So, Lynnette and I went on a big ole walk on Saturday morning - was supposed to be 8 miles but we had to wiggle our way around libertyville to avoid flooded trails at every turn (pics coming soon!) and it ended up being 8.5 miles. Definitely my longest walk so far and my legs and back were ACHING when it was over but it felt really good at the same time... It was sort of a boost for me to keep on keepin on with my training.
Whilst (I'm british and fancy now) we were walking, Lynnette and I got to chatting about the weirdness of raising money for something or someone. It's strange because after a while you (the person raising the funds) begin to forget that you are raising money for a specific cause and not just for yourself. This might sound weird so please let me explain... :-)
Now, know that I don't mean that I ever think that the money you are donating is going into my checking account or something crazy like that. It's just easy to fall into a line of thinking that you are being a nuisance to your supporters -- "Oh jeez, here's another update from Becca... she must need more money" -- is this true? totally... i always want to raise more money, fundraising minimum or not, more money for breast cancer research is always a good thing. But, I know that the way I am asking for support changes... my first emails and blog entries focus on the issue - on what breast cancer does to people, to families, etc... and I focus on the solution - what Susan G. Komen and other amazing organizations are doing to seriously help put an end to breast cancer. My emails and blog entries as of late are more about me, what I'm doing... what I'm thinking... with a little note in the end about how to donate.
There are these guys that do the 3day every year called "The 60 Mile Men" - I follow them on twitter and facebook - they are super inspirational and they make a hilarious calendar full of "tasteful" but not so tasteful photos of themselves in order to raise money for the 3day. They posted a great little quote the other day which is what got me thinking about this whole thing in the first place. "Put the right light on fundraising. You aren't asking for you, you're asking for a world without breast cancer." Gosh if that doesn't say it all then what does? right? So, that's what this is about... am I still asking for money? Yes, of course. :-) But I'm here today to remind you of what I'm asking for money FOR -- "A world without breast cancer." - can you imagine? I can, and it's beautiful.
