is your gift back to God.” - Leo Buscaglia