Book 170 - A Year of Magical Learning (Part 1/3)

Reflection Title: Movement as Medicine

Book – Running with Sherman: The Donkey with a Heart of a Hero by Christopher McDougall (Part 1 of 3)

Book Description:

When Christopher McDougall decided to adopt a donkey in dire straits, he had no idea what he was getting himself into. But with the help of his neighbors, Chris came up with a crazy idea. Burro racing, a unique type of competition in which humans and donkeys run side by side over mountains and through streams, would be exactly the challenge Sherman and Chris needed. In the course of Sherman's training, Chris would enlist Amish running clubs, high-spirited goats, the service animal community, and two Sarah Palin-loving long-distance female truckers. Sherman's heartwarming story of overcoming all odds to run one of the most unbelievable races in America shows the healing power of movement and the strength of the human-animal connection.

Reflection:

Christopher McDougall did it again! Born to Run has long been one of my sneaky top 10 favorite books I’ve found on this journey. I say sneaky because it really came out of nowhere and is unlike anything else on the rest of my top 10 list in style or genre. I feel like I’ve recommended Born to Run more than any other book when people ask me what my favorites have been so far. Not only did I love Born to Run, I also learned a TON from it as well that I’ve applied to my life, playing tennis, running, and other workouts I do.

I was excited to check out Running with Sherman, but I didn’t know what to expect when I started this one. I quickly found myself wrapped up in this heartwarming story about a very sick, depressed, and lonely Donkey named Sherman that got a second chance on living a fulfilling life of purpose when Christopher McDougall and his family brought him into their lives. By the end of the book, I almost found myself crying my eyes out as Sherman picked up his pace to run the last quarter mile run toward the finish line at the burro race in Leadville when he saw his bestie Zeke waiting for him. Such a great book!

I love the way this guy writes. I feel like I learn so much, but the lessons aren’t explicit. It is through his storytelling that I absorb and learn the message he is trying to share. Sure, the author sprinkles a little knowledge here and there, but it isn’t in your face and all about the concept. The ideas he presents are just to set the stage to reinforce it with a real-life story to help you to see it for yourself. Just like with Born to Run, Running with Sherman was packed full of interesting concepts, ideas, and a compelling story to bring them all together.

Because this is my journey and I make the rules, I’ve decided I loved this book so much that I’m going to make this a multi-part reflection to share with you all. The first lesson I want to talk about is an idea that the author presented in movement as medicine.

Since the day that Emilia passed away, I vowed to her that I would do my best to keep moving for her. Pushing forward, Never Quitting, and Enduring is the #1 lesson she taught me with how she lived her life. Emilia never gave up and I wasn’t going to either. Using her example as my why, I was motivated to hold true to this vow from day 1 after she passed away. I told her that I would do my best to try and read for 30 minutes, write for 30 minutes, and exercise for 30 minutes each day no matter what. I don’t know why I picked those 3 things, but I did. I forced myself to get out of bed day after day after day to honor this promise. I didn’t want to, but all I could think about was her and how she lived her life and I got up and did it.

Most days, in the weeks and months immediately after she passed these 3 things were all I could get done. The rest of the day I sat around depressed, sad, and hating that this was our life. Over time, I kept going and day by day the compound effect of these activities started to come into focus. Within 6 months, I found myself 50+ books deep and learning more than I’ve ever learned in my life, writing Emilia a book to share her life with the world and process my pain, running half marathons, and winning tennis tournaments. That stuff didn’t matter, and I didn’t care. What did matter was these activities took on a way for me to stay connected with my daughter each and every day and that was all I cared about.

Through reading, writing, and exercising each day I found my why, my values, my purpose, and most importantly Emilia again. I had never felt more fulfilled in my life. It has been 736 straight days without missing once and I’m not stopping anytime soon as that would mean I’d miss spending time with Emilia and I can’t let that happen.

Along this journey, I’ve easily been able to slide reading and writing everyday into my values of learn something new, reflect, and don’t do it alone. Those things just naturally made sense. The more I did them, the more I loved them and can’t imagine a life without them. Exercise, on the other hand, has always been a struggle for me to figure out where it belongs in my current list of values I’ve discovered on this journey. I know it belongs, but I just don’t know where.

After reading Running with Sherman, I feel like exercise just might be the glue that holds this whole thing together somehow.

Christopher McDougall talks about the concept of movement as medicine in this book and something about that really caught my attention and got me thinking. He said, “No matter what we’ve suffered, we’re ready to rebuild once we start moving. Rest too long after an injury and your system powers down preparing for a peaceful exit. Fight your way back to your feet and it triggers that on switch to heal”.

My family suffered a lot with what we went through, but I never rested after we lost her. From day 1, I got back on my feet to keep moving, not because of me…but because of Emilia! I remember writing a poem a day after she passed about wanting to give up, sit in our sorrow, and stop moving. After each line I wrote what I don’t want to do, I wrote…what would Emilia do! I know what Emilia would do, she would keep fighting and moving forward. Emilia was the absolute strongest person I’ve ever known, and I wasn’t going to let her down.

So that is what I did…I kept moving for Emilia!

Through movement over the past 736 days, Emilia helped me to discover my values, my purpose, and brought me healing and fulfillment! I don’t know what it is, but it is powerful. Exercise and Movement may not explicitly be one of my values, but it is the glue that holds everything together. Whenever I’m feeling down, don’t want to write, or read…movement picks me right back up again and I’m ready to get to work. Going on a run with Emilia has the power to change everything for me each day. Sherman clearly found something similar in the art of movement through his own journey and it changed his life as well.

Movement really is big medicine! Don’t ever stop moving!

Question: How does movement help you heal when you are down?

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Links:

What is The Year of Magical Learning? An Introduction

YOML Podcast Discussion - Coming Soon

YOML Bookstore - Running with Sherman: The Donkey with a Heart of a Hero by Christopher McDougall