A Joyous Perspective on the Finish Line: So, this is what I can do....

This week at The Friday Night Thought Tale Hour with the Henderson's, I'm topping off a week of thinking about the 'finish line.' The back story to this focus is that I am at the end of my last full week of working for Developmental Services Center, a non-profit organization serving the Intellectually Disabled. (about DSC) While I've only been at DSC a little over four years, the ways I've been impacted, both personally and professionally, are too many to share in this short post. So as I trot to the end of this remarkable path, I have discovered a new joyous perspective when looking at finish lines. And naturally I want to share it with you:

Finish lines are not the completion; it's a place where I can realize all I am still capable of doing.

Along the way, I made some lifetime friends.

I've concluded this week that the best races we take on in life will not leave us spent and drained at the finish. No, instead, they will leave us stronger and more vibrant. We won't fall at the line in spasms of exhaustion. We stretch our arms wide in expectation. We did it! What's next? Whatever it is, we will now have an additional arsenal to face it. The experience of this last race will go on with us.

I never really understood people who ran long distances....

I learned the true meaning of  'the people we serve'
this guy.

Why the hell would you put yourself through so much pain, ugliness, and potential injury? But this week, I think I got it. (No, you won't see me running in any half marathons any time soon. Seriously, if you see me running, you best run, as something is chasing me...) It's the process that gives them so much euphoria. As I looked back at my run at DSC, I could see how the process had brought me to a new place in my life. And now, I had confidence in continuing to seek my life's purpose. Serving in a way that I could never have imagined without this experience.

My heart overflowed with all
I learned from those we serve.

I went from a spectator

 to a participant... 

I had always wanted to be a counselor, coach or social 'worker' and serve other humans, but I could only see the stop signs of why it was not possible. I loved to watch from the sidelines, and I was a great cheerleader. I thought the pull I felt was only to give in other ways - support, finances, advocacy. Then one day, I put in a ticket to enter the actual race on a whim. It felt like a simple act. How you might feel when walking the track. Like most 'expert' spectators, I assumed they would be lucky to learn from all I knew from watching. I quickly ascertained it was the other way around. After many skinned knees and twisted ankles, I realized I had a lot to learn. It's never as easy as it looks, is it?

As I finally opened myself up to learning all I could 

from the race, I saw new possibilities before me in my life.

The first time in years I can say
my former boss will always be
my friend.

If we keep our hearts open to our calling and apply every opportunity to learn to that calling, there is no such thing as collapsing at the finish line. Instead, breaking that tape only takes us to the next race, the next opportunity, and closer to our calling - our purpose in this life.

So tonight, as I round the corner to my final lap, we will raise a glass and toast to great finishes. It's a drink called "The Race," because life and our ways of living it truly are just one big old race. May all of your finishes lead you to even greater races, like mine with DSC has done for me. Cheers, Friends.

Joy's "The Race" Cocktail***

2 oz bourbon whiskey

1 oz Mandarine Napoleon® orange liqueur

2 oz apricot nectar

2 dash strawberry syrup

4 dashes lemon juice

Pour into a shaker and shake well. Serve in a cocktail glass frosted with tangerine. Serves two.
***Always drink responsibly. Never drive a vehicle after consuming alcohol.

Just a few more of the wonderful people of DSC.