On Endurance

"The ability to withstand hardship or adversity; especially: the ability to sustain a prolonged stressful effort or activity" 

This is the definition of endurance according to Merriam Webster's dictionary.  This is all well and good, but to me endurance is more than this, especially in light of the Boston Marathon Tragedy.  Endurance is about the ability to transcend hardship. 

When we simply deal with a bad situation, we are saying that we accept that situation the way it is without question, thus addressing only the immediate hardship.  But when we rise above adversity, we can over the forest to the mountains and valleys beyond.  We not only address the immediate situation, but we find the path to avoid theses adverse situations in the future, or at least a better way to weather the storm when these situations arise.

Another definition of endurance is Permanence.  Homer's The Iliad and The Odyssey endure because the stories are so meaningful and accessible, even today.  You many even say they transcend time!  So, when I think of endurance I also think of permanence, or "the ability to continue or remain without fundamental or marked change".  The heart and soul of Boston is permanent.

Marathon runners endure.  They suffer through the difficulty of running 26.2 miles, and they run each mile from start to finish (ideally) at exactly the same pace.  They also come back and do it again next year, generation after generation.  Nothing can keep us down!

"B" Strong Boston, the runners will be back next year, and the year after that, etc...