Morning Muse 73 : Life is a Hurdle Race

The Hurdle Race of Life – A Journey of the Body, Mind, and Spirit

It was a warm spring afternoon, the kind where the sun bathed the stadium in gold. The stands buzzed with chatter, the smell of lemonade lingered in the air, and the rhythmic thud of feet on the track still echoed from earlier races.

In Lane 4 stood Aarav — a young man who had trained hard but was never the fastest. Today’s event was the 400-meter hurdles, a race demanding not just speed, but rhythm, resilience, and presence of mind.

The whistle blew.

Aarav surged forward, the first hurdle rising ahead. Fresh legs, full energy — he cleared it easily. That first hurdle was like the early challenges in life: school exams, small disappointments, minor setbacks. Fleeting, soon forgotten.

But then came more hurdles. Aarav’s breathing grew heavy, his legs burned. They weren’t taller than the first, but each one felt harder. Just like in life — responsibilities pile up, failures weigh heavy, doubts creep in.

At the halfway mark, other runners pulled ahead. The temptation to compare was strong, but he remembered the Gita’s teaching: “Better is one’s own duty, though imperfect, than the duty of another well performed.” His lane was his journey. Comparing was meaningless.

Then came the final 100 meters. Every muscle screamed to stop. The crowd blurred into silence. The last hurdle loomed like a mountain.

Another verse surfaced: “You have the right to work, but never to the fruits thereof.” His duty was to run, to jump, to keep moving — not to worry about winning or losing.

He drew a deep breath, summoned his last ounce of strength, and leapt. His foot grazed the hurdle, but he landed, pushed forward, and crossed the finish line.

He didn’t collapse in defeat. He stood tall, looking back. Every hurdle was now behind him. Each one had seemed impossible before he faced it, and small once he crossed it.

And Aarav understood — life is this race.
The first hurdles are easy, the middle ones test your will, the last feels impossible… until you clear it. You don’t leap life in a single bound. You cross it inch by inch, breath by breath, step by step.

With faith, perseverance, and surrender, every race can be run, every hurdle crossed, every finish line reached.