On to the next season

As The Byrds wrote in their 1965 hit Turn, Turn, Turn

"To everything, turn, turn, turn

There is a season, turn, turn, turn

And a time to every purpose, under heaven"

Today, we put an end to one season at the 2019 Meet of Champions and yet say onto the next season.

I am reminded that athletics mimic life in so many ways. As this outdoor season ends, so does many athletes athletic careers. What kind of season did you have?

Some have what I call the story book ending. That season in which almost everything goes right and when you ultimately walk off the track for the last time you leave having run your best. Courtney Foster was one of those athletes. Her last individual races both indoors and outdoors in high school were her lifetime bests as she placed 2nd at indoor Moc's and 5th at outdoor Moc's in the 400. She duplicated that feat indoors in college at St. Joe's. Today I watched Luch Pizarro put the shot the farthest he has ever thrown(60-11) on his last attempt in the finals to go from 4th to winning a Meet of Champions title. The storybook ending are few and far to come by.

There is the consistent season. Nothing spectacular, but across the board you continually showed up and got things done. You didn't necessarily see any jump or improvement.

But what of those seasons that did not turn out the way you wanted to. Maybe failure to live up to your expectations, One of those seasons where nothing seemed to go right. The times or marks that you wanted to hit just never came to be, or even worse you took a huge step backwards. I go back to the Byrds line "and a time to every purpose". It is during those difficult seasons that really test your faith. Faith in yourself, in your coaches, and in everything that you are doing. Samuel Smiles, a Scottish author, said: "We learn wisdom from failure much more than from success. We often discover what will do, by finding out what will not do; and probably he who never made a mistake never made a discovery."

Before you start the next season of your life whether it is on the track or off the track, I suggest you take some time to gain some wisdom from the season you are coming out of that will hopefully help you in the season you are heading into.