Hello Steemers! I am new to this and thinking about how to start my posts I thought, well soon I will be a father and my son will be asking “why” a lot. One of the things I hope I will be able to pass to my son is my delight on doing sports, and I am sure he will ask me “dad why do you like to run? “ I love running and it has to do with something that defines me, for that reason I think this is good way to present myself. I love endurance, in life and sports. I love it because it has been part of my entire life and has given me results at school, at work, at running. When I go to run a half marathon I see all those people and the first question that comes to my mind is how many are going to finish. You need determination to finish, some do not have it, and some go beyond their limits even hurting themselves. So endurance is about determination but also about knowing your limits, that way you will be able to regulate your strength to cross the finish line. I believe determination and being able to pace yourself are the key to success. I do not just use this for running, it is part of my life, and when I engage with something, I set myself for the long run. When I was about 15 years old, I read a fantastic book titled “Siddhartha”, by Hermann Hesse. In Chapter 6 there is a dialogue between Siddhartha and Kamaswami the merchant, and those lines have been with me since then. This is the conversation:
"Kamaswami the merchant: And what is it now what you've got to give? What is it that you've learned, what you're able to do?
Siddhartha: I can think. I can wait. I can fast.
Kamaswami the merchant: That's everything?
Siddhartha: I believe, that's everything!
Kamaswami the merchant: And what's the use of that? For example, the fasting-- what is it good for?
Siddhartha: It is very good, sir. When a person has nothing to eat, fasting is the smartest thing he could do. When, for example, Siddhartha hadn't learned to fast, he would have to accept any kind of service before this day is up, whether it may be with you or wherever, because hunger would force him to do so. But like this, Siddhartha can wait calmly, he knows no impatience, he knows no emergency, for a long time he can allow hunger to besiege him and can laugh about it. This, sir, is what fasting is good for.
Kamaswami the merchant: You're right, Samana. Wait for a moment.
Kamaswami left the room and returned with a scroll, which he handed to his guest while asking: Can you read this? Siddhartha looked at the scroll, on which a sales-contract had been written down, and began to read out its contents. Excellent, said Kamaswami. And would you write something for me on this piece of paper? He handed him a piece of paper and a pen, and Siddhartha wrote and returned the paper.
Kamaswami read: Writing is good, thinking is better. Cleverness is good, being patient is better."
I am here in Steemit because I like to write, but I like to think to write. I am clever at recognizing that there is something good here, but I have the patience to wait for that good to consolidate and burst. In the meantime, I can fast for gains and contribute before going after the next shiny thing. As I said before, I love endurance and I am here for the long run. I am looking forward to read your posts, your feedback, and have an interesting interchange of ideas.