I wish my Dad did this more
In the weeks after my Dad’s death by suicide, I found myself sifting through his belongings and came across a diary. There wasn’t much in it, but there was an attempt to start recording his life as he prepared to leave for Iraq with work.
I left for Iraq today. Matt gave me a hug before I boarded the plane. It was nice.
Remembering this is upsetting for two reasons. It reminds me of the moments I’ll never get to have again and it makes me wonder whether his writing was an attempt to improve his mental health, that he never continued.
Writing can save lives.
Without a shadow of a doubt, writing has been as impactful for my mental health as exercise and community has been. It forces me to order my thoughts and audit them once I’ve written them.
This process usually removes the stress that isn’t worth it and allows me the time of day to create a plan for the stress that is. And while most of what I write is seen by no one else, when I decide to share it publicly, it forces another layer of accountability.
There’s something about this combination of ordering, auditing, and accountability that seems to help me… and hopefully it helps others too.
An R4R ripple effect.
Two weeks ago, we heard from an R4R legend and as much as it pains me to admit, a very happy Scotland Rugby Supporter in David Primrose. He wrote about his decision to contact a friend in need being influenced by the stories shared in the R4R community.
And this is the beauty.
Not only does sharing our stories help us to comprehend them on a deeper level, it gives others a blueprint for what they can do next in their own lives, to help themselves or help others.
I believe in the mission. This is what I’m going to do about it.
There’s another R4R legend and quasi Scotland admirer through his love affair with AC/DC in John Veloudos, and earlier this month he ran 100km to raise $20k for Running for Resilience.
The beauty of this effort was him taking ownership of our goal and telling the world what he was going to do about it. In John’s case, it was a 100km run. In David’s case above, it was calling his friend and sharing with us why he chose to do so.
And in your case, it could be anything.
Volunteer. Share your story. Something else.
If there’s one thing I want you to think about doing, it’s sharing your story. Writing helps you, sharing it helps someone else, and the more we do it as a community, the more powerful it becomes.
If you’ve got a story, please email it to run4resilience@gmail.com and if you’re not sure where to start, have a read of our previous article here. Alternatively, if you’d like to volunteer or have other ideas about how to help, get in touch via the email above.
R4R Santa Run supporting Rise Above
R4R Santa Run is on again Thursday the 19th of December from 5pm with a 6pm start. The dress up theme is obviously Christmas so come as anything festive like Santa, an Elf… or not festive… like the Grinch!
There’ll be live music, a best dressed prize, and if the kids are well behaved… an appearance from the Jolly Man himself! There will be a $10 entry fee (which includes a Santa Hat) and there will be limited edition R4R T-shirts available to purchase on the day.
It’s going to be awesome and if you don’t believe us, check out the video above that’s been provided by This Is Canberra who attended last year.
R4R turns 5!
The night before the Santa Run is R4Rs birthday. Normally it’s a worst nightmare to have your birthday and Christmas so close, but based on last year… we’re pumped to roll it around again.
It will be Wednesday R4R as normal on the 18th of December, but as we’ve done in previous years, people are encouraged to bring their own baked goods to mark the occasion.
The Dock will be providing some live music, balloons, and generously hosting us as always, but to mark the occasion a little more, we’re after some dress-up suggestions?