Soulshine

When you cant find the light
That guides you through a cloudy day
When the stars ain’t shinin’ bright
And you feel like you’ve lost your way
When the candle lights of home
Burn so very far away
Well you got to let your soul shine
Just like my daddy used to say

He used to say soul shine
Its better than sunshine
Its better than moonshine
Damn sure better than rain

Hey now people don’t mind
We all get this way sometimes
Got to let your soul shine
Shine till the break of day

Warren Haynes - Soulshine

The etchings upon our soul are permanent, never to be erased. No matter who we are, there will always be good and bad etchings. Our challenge is to allow the good etchings to shine while we learn from the bad etchings. As in life, the marathon is a soul-searching experience. Some days, things just don’t go as planned. The pain intensifies both mentally and physically. Quitting starts to enter the mind and the body says “stop the madness” and the mind says “maybe I will.” This is when the soul-searching begins. It is when we look to what is etched, from simple scratches to deep ruts – the good and the bad upon the soul. But, to continue, we must let the soul shine. Sometimes, what we find may not yet be an etching, but a dream, hope or vision for a future etching.

It is when the light appears dim; the clouds cover us in darkness, the stars faded where we are not able to find our way that we have to let our soul shine How many times in life and the marathon has this been true? How many times have we had to find our heart and soul to continue? We use our experiences that have left lasting etchings and impressions upon our soul. Sometimes, the finish line appears so far away that we lose sight on how to get there. Faintly burning candles barely light the darkness. How do we find our way through the darkness? We have to let our soul shine.

My Daddy said little so I had to find out for myself that I had to let the soul shine. I do believe my Mom let her soul shine. I suspect I have learned the lesson late in life and maybe not until I started running and pondering more what is true of one’s soul. I will even go as far as saying that maybe not until this song (Soulshine) did I start pondering it. I don’t think I have learned how to do this yet although I see it can be done. The soul shine is truly better than the glare and heat of the sunshine, the afterglow of the moonshine (and even better than the drinkable moonshine), and certainly better than the dreariness of a cold, wet rain. One can’t control the sun, moon and rain but they can control the etchings upon their souls and how to use them – good and bed – to make the soul shine and help in finding a lit path. We ALL do get this way sometimes. The more we turn to the etchings of the soul, use the good ones and learn from the bad ones, the better able we are to let the soul shine.

I suspect this is the way explorers like Lewis & Clark progressed on their expeditions and journeys through life – by letting their soul shine. In 1804, Lewis and Clark were commissioned by Thomas Jefferson to find a way from the Missouri River in St. Charles, MO to the Pacific Ocean. It was the ultimate ultra event of more than 7,000 miles (out and back) and lasted more than 2 years. I’m sure Lewis & Clark had to continually let their soul shine to be successful in their journey. So why bring up Lewis and Clark in this context?

The Lewis & Clark marathon in St. Charles, MO was my 20th marathon. It also happened to be my 4th worst marathon. The temperature and humidity were high, the course a bit monotonous being a double loop with two slight out and backs, and a body and mind feeling a bit broken. After mile 15, it hurt both mentally and physically. The bad etchings appeared to have taken control, doubts of finishing (even wanting to finish) filled my mind and the body was broken. For gosh sakes, this is just a marathon, 26.2 miles. It is not a life situation. I think the reason I enjoy running marathons (and beyond) is because they are easier than life. I had once read a mantra by an ultra runner that he continually repeated as a reminder, “Relentless Forward Progress.” As in the marathon, it is in life, “Relentless Forward Progress.” So, how would I get through the last 11 miles? By letting the soul shine and relentless forward progress with one foot in front of the other, I got to the finish and to me the finish is the start of something new. On this day, I felt the heat and humidity of the sunshine, I even saw the moonshine prior to the start and for the entire last mile it poured rain.

He used to say soul shine
It’s better than sunshine
It’s better than moonshine
Damn sure better than rain

The soul shine was better than all three. Learn from the run, let the soul shine in life.