the secret to life is depth

​If the secret to life is indeed tied to depth, and I've come to believe more and more it is, it explains a lot about some of the struggles in my life.

This week, I listened to a fantasy come to life podcast interview. Rich Roll, who wrote "Finding Ultra" - the book that inspired my desire to see how far I could push my body - interviewed Steven Pressfield, who wrote one of - if not THE most - meaningful books I've ever read. His "The War of Art" poured fuel on the fire of my love for writing.

Listening to these two guys talk about overcoming the very real and intimidating resistance forces in each of our lives - was powerful.

Pressfield said depth is the key to creativity. Acknowledging that Roll is an accomplished endurance athlete, he said the same is true of ultra-fitness - the key is depth.

Pressfield went on to say that anything we do for an hour - the experience in that thing is much different after an hour than it is after ten minutes.

I think the challenge with that is that we live in a ten minutes world. There's very little we want to invest an hour in if we can get away with doing it for ten minutes.

I think of my ultra-running experiences. Pressfield is right. I think of running the Georgia Jewel last September. I was out there for 13 1/2 hours to cover 37 miles. The most beautiful hour of that experience, the hour where I learned the most about myself and about life - it was hour 13. It was deep into the running.

I think about my writing. How some days I get here and after five minutes I'd like to just stop. But as I keep typing away, thoughts and life and memories just come to me and then to you. Writing starts coming from my heart and not my mind. Writing gets deep.

I think about my work, how my joy in my job doesn't come from crossing off the superficial tasks on my to-do list, but in learning and sharing a deeper understanding of trauma and substance abuse and the mental health challenges people face. My joy in my job comes from digging into the deeper parts of my work.

I think about relationships. And I wonder if the secret to a life-giving relationship is not found here - in a world of quick and endless loves and likes - but face to face, sharing with someone the hardest and deepest moments and conversations. Sharing tears and exchanging laughter. I wonder if the joy in life comes through relationships found far beneath the surface of the ocean, not floating on top of it.

And I do wonder if my most meaningful connection to God isn't found in reading the first chapter in my bible reading plan this morning, but at the end of that prayer where I've let God in on my deepest struggles - my hurts and my regrets.

I wonder if my connection to God is strongest deep beneath the commandments and the laws and the memorization; I wonder if it's deep in my soul, where God feels far less intimidating and far more loving and compassionate.

I wonder if Pressfield is right. Right about creativity and ultra-fitness, for sure, but right about life. That the secret to life is deep.

And I wonder if like me, many are and have missed out on that secret. We've missed out by hanging out on the surface of life.

Maybe we all need to resist a little more the temptation to embrace ten minute lives, when life is so much more meaningful after an hour.