Endurance

One of my favorite nouns is Endurance.

I’m not sure if it’s really endurance, competitiveness, or a hatred of wasted time, but I find most situations in life as a challenge that I want to achieve. It may be in the form of a staring competition with my dog. Getting ready to go out in record time. Or finding the perfect lemon to pair with my Skyy. Maybe it’s none of the above and just that I love life and want to be awake, alert and ready for anything life tosses my way.

The dictionary claims that patience is a synonym for endurance, but I’m not so sure about that.

When you enter my home, a hand-painted quote on the wall reminds me to “Live Deliberately”. This is not only a homage to Thoreau, but to the person who introduced those words into my life. Every day I attempt to Live Deliberately and hope that I make an impact with the people that I encounter.

I spent the past six days inside a building in Detroit, MI, working for a corporate event from 5:30 am - 9:00 pm every day. I call that endurance. Or a test there of. I wish that I had been born to see Detroit in it’s glory, but since all that is left is a shell of a once-grand city, I use my imagination and my steadfast positive attitude to see it in my mind’s eye. The bright gold of the city’s building’s shining off the water; the Motown Music blaring from new, shiny cars as they parade up and down Woodward Avenue. It really is a magical city and for anyone who has never been there, it is a hidden treasure. But you have to live there to understand what I mean.

As of today Detroit has a 28.5% unemployment rate. That’s for another blogger to tackle. But I call that an endurance that makes my complaining of long work hours unacceptable.

I heart Detroit. I am happy to have spent three years living in one of its suburbs and I am happy to have so many great friends who I can visit when I am in town.

Again. Call it endurance. Call it competitive. Or simply call it life, but Live Deliberately.