that sand dancer dude is weird

Earlier this week, my friend Brent showed me this video.

My first thought was, "This guy is crazy and weird," but quickly thought, "I wonder if people see the Awake My Sole journey this way?"

Check out this video of the "Sand Dancer"

I love how this guy loves to draw in the sand.  He absolutely loves it.  To others he comes off weird and crazy.  He doesn't do it for money, but seemingly for the joy and meaning he receives from using his gift of creating art.

For me, after sharing the Awake My Sole story, people often respond, "It's crazy what you are doing."

I respond, "To you it may seem crazy, but to me, it's my life, it's meaningful."  

I'll ask, "What do you love to do?"  

Some will say, "I love to play tennis" or "I love to paint" or "I love to sell insurance."

I respond, "To me, that's crazy and weird, just like running and speaking across the state of Iowa is weird, but we are both needed."  

What were your first thoughts after watching this video?

How do you deal with others thinking you are "crazy" or "weird?"  

Where do you find purpose, meaning and joy?

Running Saved His Life

I'm recovering well from yesterday's exhausting 54 mile run.  In fact, due to yesterday's heat I did a lot of sweating.  To replenish the sodium my body sweat out, I ate this whole jar of pickles.

Aside from eating a jar of pickles, I wanted to post about an incredible person I met in Davenport this last week.

Scott.

Today's blog post is about how "Running Saved His Life."

Allow me to explain:

Thanks to social media, Scott had been following the Awake My Sole journey on Facebook.  He came across AMS by clicking on it, you know, those little annoying adds on the side of Facebook.  Which is pretty cool, cause he messaged me saying, "I live in Davenport, I run often and would love to run with you, maybe share my story with you."

So, Saturday morning Scott and I met in the parking lot of Redband Coffee Company.  I conveniently scheduled our running to start and stop at Redband, I was going to treat myself to a cup of coffee afterwards.

We ran a little over 5-miles, a loop Scott runs often.  It crosses from Davenport over into Rock Island and back again.  Here is a pic of Scott and I on one of the bridges.




One of the first things I noticed about Scott was all of his tattoos.  In general, tattoos fascinate me, so very quickly I asked "What do your tattoos mean?"

He called them his "sobriety tats."

For a good portion of our run, he willingly shared his story of battling against drugs and alcohol.

He said, "I have a very addictive personality, and I was addicted to some of the wrong things."

He shared some stories of being in jail, how he lied and how he pursued things that weren't healthy for him.

He knew he needed to turn his life around, that his life was going nowhere fast.  So, he started working at a local gym.  It was at the gym where he discovered running.

He quickly fell in love with running.  Almost like his new healthy addiction.

Now, he's sober, and he gets tats to help remind him of his vow of sobriety.  

He mentioned, "Before I heard about your Awake My Sole journey, I was considering running from New York to Iowa."

Maybe he could be the next Awake My Sole runner.

I was hugely inspired by Scott's story, by his determination to stay sober and by his overall love for life.

I asked him, "Can I share your story with others?"

He said "of course."

I also asked him, "Would it be appropriate to say 'Running saved your life?' "

He said, "Along with my faith, Yes, running saved my life."

Treating myself to coffee, reflecting over my run with Scott

It was great meeting Scott, and to see how running has impacted his life in such a good way.  Part of the AMS journey is meeting people, and it was a blessing to meet Scott.

Running with purpose in every step...

Jim

Will Run For Food

 "You can praise God by peeling a spud if you peel it to perfection. Don't compromise. Compromise is a language of the devil. Run in God's name and let the world stand back and in wonder."  

From the Movie Chariots of Fire

In 54 days I will begin the Awake My Sole trek: a year long run across the beautiful state of Iowa.

Since stepping down from my position as a full time middle school director, I have become a full time speaker and runner.  

My buggy I will be carrying my belongings as I trek across Iowa

Since August I have been:

setting up host homes in 20 towns

setting up speaking engagements

forming teams of people

creating schedules

writing talks

aligning sponsors

meeting with people about what I am doing

running, stretching

working with a graphic designer

reading and studying

dreaming

and tons more...

It has become a full time job, and I love every bit of it.    

Sioux City Journal Article about my run across Iowa

Stickers designed by Brennan (want one?  Comment below)

"You came to see a race today. To see someone win. It happened to be me. But I want you to do more than just watch a race. I want you to take part in it. I want to compare faith to running in a race. It's hard. It requires concentration of will, energy of soul. You experience elation when the winner breaks the tape - especially if you've got a bet on it. But how long does that last? You go home. Maybe you're dinner's burnt. Maybe you haven't got a job. So who am I to say, "Believe, have faith," in the face of life's realities? I would like to give you something more permanent, but I can only point the way. I have no formula for winning the race. Everyone runs in her own way, or his own way. And where does the power come from, to see the race to its end? From within. Jesus said, "Behold, the Kingdom of God is within you. If with all your hearts, you truly seek me, you shall ever surely find me." If you commit yourself to the love of Christ, then that is how you run a straight race."  From the Movie Chariots of Fire 

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