Starting with the Surface Aspects of Things

 

My wife was sickly skinny before our marriage. But she subsequently gained weight. I also gained weight. We both put on weight due to married life. It could have been stress-induced weight gain. We were taking care of my mother, who had Alzheimer’s disease.

My wife decided to start jogging. She started with the surface aspects of running. She bought high-grade running shoes, running wear, a cap, and a watch. She had the appearance of a perfect athlete.

A huge park with a circumference of four kilometers is located near our house. One day, on my wife’s way there, a stranger talked to her. The stranger was an EKIDEN road relay team manager. They had an annual road relay competition in the park. My wife was scouted to become a member of the team. The manager assumed that she was an advanced runner because her equipment was perfect. My wife gladly joined the team.

On the first training day, the coach said to the team members, “Let’s make today’s training a piece of cake. We will run just six kilometers.”

My wife was shocked because she had never run more than three kilometers! Her outfit was that of an advanced runner, but she was a beginner. It was a double disgrace.

But that situation turned out very well. People who trained during the holiday with the goal of winning a road relay competition had to be advanced runners. Even if they won the competition, they would never get prize money for it. Those runners worked hard for an unpaid competition. They were extremely advanced runners. There were bound to be exceptions, but really advanced people were typically very kind to beginners. They had plenty of knowledge and experience. Their advice was accurate. My wife advanced very quickly.

My wife did not elect to run in the road relay competition. But she took part in the Nagoya Women’s Marathon. She ran the whole distance. It could not have been easy for a beginner to complete a 42.195-kilometer run, but she made it. She was given a Tiffany’s necklace as a prize. Only the runners who reached the finish line were able to get one. She was very happy. If she had trained alone, she would not have made it.

Some people look down on those who start with the surface aspects of things, but it could be a good way to start something. It’s a way of announcing, “I will do this!” It makes it easy to be supportive.

The next time I start something, I will start with the surface aspects of things.

Picture by sh240