Last month I was visiting my parents. My dad is 94. My mom is 80. I’ve been trying to get to the West Coast more often to check on them as they are getting older.
Before my arrival, my dad ended up in the hospital after a series of falls. The short version is his knees are done. Even with a walker, they gave out. At one point, he honestly thought he’d be discharged the next day and go home. His house has multiple levels and staircases. He also mentioned he needed to be in court the following week for a client.
That part stopped me.
The next day was harder. That’s when he finally accepted that he needed to stop working. Then he said something that caught me off guard. He said, “I guess I’ll go out of business.”
He’s 94. He’s practiced law for 55 years, as a second career. Before that, he spent over a decade as a Director of Parks and Recreation. He built a life. He showed up. He did the work. He’s not going out of business. He’s retiring.
That sentence stuck with me. And it landed closer to home than I expected.
I’ve been dealing with a knee injury of my own. One that’s taken way longer to rehab than I want to admit. Long enough that I’ve had to skip or shorten runs and sit with the uncomfortable question of whether pushing harder is actually helping.
Years ago, a friend once predicted that I’d eventually trade owning my agency for a job. I remember being irritated by that. I had a very strong “I’ll show him” reaction. Looking back, I was on the edge of burnout. A step back might have helped more than pushing through ever did.
Runners are great at grit. We’re not always great at patience. Sometimes the work isn’t adding miles. Sometimes it’s backing off. Sometimes it’s stopping long enough to heal, even when your identity is wrapped up in moving forward.
Watching my dad wrestle with stopping work, while I wrestle with a stubborn knee, has been a reminder that slowing down isn’t quitting.
You’re not out of the race.
You’re not going out of business.
You might just be between chapters.
I’m still training. Just smarter and slower for now.
And my dad is still moving forward too, by doing something he’s never been great at. Rest.