Being Extraordinary

Sometimes I do things that others wouldn't dare to try, simply to fulfill the need to feel extraordinary.

This past weekend, my best friends (who are family), my husband and I supported my brother-in-law in his extraordinary feat of completing a 50 mile race out in the desert. I was amazed at the caliber of seemingly ordinary people that gathered to push beyond the limitations of "normal". As we drove, ran, waited, danced, crewed and cared for each other, I felt my mental thumb pin down one of the reasons that attempting the extraordinary appeals to me. When we push the boundaries and step outside of the everyday situation, decorum dissolves. There are no strangers. Preference fades in the face of necessity, acceptance and support are prevalent. We are stripped of all preface and become so very basically human. When this happens by choice, those involved often become their best selves despite struggle and often because of it. It gets gritty- there is sweat, dirt, and various bodily functions involved, but no one cares. I had the unique experience of sitting in the relative privacy of a desert shrub on a bucket with a bag in it, starting at the most marvelous view I've ever had from 'the pot' as the few people within miles graciously looked the other way and handed me the TP when I couldn't reach it. I won't lie, and it makes me laugh to say it, but it was kind of incredible. Bodily functions aside, there was not a runner or crew member that we came in contact with that we wouldn't have given the shirts off our backs during that time. The feeling of camaraderie and shared humanity was poignant. By the time we hit the finish line, cheering the 100 milers on their way, I had a passel of new friends- most of whose names I didn't even know.

I think that for me, having experiences like this- especially physically demanding ones, reminds me that I am amazing. My soul is bright and giving. My body is a work of art, design and machinery that I am in awe of and so grateful for. It reminds me to care for my body and abilities that I have and never take them for granted. It magnifies the unconquerable human spirit. It prompts me to aid and support others, not only in extraordinary circumstance, but in the commonplace and often unseen struggles that are occurring for those around me daily.
Those around me are amazing too.