The Long Road Ahead: A Marathon Session

March 03, 2016 by Scott Todnem

Over five years ago, my lovely girlfriend and soon-to-be wife, Sarah, decided to sign up for the Chicago Marathon. The challenge and the training and the culminating event were going to be representative of life's roller coaster ride. It would be a test of her physical and mental will; a battle over the proverbial obstacles of stress and struggle at that time in her life.

However, after months of training, just two weeks before the marathon, she opted out. While fighting constant knee pain, she couldn't put her body through the mileage that was beating her down with overuse injury. It was a tough choice but the right one, proving intelligence and foresight for future joint health. Smart.

That's where I stepped in.

Why let the registration go unused? Or, at most, why sell the race number to someone else?

"I could run it," I thought.

Water Under the Bridge: The Big Wave of Guilt

January 02, 2016 by Scott Todnem

I can count on one hand the number of times I've been in the ocean. The leading memory being the Pacific while on my first honeymoon. Hawaii. It was while surfing off the coast of Maui in my mid-twenties that I vividly remember being consumed by the water in a sudden, overwhelming spin of a *cough* quite modest wave on a learner's beach. It was nothing, really, except a good old-fashioned wipeout. Upturned and smacked right in the face like a complete newbie.

Also consuming within that memory was the spinning experience of a new marriage. I remember thinking I'd look back at pictures of the trip for years to come. It made me think about being old; it made me contemplate one of the biggest decisions of my young life. And my mind wandered to its usual level of ridiculousness... with just a hint of premonition.

"I wonder where we'll live when we're wrinkly and looking back at these pictures of now. Will I remember driving this Jeep around the island listening to punk rock? If I have kids they'll probably think my hair was really dark. Will I remember these striped trees that look like candy? I may never be this skinny again. Did I make the right decision in marriage?"

The Early Bird Gets the Worm: Every Day Matters

September 10, 2015 by Scott Todnem

Today is World Suicide Prevention Day. I chose to write today instead of earlier in the month because of the meaning and symbolism behind this day. Each year, September's focus elicits an awareness in me of the journey we are all a part of-- the struggle to constantly stamp out inner demons. The difficult fight within.

My battle? Like any other, perhaps, with the beautiful disaster in the details.
I doubt myself every day. I never know if I’m good enough. Good as a dad, good as a teacher, as a coach, as a friend, as a husband... as a person.

I may not be an early bird, but every day I rise and shine regardless, for those I need and for those who need me.

Everything in Moderation: All Work and No Play

July 02, 2015 by Scott Todnem

"What do you do?"
We hear this all the time. Of course it means, "What is your job? What is your chosen profession?" As if our job defines us; as if we'll remain on the same path indefinitely. Quite the contrary, U.S. employees only stay in their current field an average of 4.6 years, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Without true purpose, it seems like that's the way it is. You know the song: everybody's working for the weekend. And so it goes, until something purposeful strikes swift like a horror film to make our hearts race in anticipation.

Music to My Ears: Whiskey & Records

March 03, 2015 by Scott Todnem

I'm a people pleaser.

Not something I'm proud of, necessarily. Nonetheless, I see it more and more in myself as I age: if others around me are happy, then I am happy. If the world surrounding me includes social interactions that occur without friction, then that brings me the most serenity. A calm to my life. A peace.

It's music to my ears, that nothingness.