My Aha! moment

I remember, as a young junior at Tennessee Temple Academy, being disillusioned with the tenets that dominated our particular brand of denominationalism - the independent fundamental Baptist church sect. There were all do's & don'ts and no love. One was supposed to KNOW that God loved them because, after all... He sent His son to die for us. To question any part of anything you were told was to surely bring a judgment of fire and brimstone to your eternal soul. Good thing I don't scare easy.

I remember sitting in Dan Spencer's theology class, full of frustration and disappointment as another leader in our church came tumbling down as they succumb to the desires of their flesh. I decided to bite the bullet. I raised my hand and asked THE one question we were NEVER supposed to utter. I said, "Mr. Spencer... how do you really know Christianity is the way to heaven? We believe that because we were raised in it. But the Jews feel the same way about their beliefs. And so do the Muslims. And the Hindus. And every other form of religion out there. How do you know we aren't just being brainwashed?"

Had I asked this of any other teacher, I probably would have been expelled on the spot. As soon as I said the words, the tension in the room increased measurably. Fortunately, I had a father that believed it was healthy, nay wise, to question things we didn't understand, so he would have supported my decision to question this. Also fortunately, Mr. Spencer LOVED inquisitive minds and encouraged us to ask these questions.

Mr. Spencer looked at me and smiled and said, "Good question". He then answered it with a short lesson in the history of Christianity and how we can know Jesus actually walked this earth and did the things recorded in the Bible. He also talked about other religions iconic leaders and how history records their lives and actions. There is no question that Jesus, Buddha, and Mohammad existed. So how do we know Jesus is really our Savior? He wrapped it up with the simplest and yet most profound answer. He said, "Shelli, our God is the only one that defeated death when HE rose from the grave".

That hit me like a ton of bricks. Please understand I had heard this most of my childhood so this was not a  new revelation to me but it was the first time it hit me personally. Those other leaders were great men that did great things but Jesus actually defeated death when He rose from the grave.

That moment was my Aha! moment in my religious beliefs. I knew I would not stay in that denomination once I was free to make that decision for myself. I knew there were still a lot of things I questioned regarding the things I was taught. But I also knew I had found a fact that I could cling to as my foundation.

My God defeated death and rose from the grave so that I may have eternal life.

Aha!

Belk Bowl

I am a NC State student. This means I hold my head high, howl loud and proud, and flash the Wolfpack hand sign. I bleed red 'n'white. I go to football games, sit in the student section and participate in every chant, every wave, every song. I was elated when my Michigan born-n-bred fiance' wore his NCSU t-shirt to the NC State vs. Central Michigan game. I was smug and sassy when we beat UNC FOR THE 5TH YEAR IN A ROW! Ok.. I'm still smug and sassy about that fact. And the very last game of the season... when we came back and beat Maryland... I was so full of Wolfpack pride, I wore red and white every day the next week. Today I found out NC State was going to the Belk Bowl. I rushed to the website to check on tickets and when I clicked on the "individual tickets" link, this is the page I saw:

My first reaction was shock. Of all the teams they could have chosen to put on their site, they chose our arch rivals? Are you kidding me? My next response was to vocalize my frustrations. I am a social media strategist. I own a company that specializes in assisting companies and organizations with their web presence and communications.  So I did what all social media geeks do. I took my grievance to Twitter. I found the Belk Bowl on Twitter and fired off this Tweet:

  ShelliMayfield Shelli Mayfield 

Hey @belkbowl... I'm a #Wolfpack fan. I went to ur pg to buy individual tickets for this bowl & u have the TARHEELS as the pic! WTH? #FAIL

Clearly the Belk Bowl understands the power of social media because within 20 minutes I got this response:

belkbowl Belk Bowl 

@ShelliMayfield @DAPerryThe1st The site features photos from all past games but we've updated it just for you. Belkbowl.com/ticketsBetter?

I immediately went back to the website and to my delight, the header on the page had been changed to this:

I am a happy girl. I am happy because my beloved Wolfpack is going to a bowl game. I am happy that in this day and age of corporate management and technology overload, we have a way to communicate with organizations on a much more intimate level than previous generations ever thought possible. Most of all, I am happy the Belk Bowl is wise enough to embrace these technologies, heard my distress and came riding up on their white stallion to save the day. 

Thank you to the social media team for the Belk Bowl.

GO WOLFPACK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Unanswered questions...

There is something that has been bothering me since Penn State child abuse scandal story broke. Why didn't MikeMcQueary call the police the minute he saw Jerry Sandusky raping a 10-year old boy in the shower at Penn State? The same question goes out to James Calhoun, the janitor that saw Sandusky performing oral sex on a child before that. They reported the incident to their superiors?!?! Are you kidding me? I want to know more about their actions and why isn't there more of an outcry about this. Did they stop the rapes, and if not, why not? Did they get medical attention for the children , and if so, why didn't the doctor report it? I have this mental image of them peeking around a corner and seeing these horrific situations and then running off to tattle rather than intervening and confronting Sandusky. I could be wrong. I HOPE I am wrong. But the evidence speaks for itself. The public is in an uproar about the cover-up at Penn State and rightly so BUT the reality is that situation would have never occurred had these men done the right thing the moment they saw the abuse occuring.

Do I think Joe Paterno deserved to be fired? HELL YES! Actually, I think he should be brought up on charges for failing to report it to the authorities. That also applies to anyone else that had even the faintest whiff of knowledge that children where being abused and did nothing to report it to the authorities.  I don't care who you are and what title you hold. If you see anyone being abused – i.e. child abuse, bullying, domestic abuse, etc – and you don't intervene on the behalf of the victim, you are just as guilty as the perpetrator.

The final straw for me was the reaction of Penn State fans when Paterno was fired. You rioted in the streets?! I can't even begin to express my disgust that this much emotion was reserved for a leader that failed to protect innocent children. I bet these same people participated in the Occupy Movement. It is time for our society to stop worshipping men and things and power and to get back to the basics. We need a lesson in honor and integrity and morality. We need to learn to stand up for what is right, no matter what the cost. We need character.

Hitting the road with Run Geordie Run

Nothing strikes fear in the heart of a parent more than hearing the words,“We're not sure if your child will survive”. This is an emotion I know all too well. On April 9^th, 1993, my youngest child made his way into the world. He didn't do it kicking and screaming. He wasn't even breathing. Levi was born 12 weeks premature due to complications I was experiencing related to toxemia. These complications had become lethal and the only way to spare my life was to bring my son into the world way too early.

 I can vividly remember the doctor explaining the pro's and con's of whether to risk my son's life to spare my own or to take the chance and see what happened in order to buy him more precious time within the womb. The decision to deliver my son early was aided by the fact that he was born at T C Thompson Children's Hospital at Erlanger in Chattanooga, TN. This hospital is supported, in part, by The Childrens Miracle Network. This organization raises funds that enables the hospital to provide lifesaving medical care to patients like my son. Because of others generosity, my son not only survived his traumatic birth, he has thrived and grown into a strong, tall, handsome 18-yr old young man.

When I discovered the Run Geordie Run organization, the thing that pulled me in was the fact he is running to raise funds for The Childrens Foundation (Charity No. 1000013). They are England's version of The Childrens Miracle Network and once I figured that out, I was sold. This was my chance to “pay forward” the debt of gratitude I felt for my son's life being spared. I volunteered to assist Mark in his public relation efforts because I go to North Carolina State University and am majoring in PR. Mark gladly accepted my offer and an alliance was formed.

As the run was about to begin, I decided to fly out to California and meet Mark and the first members of the support team, make sure he had what he needed to get started and help him acclimate to the USA in general. The original plan was for me to be with him in CA from the time he got off the plane until the end of the first official day of the run. Then I was going to meet up with him in Las Vegas for some PR appearances, then again in Columbus, Ohio to attend my first NUFC match and finally, I would be at the finish line in NYC when he ran up the pier in Coney Island. This whole plan changed in the few days we spent in CA. He needed me to be a part of the support team until the end and I knew that was were I was supposed to be this summer, so I went home, took care of the things I needed to take care of and 3 weeks later, I rejoined the team permanently.

Not long after my return to the crew, Mark asked me if I wanted to do some miles with him. I was shocked and started laughing. You see, I am not a marathon runner. I tore the ACL in my right knee in November. I have arthritis in my knees and toes and a bone spur in my right heel. To say that I don't have the body of a gym rat is an understatement. When I politely refused his offer and reminded him I wasn't a runner, he reminded me I could walk and asked me to see how far I could walk with him. It gave him some company during his cooling down time and it would be great exercise for me. I agreed and off we went. The first day, we walked 2 miles and I was so tired afterward that I went right to sleep as soon as we got back to the RV.

That first time out was a little over a month ago. These days, weather and traffic permitting, I hit the road with him every day, sometimes twice a day. I have gone from collapsing in exhaustion after a 2 miles walk to putting in 9 miles with him yesterday and upon returning to the RV, I cooked dinner and did laundry with no thought of  being tired, etc. I am losing weight, getting a tan and most importantly, I am forming a bond with a man that I now look upon as a brother. But somewhere along the way, I decided this needed to be more than about me. So I joined Team Run Geordie Run. This is a group of individuals that are doing various things to help Mark reach his fund raising goals. We each have our own justgiving page but all funds are counted towards Mark's target for the charities. My charity of choice is The Childrens Foundation because I want to do what I can to help other parents that are facing the same fear I did when my son's life was at risk.

So far, I have put in 34 miles with Mark and I am going to continue walking as many miles as possible until the end of the run. I hope to actually be running with him by the time he reaches NYC. It would be a great motivation if I could get my fund raising for The Childrens Foundation to take off. To date, I have only had one donation but I am sure there will be more. It is important to note that by giving through my justgiving page, it doesn't take away from Mark's fund raising efforts. It enhances them since all donations get funneled into the same account and sent straight to the the charity.

If you would like to support my walks with Mark and help us reach our goal of £25,000 (that's $39872.47 for us Americans) go to: http://www.justgiving.com/Shelli-Mayfield-2011

showers are for wimps...

I am a planner and an organizer. This summer I am learning those skills mean everything and nothing. Right now, I am sitting in an RV that is parked along the side of the road on Route 36 somewhere between Atwood and Norton, KS. The planner in me had already called ahead to the Prairie Dog State Park in Norton, KS. and made arrangements to camp there for the night. What that would have meant was hot showers for the crew and an environment conducive to this lifestyle. But alas... it was not meant to be.

You see, I am traveling as a member of the support team for Mark Allison aka Run Geordie Run. Our ultimate goal every night is not to find the best campground or RV park. Our goal is to find the safest and cheapest (preferably free) place to stay that is as close as possible to the point Mark stopped running that night. We strive for this for two reasons... #1 – we are not on vacation and it is important to remember that. We are here to work and to work hard for St Benedict's Hospice (Charity No. 1019410) and The Children's Foundation (Charity No. 1000013. We do this by providing support for Mark in whatever form that requires. The other reason we live like gypsies is because Mark is funding the cost of this run out of his own pocket. He sold his car and cashed in his savings to pay for the RV and RV essentials such as gas, dumping/water/propane charges and camping fee's when necessary. I will be the first one to tell you that when I go to Mark and tell him I need a night in a place that provides showers and full hook-ups, he is more than happy to provide that for me. In exchange, I make sure I do all of his laundry ( and the rest of the crews) while we are there.

Mark is good to me so I want to return the favor by doing everything I can do to help him save money. If this means that on days like today, when he simply could not go on and I had to make the decision to either drive to the state park and then drive back to this point in the morning OR sleep on the side of the road next to a wheat field in the middle of Kansas in order to save the money we would have spent on gas... the choice was easy. The girl inside of me that rivals Monica Gellar's organizing skills is learning to let go and just let life unfold. Who needs a shower anyway? A thunderstorm is headed this way. Maybe I'll just go dance in the rain. :-)

A glimpse into the heart of the man...

The morning Mark Allison set off on his run, I had the pleasure of meeting Alan Millen who happens to be a songwriter for the Exiles. I was very excited about this because #1, I've always been a big fan of the Exiles and #2, I had purchased both of the songs they wrote for Run Geordie Run off iTunes. They wrote two songs for Mark. One is titled “Runner On a Lonely Road” and the other is “Beneath the Angel's Wings Once More”.

Later that day, I was providing support for Mark via a rental car and as I watched him climb the hills of La Hacienda what should pop up on my iPod but “Runner On a Lonely Road”. Now granted, this happens to be one of my favorite songs and is saved on a list as such in my music library but the irony of the moment was not lost on me. I snapped this photo with that song playing in the background. As I listened to the lyrics (provided below) and watched Mark run, I was lost in one of those rare occasions of hearing the perfect song at just the right moment. Alan and his partner, Tim Readman, seem to have found a way into Mark's soul and mind and translated it into music. The song provides us mere mortals with a non-invasive way of being able to experience what it is like to be Mark Allison for a day... minus the blisters and sore calves, of course

Runner on a Lonely Road / Beneath the Angel's Wings Once More can be downloaded from
http://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/run-geordie-run-single/id361829604 .All proceeds go to the two charities. 

Runner on a Lonely Road

Who knows what lies ahead for me on my way to the finish line?
The road may twist and the road may bend
But I’ll keep going till I reach the end
I’m a runner on a lonely road

Peaks and valleys, rivers to cross On my way to the finish line
Let the hard rain fall, let the cruel wind blow
Let me bear the torch, let me face the foe
I’m a runner on a lonely road

I might grow weary, I might grow weak
I might bend but I will not break
I’ll go another mile for the magpie clan
And I’ll go another mile for those mates of mine
And I’ll go another mile for the ones I love
In the darkest night I’ll see a bright light shine

Who knows what trials will come my way
On the miles to the finish line
The road may bend and the road may twist
I’ll dig deeper, I’ll clench my fist
I’m a runner on a lonely road

Sand and cactus, dry as bone
On my way to the finish line
Let the sun beat down, Let it scorch my face
Let me sweat and toil, ‘til I run this race I’m a runner on a lonely road

I might grow weary I might grow weak
I might bend but I will not break
And there’s another mile for loved ones gone
And one for the stars and the man in the moon
And there’s another mile for my heart’s delight
And there’s another mile for the Tyne and Toon
Runner on a lonely road

A changing perspective

I know what it is like to force yourself to put one foot in front of the other when all you want to do is stop. I know what it is like to have people publicity vocalize their doubt that you can accomplish your goal. I know what it is like to sacrifice time with my kids and my family. I know what it is like to not have a social life and to be okay with that because my thoughts are obsessed by my drive to succeed.

I know all about grueling journeys.

I have spent the last 6 years trying to earn a college degree. I entered the world of academia as a non-traditional student and endured the smirks of much younger students and the disdain of my generation who cannot imagine why in the world I would want to attempt such a thing.

I've always had a drive to exceed others expectations of me. I am not a perfectionist but I do believe that if we fail to push ourselves, we will miss opportunities for greatness. I think the thing that keeps that fire burning is to surround ourselves with like-minded people that serve as our examples and/or mentors.

That is what I have in Mark Allison. When I first met him, I was struck by how down-to-earth he really is. And how ordinary he seemed. You see, I had put Mark on a pedestal, where gods and heroes belong. And while there is nothing wrong with a l'il “hero worship”, it does tend to make that individual a little hard to relate to. I would read about his 3 day marathon and tell myself to suck it up. I felt bad about not being as tough as he is.

And then I met him... and I discovered he is very human. I watched him order a juicy hamburger and enjoy every second of it. Then I watched him do it again the next day. This time he made the choice to order a salad instead of fries as his side item but that didn't stop him from stealing some of mine. I watched him fight his nervousness when we entered a ward of sick children. I could tell the father in him wanted to run away from such sad images. I watched him struggle with dehydration and heard his yells as he soaked his feet in ice water for the first time after he finished on day one. I heard him bare his soul to a fellow traveler as he attempted to make sense of his own drive to run across the country.

For me, Mark lost his superhero status.... and that makes me happy.

He is still one of my hero's. I still look up to and admire him. But he is no longer on a pedestal where I can't reach him. Instead, he is by my side giving me words of encouragement and expressing gratitude for the littlest things. He is quick with a smile and a joke. He is genuinely concerned about my feelings . I can tell my happiness is important to him.

What this revelation of Mark's mortality has done for me is provide me with a new vision about my own future. You see, I don't have to be a superhero. I don't have to be perfect. I don't even have to achieve all my goals. The lessons I have learned from Mark are pretty simple. I do have to try. I have to do the best I can everyday and then be humble enough to know my limitations. I have to take the time to enjoy the scenery along life's road because otherwise, the journey was a waste.

If Mark can make himself get up every day and run as far as he can, then I can make myself get up every day and study while riding in the RV. If he can cross the finish line in NYC in August, then I can cross that stage in Witherspoon Hall in December.

Mark isn't Superman. He's an example of how a mere human can accomplish his dreams through determination and will power. Mark is a mentor. And that is exactly what we need in this world.

For more information about Mark and his run, go to www.rungeordierun.com