Peer Pressure

My inspiring, delightful teacher made a rousing speech in class the other day. It was on the four components he believes one needs to become a successful writer. (And I would contend that one would also need these attributes to be a successful human being.)

One of these elements on his list struck me as curious. To paraphrase, it was a matter of selecting a solid, decent, and motivated group of people to call your friends. Selecting makes the whole process sound like making groceries, but I have found over the years, that pruning certain people out of your life as a necessary part of maturation and growth. You want friends that bring the best out of you and vice versa. (I am sure that I have been pruned, in addition to being the pruner.)
As of right now, I have a righteous group of friends - two of them I have already mentioned on this here blog. I met Robin when I was fifteen in Australia on a YFU exchange program. And I met Lauren through the Craigslist gods when looking for a roommate.

First off, it is extremely difficult to find non-cheesecake images of Super Heroines. With that said, my friends are indeed Super Heroes. Seriously, these two are both over 5'10'' and look like they could take on any neerdowell that comes their way. So, I'll just go with this Frank Quitely New X-Men panel that illustrates how cool I think they are.

Which leads me to what I did yesterday. I ran 9.3 miles, 15 kilometers in the Hot Chocolate Race. I did not keep up with my training schedule before the run. It was freezing cold yesterday. And I ranged over a million and two reasons to ditch the race. But, Lauren and Robin, the super heroes that they are, were all ready to go. So I ran the race. All because I felt pressured by their example. Today, I feel sore and achy and like I was dropped onto concrete. Not at all like a Super Hero. But, I also feel accomplished and really glad I did not blow it off. If I hadn't run, I am sure I would feel like a guilty pile right now. Now to go walk like an old lady.