Corking the Bottle

Running long distances was my passion. I ran races anywhere from 6.2 miles to 50 miles. Compared to other runners I was okay, but certainly not a standout. What mattered was competing against myself by reducing my time. The bottom line was keeping fit and healthy and, unlike my father, living to be older than 49. I was maybe in my prime when my knee started bothering me. I ran through it. Don't let a little bit of pain slow me down, I thought. Rub some dirt on it and sign up for another race. Ignore the problem and it will go away. It didn't work out that way. I eventually had to see a doctor. After arthroscopic surgery and a long recovery, I went back to running. My knee still hurt and kept getting worse. I ignored the problem. It still didn't go away. "Problems do not go away. They must be worked through or else they remain, forever a barrier to the growth and development of the spirit," wrote M. Scott Peck in The Road Less Traveled ( http://www.mscot...

(Reprinted from July 2, 2018) I used to be a marathon runner. If you could see me you would be laughing now. My knees creak, my belly sags, and I moan going down stairs. But it's true. In the springtime of my life, I ran 29 marathons, a 50 miler, and lots of races from 5-18 miles. And thousands of miles to remain fit. But after knee surgery and a prolonged bout of laziness, I am reduced to walk/jog about 30-40 minutes a day. Once healthy and fit, I now find I am tired after mowing the lawn or vacuuming the house or flicking through channels with the remote. Lesson: To retain one's physical fitness requires regular effort, through rain or snow or sleet or (recently) heat. Likewise, I once let go of my spiritual fitness. I stopped praying, stopped caring, and started drinking to excess. I was a lost cause. Thankfully, God didn't let me stay lost among the tall weeds in the rough. He lifted me onto the fairway, drove me to the green, and led me to the hole. Lesson: To re...

I used to be a marathon runner. If you could see me you would be laughing now. My knees creak, my belly sags, and I moan going down stairs. But it's true. In the springtime of my life, I ran 29 marathons, a 50 miler, and lots of races from 5-18 miles. And thousands of miles to remain fit. But after knee surgery and a prolonged bout of laziness, I am reduced to walk/jog about 30-40 minutes a day. Once healthy and fit, I now find I am tired after mowing the lawn or vacuuming the house or flicking through channels with the remote. Lesson: To retain one's physical fitness requires regular effort, through rain or snow or sleet or (recently) heat. Likewise, I once let go of my spiritual fitness. I stopped praying, stopped caring, and started drinking to excess. I was a lost cause. Thankfully, God didn't let me stay lost among the tall weeds in the rough. He lifted me onto the fairway, drove me to the green, and led me to the hole. Lesson: To retain one's spiritual fitness...