Thanks for joining me for another edition of the SerenityThroughSweat blog. Normally this time of year, I am thinking back on my somewhat ill-advised tradition of the christmas half marathon. This year, I want to talk about a different tradition.
For almost as long as I can remember, Christmas time around my house has come with fudge.
Growing up cutting weight for wrestling during the holidays, there were many years where I was less enthused with this tradition.
I still partook of course. It just meant a few more sprints, and envy as I handed out whole tins of fudge to teachers, coaches, and relatives who could enjoy it without thoughts of the scale nagging at them.
The fudge recipe has been passed down through at least three (and now four) generations on my moms side of the family.
My wife and I received the recipe along with some tutorial batches this christmas.
I have always watched my mother make fudge, even helping from time to time over the years. Licking the spoon counts as helping, right?
What struck me most about this tradition is a small line at the bottom of the recipe. I cannot share the recipe as it is a family secret, but I think sharing this part is ok.
“It is truly a learning experience, and even after 40+ years of making fudge, the outcome is not guaranteed.”
Now, this particular quote talks about some of the steps in the recipe that are more art than science. They require some judgment and experience rather than just blindly following steps.
It made me think about some of our other traditions, how they, too, are not guaranteed.
It would certianly be easy to skip my annual half marathon. There have been many years where it was a struggle to fit it in. Years where I wanted to walk (or hobble) away in the middle of it.
Even just getting together as a family, especially with the amount of time I spend away as a pilot, is never a guarantee.
What makes it a tradition, what makes anything a tradition really, are a few people’s stubborn dedication to make something stick.
And not just to make it stick, but also to make it meaningful. To make it something we look forward to. To make it something that we associate with that holiday or time of the year.
I’m grateful for the many traditions that we have in my family. Even more so now, because of the appreciation for how easy it is to let them fall by the wayside. The outcome is not guaranteed.
It also gives me a sense of hope, for those traditions that have lain dormant for years. That maybe with that same stubborn dedication, they can be revived.
It gives me a renewed sense of purpose. One of our main roles as parents is to be teachers, mentors, and examples for children and other younger members of our family.
Maybe that is a bit too much philosophizing over making fudge, but I think we could all use some more stubborn dedication to family values.
The pursuit of passing on what is important to us, to the generations that follow, knowing that the outcome is never guaranteed.
Thanks for joining me, stay safe and stay sweaty my friends.