The Power of Perception

My Big "D" Medal
A reminder of what good friends I have

I wasn't intending to write about this today. However, I was relaxing and thinking about perception and how it impacts out social interactions. A recent event came to mind and I think it demostrates how our perceptions decieve us.

I was invited about a month ago to walk with some friends from work in the Big "D" half-marathon. I didn't think walking 13 miles would be that tough. Wow, I was sure wrong about that. But it was at this event that I realized how wrong I am routinely in my perceptions.

I had some pain during the start of the race, but at about mile 3 most of that was gone. I was doing alright for the most part until the uphill portion of the course. I think it was around mile 8 that things really started to go bad. I started developing pain all down the back of my legs. It felt like the tendons were being pulled so tight that they were about to snap. More and more I had to sit and take the weight off of my legs during miles 8 and 9. It just after mile 10 that I had to call it quits.

I went and set down at a Starbucks that we had passed, while my friends finished the last 3 miles. "T" and "M" (I don't want to use their real names, they know who they are) said they would come back and get me once they finished. I felt like I had just let them all down. I felt like such a loser. I felt that once others at work heard they would think I was as well.

I'm not sure how long it took, but when they came back, they were all smiles. They had their medals showing that they had finished. But instead of going home though, they said that I was going to finish the race. They were going to drive me back to the parking lot and I was going to walk the last portion of it. They didn't criticize me for stopping. They said that I had really done something impressive since I had walked so far while being in obvious pain.

Well we drove back and I walked the last portion of the race and got my medal. There was no talk at work about how I had stopped. No one besides the 4 of us who were there know, and they are not talking. When we talk about it, I hear nothing about stopping, but how proud they are on my finishing. What I was told about this was, " Whatever happens at the Big D Marathon stays at the Big D Marathon."

My perceptions about myself and others were so off the mark. I had accomplished something that I now feel proud of it. Others weren't out to judge me. It was just an instinctive erroneous response caused by years of conditioning. My instincts were deceiving me. I'm now starting to understand that sometimes I just can't trust them. People will surprise you.

I am so glad I stopped.