“Self-pity is our worst enemy and if we yield to it, we can never do anything wise in this world.”
Helen Keller
VICKY: So, my amazing BF ran the half marathon this past weekend in Hamilton. It was an absolutely spectacular day for runners. I’m talking blue skies, light breeze and the smooth pavement of the Red Hill.
GRANT: I must admit, the weather was pretty wonderful in Ottawa too. I went for a run for the first time in months. This bulging disc is really annoying me. Anyways, did anyone catch your eye at the Hamilton Marathon? Besides your BF…
VICKY: Actually, this one guy was running in his military uniform and carrying a huge backpack. The man was running a half marathon with a full bag of military gear on his back! It was pretty freaking inspiring to say the least.
GRANT: I bet you my Garmin that guy wasn’t looking for pity when he was running with all that weight on his shoulders.
VICKY: No pity party there my friend. He was hardcore à la Terry Fox. Speaking of which, I just finished reading the part about when he finds out he has cancer and his leg has to be amputated.
GRANT: No side order of pity there, no ma’am. Check out this passage from page 32, which I think sums it up pretty well:
“He didn’t want sympathy or pity. He wouldn’t sulk or become depressed. He was so successful at thinking positively that when he had visitors he would cheer them up. They usually left feeling better than they had when they walked in.”
VICKY: That’s awesome. I’d flagged that passage too. I have no patience for people who send out daily invitations to their pity parties.
GRANT: Argh! Don’t get me started. I hate these people who go on Facebook and Twitter and go on and on about all the awful things happening to them. Most of the time, they’re exaggerating or out right lying because they’re addicted to the pity they get from their “friends”. Hey loser, nobody gives a shit!
VICKY: The fact of the matter is everyone faces challenges in life because life isn’t meant to be easy or to be taken for granted. So, if you feel the need to turn to Facebook or Twitter every time you’re feeling shitty, then you’re a pity wh@&*. Terry Fox was clear in his message: no pity for me. Instead, he sat in his hospital room and thought to himself, what can I do with one leg?
GRANT: I loved that part where his basketball coach Terri Fleming gives him a copy of Runner’s World and he read that story about Dick Traum who had run the New York City Marathon as an above-the-knee-amputee.
VICKY: These guys are awesome. Seriously, who sits in a hospital bed with one leg and starts to think about something like running the NYC Marathon or even crazier, running across Canada. Most people these days can’t even find the motivation to run across the street. Brutal.
GRANT: I know. I mean really people, think about it. You complaining about your husband leaving the toilet seat up? Nobody gives a shit.
VICKY: Oh and nobody gives a shit whether you failed your math exam or that you eat your emotions with a pound of chocolate or ice cream every night. Seriously people, start thinking positively. Start thinking of something else you could be doing instead of sitting there feeling sorry for yourselves.
GRANT: Go for a run. Soon you’ll find you won’t focus on your problems and you’ll start smiling again!
VICKY: Cheesy but true.
GRANT: Because at the end of the day, even though the people around you might fuel your incessant need to get attention by tweeting or putting up on Facebook everything that’s happening in your life, nobody gives a shit. That’s the bottom line.
VICKY: Hey listen to my new favourite running song about one of my favourite movies based on one of my favourite books. It’ll make you smile!
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