-
Difficulty:
-
-
Terrain:
-
Size: 
(micro)
Please note Use of geocaching.com services is subject to the terms and conditions
in our disclaimer.
This is an easy park-n-grab, a true 1/1. Bring your own pen as there is not room enough in the cache container for a writing instrument. NOTE: When I went to put this one out, there was an unpublished cache already here. Please see my note at the bottom of the page.
This cache, along with it's sister cache just East of here, "Stick With It", is about perservance. The poem for this cache is entitled, "The Race" and is attributed to Dr. D.H. "Dee" Groberg. It is a story about a little boy who "Stuck to" the race!
Whenever I start to hang my head ,
in front of failure’s face,
my downward fall is broken ,
by the memory of a race.
A children’s race, young boys, young men;
how I remember well,
excitement sure, but also fear,
it wasn’t hard to tell.
They all lined up so full of hope,
each thought to win that race
or tie for first or if not that,
at least take second place.
Their parents watched from off the side,
each cheering for their son,
and each boy hoped to show his folks
that he would be the one.
The whistle blew and off they flew,
like chariots of fire,
to win to be the hero there,
was each young boy’s desire.
One boy in particular,
whose dad was in the crowd,
was running in the lead and thought
“My dad will be so proud.”
But as he speeded down the field
and crossed a shallow dip,
the little boy who thought he’d win,
lost his step and slipped.
Trying hard to catch himself,
his arms flew everyplace,
and midst the laughter of the crowd
he fell flat on his face.
As he fell, his hope fell too;
he couldn’t win it now.
Humiliated, he just wished
to disappear somehow.
But as he fell his dad stood up
and showed his anxious face,
which to the boy so clearly said,
“Get up and win that race!”
He quickly rose, no damage done,
behind a bit that’s all,
and ran with all his mind and might
to make up for his fall.
So anxious to restore himself,
to catch up and to win,
his mind went faster than his legs.
He slipped and fell again.
He wished that he had quit before
with only one disgrace.
“I’m hopeless as a runner now,
I shouldn’t try to race.”
But through the laughing crowd
he searched and found his father’s face
with a steady look that said again,
“Get up and win that race!”
So he jumped up to try again,
ten yards behind the last.
“If I’m to gain those yards,” he thought,
“I’ve got to run real fast!”
Exceeding everything he had,
he regained eight, then ten...
but trying hard to catch the lead,
he slipped and fell again.
Defeat! He lay there silently.
A tear dropped from his eye.
“There’s no sense running anymore!
Three strikes I’m out!
Why try? I’ve lost, so what’s the use?” he thought.
“I’ll live with my disgrace.”
But then he thought about his dad,
who soon he’d have to face.
“Get up,” an echo sounded low,
“you haven’t lost at all,
for all you have to do to win
is rise each time you fall.
Get up!” the echo urged him on,
“Get up and take your place!
You were not meant for failure here!
Get up and win that race!”
So, up he rose to run once more,
refusing to forfeit,
and he resolved that win or lose,
at least he wouldn’t quit.
So far behind the others now,
the most he’d ever been,
still he gave it all he had
and ran like he could win.
Three times he’d fallen stumbling,
three times he rose again.
Too far behind to hope to win,
he still ran to the end.
They cheered another boy
who crossed the line and won first place,
head high and proud and happy
-- no falling, no disgrace.
But, when the fallen youngster
crossed the line, in last place,
the crowd gave him a greater
cheer for finishing the race.
And even though he came in last
with head bowed low, unproud,
you would have thought he’d won the race,
to listen to the crowd.
And to his dad he sadly said,
“I didn’t do so well.”
“To me, you won,” his father said.
“You rose each time you fell.”
And now when things seem dark and bleak
and difficult to face,
the memory of that little boy
helps me in my own race.
For all of life is like that race,
with ups and downs and all.
And all you have to do to win
is rise each time you fall.
And when depression and despair
shout loudly in my face,
another voice within me says,
“Get up and win that race!”
---------
Cache Note: When I went to put this cache out, there was already an unregistered cache in this exact place. I waited almost 48 hours before even submitting this for publication. I contacted the reviewers and the verdict was a cache is not a cache until published. I hope this does not cause any hard feelings from the area cachers, but there was no way of knowing who put it out or how long it has been here waiting there to be submitted. The unpublished container has been moved. If the owner will contact me I'll send the coordinates of where it is waiting to be picked up. How fitting, it could have been called "Two Stuck To It". Thanks!
*** Co FTF honors to Eravau and Lucybean&Sam in a wild late night 2 cache run! ***
Additional Hints
(No hints available.)