JC leads a short reflective practice using marathon metaphors to explore why people undertake long efforts, reframing capacity and inviting two to three minutes daily to notice motives and presence.
The speaker opens with lyrics and thoughts about questions in songs, greets the audience, and invites viewers to take two to three minutes a day to consider their mental well-being. This chapter sets the tone and purpose for the short reflective practice.
The host describes the increased visibility of running events, races, and fundraisers and notes that it’s a big time of year for marathons. This frames the subsequent reflection about marathons as both cultural and personal.
The speaker tackles the practical question of how people complete marathons, emphasizing that the body is capable if given space and perspective and using the idea of spreading effort over time. He reframes physical capability as something most people already have rather than a mysterious skill.
This segment examines common reasons people run marathons—memory, honor, personal challenge—and shares the speaker’s own motive of finding extended time to be present without distractions. It helps viewers consider their own ‘why’ for significant efforts.
Using marathon metaphors, the host discusses moments of feeling overwhelmed as evidence of using one’s capacity rather than failure, and invites listeners to recognize how much they can handle while also accepting when what they’re doing is enough. The chapter offers a compassionate reframe to help manage stress and self-expectation.
The host closes with a bit of music and a friendly sign-off, encouraging viewers to return tomorrow. It provides a brief musical send-off and final affirmation.
I just. I wonder why I love you like I do. Is it because I love me too? I wonder why I love you like I do, like I do. We'll hit the pause right there on Dion and the Belmont. That song's been covered quite a bit, but I wonder why is the name of the song. Hey, Andy Mac, nice to see you, my friend. I love songs that ask questions because often questions are those places that we linger. We linger and we feel and we do all the things that make really good songs. So what are you wondering today? What why questions are you asking?
Why am I? Why do I? Why will I? I'm glad I'm here. I'm glad you're here. I know the things I know and I care about you. This is CADRE. Today, your opportunity to see how taking moments, let's say two to three minutes a day, couple days, when you go, I'm gonna take those minutes, to think, to consider, to wonder about your mental well-being, how it's a continuous, a continuously nourishing act. My name is JC. If we've never shared time and space together before, thank you for the opportunity to spend some time with you right here, right now.
So For a lot of people who are in the running world or in the social media world where they see other people in their lives doing things, this ever-growing interest in running, this is a big time of year. There's a lot of races going on, a lot of 5Ks, a lot of getting outside, a lot of fundraisers, a lot of opportunities to raise awareness. And it is a big season in the United States for marathons. Like last weekend, I think I had, I can think of five people running races, different marathons across the United States.
Pittsburgh was this past weekend. Eau Claire was this past weekend. 2 mile races. And a lot of times people ask, Why would anybody ever marathon? Or how can people do that thing? Well, I'll take a moment to answer the how first. The world has convinced most of us that we don't have the capacity that we do. What I mean by that is if you think of how many miles you move in a day, getting up out of bed, moving around the house, doing your chores, going around the world, doing the things you do, taking care of you and the people in your world, You move very far.
Now, again, if you're attempting to marathon stronger, harder, faster, deeper, go, go, go, get to the finish line fast. Yeah, there is extra challenges there, just like there's extra challenges in doing that in your regular day. But I'll say, how do people marathon? The body is very capable of doing the thing if you give yourself the space to do it. If I said, hey, start moving right now. 2 miles. Could you do it? Absolutely. One million percent certain you can. So the how is less interesting than the why.
And the why is often, for people, very clear. Well, in memory of, in honor of, to see if I, because I wanted to, and it's this challenge, it's this aspiration thing. then you end up finding space to consider your why, to consider why you do what you do in this world. But I'll tell you, there are a lot of times, I'm a many time marathoner, and never because I liked running, never because I wanted to do it faster or stronger or win anything or prove something myself, there's never any of that. I love, actually, when I started, I started marathoning because I'm like, oh, this is going to be a chunk of time that I don't have to do something else.
I was youth directing at the time and cell phones and access to information in your hand was not very normal. So when I would start a race, it would be hours where I wouldn't have to think about anything other than being where I was with what I had. That's why I would go out there. But I'll tell you, because I've been in that marathon space often, there are times when life is stressful, life is full, you're at that point where it's like, I can't. And in those moments you go, Wow. Most of the time that's not a sign you can't, it's a sign you already have.
It's a sign you're doing the thing that you don't think you can, and it's really uncomfortable to be in a space where you go, I am actually using my capacity. I'm actually going, here is all that I'm capable of right now. And you're staring that in the face. And that never feels easy. It's overwhelming. The true challenge of the marathon is being aware of what you are capable of handling. Because for the most part, you are capable of handling a lot. My invitation for you today is to attempt to realize that, to go, Wow, I can do so much.
And for the most part, most of the time, you don't have to. So you can be nourished in the moments where you go, Huh, I'm not doing everything I could. What I'm doing is enough. And the moments where you have to do everything you could You realize you can. A little Dion and the Belmonts to play us out y'all. I will see you tomorrow.
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