It’s mid-afternoon on Saturday. I’ve been home nearly a week and have only posted . . . once?! Big race is tomorrow (I’m running the Nike Women’s Half Marathon in San Francisco), and all I keep thinking is, “What do I want to say?” There ought to be a lot after my trip—and there is—but all I keep coming up with is:
Life is . . .
Which then launches into:
“Life is . . . too short, so love the one you’ve got,
‘Cause you might get run over, or you might get shot . . .
Take a small example, take a tip from me:
Take all of your money, give it all to charity . . .
Lovin’, is what I got, I said remember that.
Lovin’, is what I got . . . I got, I got, I got.”
It’s the lyrics to a popular song by Sublime that came out when I was in grade school. It’s a song that’s a little bit timeless—as in, it could have come out yesterday, the melody and beat are still so fresh in my mind. Not all of the lyrics are good, of course. But I find it interesting that even mainstream artists who talk about smoking pot and getting high keep coming back to the idea that life is short and love is all we’ve got . . .
More people know the truth than care to admit it.
(Ironically, the band’s lead singer and guitarist, Bradley Nowell, died from a heroin overdose in 1996 at the age of 28, shortly before the release of this song.)
And on that note (haha) . . . I hope you’re all having a wonderful weekend . . . I’d better get going. Wish me luck!
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GOOD LUCK!
Thanks, Dan! I’ll need it! I’m really not a runner…
You’re more of a flier slash bike rider. ;)
Precisely!!
Lots of luck – watch out for pot holes and small dogs. :-)
Thank you, Pat. I will! Hopefully I won’t freeze, either. It’s really cold here!
Do good running; that’s a bunch of miles.
I think I was twenty when this album came out. : )
Thanks, Johnny. I’ll try! My trip sort of got in the way of my training. It’s my first half marathon, so I’ll just be happy if I finish. :)
And I was twelve when it came out!
Best of luck…enjoy the day in SF :-)
Thanks, Randy! I’ll really just be running and then heading home. But it’s always good to be in San Francisco. :)
Looking forward to hearing about your trip to China!
Luck is wished!!!
Thank you, Terri! I’ll need it!
Good luck with the marathon!!! (It’s sad that he died right before the song came out.)
Thanks, Matt. I’ll need it. It’s my first half marathon… And I agree. It *is* sad! I don’t know why fame and drugs and alcohol have to be so deeply intertwined. :(
Good luck.
Thanks, Mario. It’s a beautiful day in the Bay! Hope you’re enjoying it. :)
Good luck w your run! Its just one foot in front of the other. :D
That’s pretty much how it went, although I was really quite pleased with my performance. My longest training run was only six miles… But I didn’t walk and finished strong and made really good time!! My feet were killing me by the end, and I may not be able to walk tomorrow, but still! I’m happy. :)
Thank you so much!
It seems you have that ‘determination’ like in the video. Great job on the half marathon Jess! I remember my legs were so tired when I was done that I couldn’t even bend over enough to stretch, which of course, only added to the discomfort later. But I am glad you did well. I am happy for you. I didn’t realize you were such a runner with everything else you have going on.
Thanks, Andy. My left knee is *still* swollen three days later. I’m really not a big runner — really prefer cycling because it’s not so hard on your body — but I do enjoy varying up my routine, and the race was really fun! I’ll be writing about it soon… :) Hope you’re having a great week!
My favorite song on that album is the first song. A half “I’m half happy to be alive and enjoying the club” and half “my life sucks because I am addicted to drugs”. He was comfortable with money so he was probably projecting but the reality of his problems kind of shone through on this song. Sad, he just had a new born child too.
Glad you picked this song though…I completely overlooked them on my weekly song ‘o rama.
Good luck with the race!
Thanks, Steve. And I didn’t know he had a newborn son when he died! I didn’t even know he had died until I looked up the music video and lyrics.
Yeah, I dunno. When the words “Life is” popped into my head, that song just followed. Good, bad, sad, right, wrong–all combined… It’s sad when we know the truth–know what’s right and true and good for us–and don’t act on it. At least I think so.
I’m so tired now!
Good luck! I’m exhausted just thinking about it ;)
It was one of the hardest things I’ve done, honestly. I didn’t really train for it. But I’m pretty determined when I put my mind to something and finished strong in good time, so I’m happy! Thanks, Mark! Hope you’re well!!!
Did you double-check with doctors to see if it would be okay to run a marathon or even a half marathon? I hope your bones can handle it after the deadly rock climbing accident. Your poetry is pretty good. I’ve never seen anything as good done by a poet still alive today. You should keep on writing in your free time. I’ve written so many during your trip to Florida that I don’t even count them anymore, all following the format of your “the butterfly”, you know, the iambic tetrameter-trimeter pairs. Welcome to my blog for endless reading if you need inspirations. Thanks! :-) After all, who is a better English poet?
My father *is* a bone doctor, David. I didn’t break any long bones in the fall. And I will write more poetry soon. It’s in my blood–I can’t help it. Thank you for the compliment, though.
I wish you a peaceful return then.
I’m sorry that I always worry too much. How about the spinal chord in the neck region that must handle sustained movements as you run?
I meant “spinal cord.”
Sometimes, our experiences are too large to write about. Maybe that’s why you’ve struggled to push more words out. I told myself some time ago that I would never again pen the phrase, “words cannot express”, because though it’s often true, I find the phrase meaningless. If words cannot express, then I should not bother writing. And as futile an effort as it often is, I’m still compelled to try.
I’ve been meaning to respond to this for what feels like weeks now, Lucas. Your comment spurred some thoughts… To be honest, you are one hundred percent correct that some experiences are too big to write about, and yet… I feel almost all of them *can* be written about — sometimes they just have to be broken down… Of course there *are* those things “that words cannot express” — of which phrase I am not a big fan, either — and yet, sometimes, it is true. I have a really hard time expressing the beauty of a sunset, sometimes, or of other, similar scenes…
The truth is, though, that right now none of these are the explanation behind why I’ve been finding it more difficult than previously to put words out. The truth is that I met someone on my trip, and he has done a lot already to change my world — including stealing my blogging time to talk on the phone! But he is also, in large part, the reason behind my post, “The Importance of ‘This.'” How *do* I find balance in life and explain to “newcomers” the importance of “this”?!
Ah, the trials of the long distance relationship. I know them well. Good luck!
Thank you, Lucas. I’m remembering now a past post of yours that mentioned talking to your then future wife on the phone… I know the trials of long-distance well, too. Every serious relationship I’ve ever been in (there haven’t been many) has involved being long-distance at one point or another. The distance was never why things didn’t work out, though certainly it does present challenges…
On a totally unrelated note: Of all my blogging friends, you are definitely one of the ones I hope to meet in person someday most. Thank you for being you.
good luck Jess! i know i’m late but that’s what i’d wish if i was on time :)
Haha, Sam. I know you would have! Don’t worry about it! The run went great. And I’m so sorry I haven’t been by your blog in a few days. One of these days I’ll catch up!
Take your time Jess, I have been trouble with wordpress lately too, but I managed to bookmarked your page so I can visit. Your posts and other bloggers that I have been floolowing are not showing up in reader. some bloggers post or reblog so much they took up all the space. I am also being lazy, lol…
hope the run went well! am downloading that song, it’s quite fab!
Thank you! The run went well. I will be writing about the experience soon! I hope you’re having a great week! :)
Great to see you not only completed the half marathon, but were happy with your run. Congrats! I can imagine it was tough on the feet and the mind.
Love the tune on this post.
Thank you, Simon. I’m glad you liked the song, and you are too kind. I’ll be writing about my half marathon experience soon. I loved it! (Though I can’t say my knee agrees…)
Well, due to my semi-hectic (chaotic?) life-phase, a belated GOOD LUCK! lol
Did you run like the wind was beneath your feet and Nikes? Or did you run like the wind from the runners in front of you stunk horribly? ;-)
Did you reach that “runner’s high” where it felt you could go and go and go, right through the finish line and through the barriers, through the market, across the Golden Gate, and into Nevada?
Lol, I did get a runner’s high at the end, but I was definitely ready to crash, too. There was going to be no running onto Nevada for me! I will be posting about the experience soon!
Thanks for taking the time to try to keep up with my stuff when you’re own life is so crazy, Professor. It means a lot to me, and my hat is off to you!!
Mmmm. I humbly accept that gratitude. :)