Peachy Attitude

Today there are many folks - 55,000 to be more accurate - that are recovering from a great morning 10K race. The 39th annual Peachtree 10K Road Race took place on July 4th. Each year, it is a chance to push your physical and mental limits beyond a point where you previously thought you could.

(Laura and I pumped and ready wearing our Pancreatic Cancer Action Network shirts and purple wrist bands. Lots of folks asked about the organization along the way.)

During an event like this, the fellowship of friends known and friends to be found along the way serves as inspiration. There is of course the famed "Peachtree Road Race" t-shirt everyone looks forward to.

Everyone making final plans for the run, wondering down deep just how they would respond to the conditions. Each going through their own thoughts that can allow negative attitudes to seep in; doubt could take hold at this point.

As each of us prepare, having others around us will provide support and encouragement. So much can be gained by having the support of friends. The same can also come from the collective support of 55,000 runners or spectators along the way.

Placing ourselves around like-minded people, the negative attitudes can be squashed under the weight of a "peachy attitude".


Surround yourself with great people and see what you can do. Push yourself past the self-imposed physical, mental and spiritual limits of your life. While doing so, surround yourself with great people; there is no end to what you can accomplish.

(I really don't feel as bad as I might look between mile five and six!)

(Really, I'm doing just fine at this point!)

(After the finish line, a nice walk for cold drinks and that famous

"Peachtree Road Race" t-shirt.)

Running For Fun

Look for my wife and I this Friday - July 4th - during the 39th running of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Peachtree Road Race. We will be wearing t-shirts promoting the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network. That is if you can find us among the 55,000 plus runners.

The Peachtree has remained the world’s largest 10K since the late 1970s until 2008. It takes approximately 3,200 volunteers to handle the race and the 55,000 runners will burn 34 million calories running the 6.2 mile course.

So maybe you won't see us this year, but think about joining the fun next year. Check it out online, enjoy pushing your self just a little bit further. And there have been 80+ year old men and women walk, jog, run in this event. So I'm sure you can make it along with everyone else.

Have an enjoyable 4th of July and remember those serving over seas and their loved ones. Cheers everyone!!

Patience Has An Effect

The American 6th U.S. President, John Quincy Adams, said “patience and perseverance have a magical effect before which difficulties disappear and obstacles vanish.” A phrase that was true in the early 1800s and is true early on in the 2000s.

Our lives are busy and little things can test even our best days. Someone said that you admire patience of the person behind you, but not necessarily of the person in front of you.

A short one day trip recently was a test for me. When I travel by plane, my belief is accept the inevitability of delays, crowds and other foibles or air travel. This recent trip had all of the earmarks of things to go wrong. The flight was delayed by three hours due to the usual reasons, traffic, weather or something.

So I settled in with patience and awaited our boarding time. A spark of encouragement came when the flight delay was decreased by half an hour. All boarded and nearing the take-off runway, we pull to the side. A mechanical problem with an engine and back to the gate. Further delays and now dealing with a flight crew that was nearing the end of a regulated shift.

There was a lot of gnashing teeth, people getting upset and general displeasure. Yet what would you do, leave the plane and try to start all over. We stuck it out and left finally, arriving at our destination at 1:30am. Certainly not a 'magical effect' but effective none the less.

Patience in life is not always easy, but it certainly can have a calming effect and a lasting effect. Life is full of irritation, but it is also full of great things. Be patient and let the "magical effect take place and allow your difficulties to disappear and the obstacles vanish."

Stories of Success

Tell me your stories of success - send a comment and we'll see what great stories of success and change in life brings to each of you.