Being a Station Wagon
When I was in middle school gym class, my teacher would make us run the mile. He would divide us into models of various cars. The fastest students would be Ferraris. Then there were the Mustangs. Then VW Bugs. Eventually, he arrived to the Station Wagons. Since I was quite the plump Middle Eastern boy, I was in that group.
As I ran, it was my goal to catch up to the next group, but I never could. Why were fast kids at the front of the line anyway? And why did they get a head start? Shouldn’t Station Wagons leave first so we could all finish together like one big happy car family?
(Sorry…I’m still bitter.)
I ran as hard as my flabby legs could handle, but I always finished last.
When I got to the finish line, however, I realized something interesting: most of the kids who were ahead of me were just as tired as me. They had run their hardest and they were spent – sweating, panting, kneeled over. Sure, they were faster, but we were now at the same place…the finish line!
Some races should be raced with speed, but life isn’t that type of race. It’s long. Really long. It may need urgency, but urgency is not synonymous with speed. At the finish line, everyone will have run the best they knew how.
So, it’s ok if you see people seemingly ‘ahead’ of you. You’ll catch up to them eventually – whatever that means.
Just don’t stop running.
Sincerely,
The Station Wagon
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PS: We just opened nominations for Experience Institute’s 2016 Class starting this Fall. If you know someone who should join the program, nominate them here: www.expinstitute.com/nominate. It’s going to be a special year.
Thanks for your help.