{"id":405272,"date":"2024-02-23T14:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-02-23T14:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/?p=405272"},"modified":"-0001-11-30T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"-0001-11-29T14:00:00","slug":"I-can-t-run","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/I-can-t-run\/","title":{"rendered":"I can\u2019t run"},"content":{"rendered":"

My college lacrosse teammates and I were required to run two miles in 12 minutes (or less) at the beginning of each season or we\u2019d be made to run before each daily practice until we succeeded\u2014a fitting test, I suppose, of the will and physical prowess needed for the sport. It usually took me three or four tries before making time each year\u2014some did it on their first try. A few others never could run it in time, so they kept our sideline benches warm throughout the season\u2014not fun, especially during the winter months.<\/p>\n

Flash forward to present day in what might now be the winter of my discontent wherein, for about the last three to four months, I literally can\u2019t run at all due to sudden and severe foot and leg pains that seemed to come out of nowhere. I\u2019ve been self-diagnosing and, at first, I thought I was developing the \u201cG\u201d word\u2014lord knows enough people around me have bouts with gout regularly\u2014and then (based on something I saw on an infomercial) I was convinced I had something called plantar fasciitis (and, of course, I would need the product they were peddling). The truth is I don\u2019t yet know what\u2019s causing such debilitating pain in my foot, but someone was kind enough to point out, \u201cNo offense, but it\u2019s most likely your weight.\u201d Another friend of mine likes to say, \u201cThe old foundation can no longer support the extensions on the house\u201d\u2014 truth to power here. It is quite unnerving to be so blatantly and painfully confronted by the prospect of my own physical decay.<\/p>\n

The bigger truth is that we can\u2019t run from the truth\u2014\u201ca lie doesn\u2019t become truth, wrong doesn\u2019t become right, and evil doesn\u2019t become good just because\u201d we manage to avoid it. Put another way, we can try to run, but we cannot hide particularly from ourselves.<\/p>\n

In what comes as no surprise, my life of excess (at least in terms of overeating, drinking and general sloth-like existence over the course of the last 20 years) seems to be catching up and for the past few months has nearly immobilized me entirely (emphasis on nearly, it\u2019s going to take a lot more than foot and leg pains to keep me down or take me out entirely\u2014I haven\u2019t given up yet). We hear a lot about the potential consequences of unhealthy living, namely revolving around the fear of an early death, but perhaps not enough is said about the toll of physical and mental decay on our quality of life. Nobody really ever tells you how much the aches and pains of a fat and aged body hurt nor do we hear much about self-doubt and mental battles that go hand in hand. The combination, for me, of reckless behavior in my so-called prime (until present really) and the inevitable wear and tear of aging has been damaging and, for emphasis, painful. While I dread the idea of spending my waning years on the sideline benches of life, I find myself lacking in will or physical prowess to do much about it beyond talking and thinking. The insanity of doing the same things over and over expecting a different result is real. Pathetic. I know.<\/p>\n

That is, no doubt, way too much information in yet another gut-spilling editorial, but perhaps my truth will resonate and help in someone else\u2019s journey.<\/p>\n

If I could offer advice \u201cbased on nothing more than my own meandering experience\u201d (in the famous words of a song by Baz Luhrmann), \u266b\u266a<\/p>\n

\u201cEnjoy the power and beauty of your youth. Oh, never mind, you will not understand the power and beauty of your youth until they fail. The real troubles in your life are apt to be things that never crossed your mind, the kind that blindsides you at 4pm on some idle Tuesday.<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t be reckless with other people\u2019s hearts. Don\u2019t put up with people who are reckless with yours.<\/p>\n

\u201cSometimes you\u2019re ahead, sometimes you\u2019re behind. The race is long, and in the end, it\u2019s only with yourself.<\/p>\n

\u201cRemember compliments you receive. Forget the insults. If you succeed in doing this, tell me how.<\/p>\n

\u201cBe kind to your knees, you\u2019ll miss them when they\u2019re gone.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhatever you do, don\u2019t congratulate yourself too much or berate yourself either. Your choices are half chance. So are everybody else\u2019s.<\/p>\n

\u201cEnjoy your body. Use it every way you can. It\u2019s the greatest instrument you\u2019ll ever own.<\/p>\n

\u201cBe nice to your siblings. They\u2019re your best link to your past and the people most likely to stick with you in the future.<\/p>\n

\u201cRespect your elders. Be careful with whose advice you buy, but be patient with those who supply it.<\/p>\n

\u201cAdvice is a form of nostalgia. Dispensing it is a way of fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts and recycling for more than it\u2019s worth.\u201d \u266a\u266b<\/p>\n

Life really does seem to go by in the blink of an eye.<\/p>\n

There is no shortage of irony, given recent revelations (if not acceptance) of my personal physical and mental deterioration, in the fact that I\u2019ve spent the better part of the last 25 years advocating for the needs of individuals with disabilities and currently work at the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation more commonly known as OVR.<\/p>\n

OVR was established for eligible individuals with disabilities to prepare for and engage in competitive integrated employment or supported employment in order to achieve economic self-sufficiency. To be eligible for the VR program, individuals must have a physical or mental impairment that results in a substantial impediment to employment, require and be able to benefit from VR services to achieve employment and maximize career goals. Of the total funding received the Basic Support grant, OVR must set aside 15% in reserve to provide pre-employment transition services to students with disabilities between the ages of 16 and 21 who may be potentially eligible for the VR program.<\/p>\n

While it may have always been true, it\u2019s only recently becoming more apparent even to myself that \u201cI\u2019m not only the [OVR director], but I\u2019m also a [potential] client.\u201d<\/p>\n

For more information on Basic Support and\/or Pre-ETS services through the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation, please feel free to contact the office at (670) 322-6537\/8 or online at www.ovrgov.net<\/a>.<\/p>\n

“While it may have always been true, it\u2019s only recently becoming more apparent even to myself that ‘I\u2019m not only the [OVR director], but I\u2019m also a [potential] client.’\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Jim Rayphand is director of the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation and is a former executive director of the Northern Marianas Protection and Advocacy Systems Inc.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

My college lacrosse teammates and I were required to run two miles in 12 minutes…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-405272","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-opinion"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/405272","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=405272"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/405272\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=405272"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=405272"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=405272"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}