Possibility

“If I were to wish for anything, I should not wish for wealth and power, but for the passionate sense of the potential, for the eye which, ever young and ardent, sees the possible. Pleasure disappoints, possibility never. And what wine is so sparkling, what so fragrant, what so intoxicating as possibility!“

― Søren Kierkegaard, “Either/Or: A Fragment of Life”

My cousin’s wife posted this online today in honor of Kierkegaard’s birthday and it struck a chord. I’m in a delicious phase in life where I feel as if I’m standing on the edge, looking out over a lot of great things that are about to happen – professionally and personally. Combined with the very real and natural potential that Spring/Summer in Chicago invokes, the air feels like it’s vibrating with excitement at times, and  it’s hard not to let my mind skip forward to when I’m able to actually be immersed in these things. In the meantime, the journey and anticipation of all of this possibility is pretty fun.

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I’m currently reading Amby Burfoot’s First Ladies of Running, a book that highlights 22 female runners who broke barriers and changed the sport forever. The overarching theme in these stories is that each woman simply believed in the possibility that she was capable and strong, despite what others might have believed. More than that, these women believed in the possibility and potential of their peers, and their actions were just as much for other women as they were personal challenges. I encourage you to pick up a copy (or borrow a friend’s!) – it’s an incredible history and a quick read. Reading this has also put into perspective my running efforts – what I want to accomplish, how I need to do that, and what I may need to sacrifice to get there.  I’m inspired, my friends.

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An actual photograph of me, looking out over the next few months. (I was always a huge Petrie fan, myself.)