The NYC Marathon Dream

A Dream Deferred
by Langston Hughes

What happens to a dream deferred?

Does it dry up
like a raisin in the sun?
Or fester like a sore—
And then run?
Does it stink like rotten meat?
Or crust and sugar over—
like a syrupy sweet?

Maybe it just sags
like a heavy load.

Or does it explode?

I don’t quite remember when I first read Langston Hughes’ “A Dream Deferred”, though I believe it may have been in 9th grade.  I’m by no means a lover of poetry - I can probably count on one hand the number of verses I have committed to memory - yet something about Hughes’ words has stuck with me through the years.  Like all great poems, the power is not just the vivid imagery (of which there is plenty).  No, the power is in the places these words force us to search, the deep recesses of self which we so often avoid.  Somehow these simple words, these 11 lines, help us to realize once again what an awful thing it is to let a dream fade away.

If a dream deferred is the shriveled dryness of a raisin in the sun, the exact opposite has to be the expolosion of life which occurs when a dream is born - the spark which lights a flame of hope and illuminates all we dare to achieve. 

It’s no secret to regular readers of this blog that such a spark was ignited last November when I took in the New York City Marathon and vowed to enter the lottery for this year’s version of the race.  Alas, my number was not picked.  And for a moment I was faced with the prospect of a sagging load.  

But I was not willing to let the dream explode - instead, it took on a different shape, one which perhaps will carry us higher and farther than we imagined at the beginning.    

I say “we” because this new dream is going to take some help from my friends, and I hope you will consider joining me for the ride (or in my case, the run!).  Late last week I was selected as a Charity Runner for the American Cancer Society team and will be running the New York City Marathon on November 1st!

Over the next few months I will not only be training like crazy for the big race, but will also be working to raise $3,500 for the American Cancer Society.  Before I go any further, let’s just all admit that $3,500 is a lot of money.  It’s such a sum, in fact, that I considered letting the dream shrivel away and die.

But after careful consideration I concluded that perhaps this is another great lesson for me to learn, that the dream is not just about me.  When I run on November 1st, it will be for the many friends and family who have fought the dreaded disease, the many more who supported my efforts with donations, and what was originally my dream will become a collective dream, of which we will all be shareholders.  

In the coming weeks I will share more about why I chose the American Cancer Society - in the interim, I would be honored and grateful if you would like to support me by making a tax-deductible donation by clicking the “Donate” button on my personal fundraising page.

It’s been a strangely exhilirating and anxious process all along, and I know we’ve only just begun.  I look forward to sharing the adventure with you all - thanks in advance for your support!