A second shot at "once in a lifetime"

What's the best way to start a Monday? 

With an e-mail from the Boston Athletic Association confirming that my application for the 2012 Boston Marathon has been accepted!  As soon as I opened my e-mail today and saw the word "registration" in my inbox, my heart leaped.  I was hoping to receive the e-mail this week...I didn't think I would receive it this soon.  My face went hot as I rushed to click the e-mail to open it.  It was the news I wanted to hear: 

"Jessica Wilson,
This is to notify you that your entry into the 116th Boston Marathon on Monday, April 16, 2012 has been accepted, provided that the information you submitted is accurate."

I remember the first time I received this e-mail.  It was October, 2010, and I waited nearly a week after applying for the 2011 Boston Marathon for confirmation that I made the cut.  I was so excited when I got the news that I re-read the e-mail two and three times just to make sure I was reading it right.  Even today, as a Boston Marathon alumni, my sceptical side still prompted me to re-read the e-mail two and three times - just to make sure I was reading correctly.  Just to make sure I was really "in". 

Life is fueled by our aspirations to make our dreams come true.  We are motivated by a voice in our heart that guides us like a compass towards moments in life filled with satisfaction, success and a supreme contentment with our human condition.  Some dreams are very personal, and some resonate with other like minded people.  Some are tiny...and some are mighty.  Sometimes we are inspired to share our dreams, and sometimes we hold them in our hearts like secrets - never meant to be known to another living soul.  Some we don't achieve.  Yes, some will slip through our fingers, leaving us to tell the tale of "the one that got away".  You can't win all the time.  But some we actually realize, and they shine like stars above the mountaintops of our imaginations - reminding us that dreams can come true if we only try.

And if we're really lucky, we might just get the chance to live a dream twice. 



See you in Boston in 2012.