Life is a Marathon Not a Sprint

I was boarding the flight at Bhopal for Hyderabad when I found a senior citizen along with his superior half moving rather slowly towards the aircraft. I being not so young was younger than them, so I offered to pick up their one of the two bags which was being carried by old man. The old man did not oblige …so I carried on, bit surprised though.

 

 

I got seat in the back of the aircraft and the old couple were sitting in front row of the aircraft.

 

The aircraft landed in Hyderabad.

 

The old couple got down before me, took the first bus and moved ahead towards the arrival gate.

 

I, being in the last row was the last to go down and took the second bus.

 

I also followed the same route.

 

Towards the arrival gate ...one has to take the escalator and simultaneously there is an option to take the stairs as well. I preferred to take the escalator, probably I was tired a bit. As I moved up, I saw the old couple moving up on the staircase ...moving up slowly but surely with their two bags with old man. As I reached before them, I stopped.

 

I thought to ask the old couple why they did not take the escalator and took to stairs to move up.

 

So, I waited for them.

 

The couple reached and were not surprised to see me.

 

“Sir, you could have taken the escalator to come up, why did you exhaust yourself?”

 

“Who told you that we are exhausted ...?”

 

“You were moving so slowly.”

 

“Yes, that was to protect ourselves from exhaustion …slowly and slowly we reached but we never had the doubt that we will reach without exhaustion …there was no hurry in any case and we had lot of time.” Both of them gave me a big smile …

 

My God, I thought in my mind as I internalised the lesson …

 

Where is the hurry …. protect yourself from exhaustion …but move slowly and surely in the right direction.

Life is a Marathon and not a sprint.