A friend recently completed a half Ironman.  She described the path from ordinary person to someone who could run 13 miles, swim for another 1.2, and bike for 56. While the thought of covering seventy miles on her own steam was terrifying, she decided she could handle one piece at a time. 

"I can manage to get in the water. I had ridden the bike before. I could climb on the seat and push the pedals."

She realized as she was training that she should probably start to behave like an athlete. This felt presumptuous, but if she was going to get to the end she needed to believe it was possible. 

"I needed to eat like an athlete." And she did. 

Her third grade students were excited every time she raced. 

"Did you win?" they ran into the classroom on Monday morning. 

"Well, no." she admitted. 

"Why not?" their faces fell.

"There were 40,000 people in the race," seemed like an unconvincing excuse to the children who thought she knew all the answers. 

Sometimes people feel like the distance between their relationship Now and the one they Aspire to is daunting. Sure their aging grandparents can be patient with one another as they deal with failing health. But tolerance can be in short supply when your combined ages are less than your grandmother's and your children's combined ages are less than twelve. There are dishes to be washed, and kids to be ferried. That leaves no time for a migraine. 

Then again, if you are intending to go the distance, it makes sense to act as if you are as benevolent as a couple who are crying at the finish line.