Think.

This morning I took it easy.  I had 5 miles planned and I've been asking a lot of myself running-wise in the last week so I decided to give myself an easy run, take some walk breaks, and enjoy myself.  It worked.

I had something on my mind.  Yesterday I saw several snarky posts on facebook about something the president said: that if you are successful you didn't get there alone, if you have a business, you didn't build that.

I don't have a business, but I do have a successful career as a teacher and have enjoyed accomplishments as a runner.  To what extent did I build my career alone, or get to where I am as a runner?

We can look at my career first.  I went to a public high school in Jacksonville, AR where I had good teachers and was adequately prepared for college.  I attended a state school, the University of Central Arkansas, on a full academic scholarship.  Alone?  Not so much.  When I moved off campus, I commuted to UCA on state highways and interstates.

What I did with those things was up to me, of course, and my excellent grades at UCA helped land me my first teaching job.  My pay has increased in part due to my Master's degree, which I also got at UCA.  My actual work as a teacher was on me, but would I have had the chance to build this career "alone"?

Then there's the running thing.  Would I be where I am now as a runner without government, without things and services provided in part by public money?

I started running in my neighborhood, which is safe enough for me to feel comfortable out alone.  When I leave my immediate neighborhood, I run on sidewalks.  I depend pretty heavily on a water fountain in a city park off of Loop Road.  So I owe a thank you to the JPD, whoever pays for the upkeep of sidewalks, and Jacksonville Parks and Recreation.  I wouldn't be a runner without, at least, the safety of the community and the sidewalks.

I do most of my long runs at the River Trail in Little Rock and North Little Rock.  I criss-cross the Big Dam Bridge week after week.  That project cost $12.5 million.  I use the Two Rivers Bridge ($5.3 million) and the trail itself (begun with a $1.9 million bond issue, which I assume is different from using tax dollars.  Someone can school me.)  I doubt I would be running distance if the trails weren't there, since it's the long, scenic option that keeps me motivated on distances of over 10 miles.

Then the running ties back in to my career.  I work in a field which gives me hours that are friendly to running.  I make enough money to buy the gear I need to run.  Maybe I don't "need" the gear I use, but I doubt I would have stuck with running without it.  The money I use to buy that stuff and to travel to marathons and pay entry fees comes from my job as a public school teacher.  If I get injured, I have insurance through my job to pay for medical care.  When I get sick, I can afford to go to the doctor and recover quickly--and keep running.

Some people choose to be snarky about the comment the president made, but I chose to think about it.  Nobody does anything alone.  I may have been born with abilities and talents, for which I am thankful, but the possibility of growing them depends on the conditions around me.

The election is, of course, coming up, and each side loves a sound-bite of what they perceive as the other side "messing up."  I've laughed at them before, and I probably will again.  But I also choose to think.