Thursday, August 7, 2008

An Unknown Road


"The bend in the road is not the end of the road, unless you refuse to take the turn."

Right now I have a lot of questions. And on most days it seems like I don’t have a single, solitary answer. My life is in a place that I did not envision and I feel lost. But for some reason I’m supposed to be exactly where I am. In this state… in this house… in this (lack of) relationship… spending time with these friends…taking this time for myself…following this path.

And I’m not supposed to be in China. This is the biggest pill to swallow. Because I thought that I knew, that I knew, that I knew, that THAT was my destiny. You could not have convinced me otherwise. But that blessing was not for me. Not this time around. The hardest thing about this sport is that you can work harder than you ever thought possible, you can commit more than you ever thought you could, you can possess all the talent in the world, and yet still you might find yourself no closer to your goal than before all of the sacrifice. And you wonder why that is. Why me? Why now? Why this? Why not? Why her? I can’t answer any of them right now, but I do know that there is a reason for this particular point in my life and for things unfolding the way they did. So I just need to continue to trust that this path is the right one for me. I’m not at the end of the road, I’m just continuing on the path I didn’t even realize I was on.

17 comments:

Anonymous said...

Brianna:

I think that you are missing some important points about your life.

1. As far as track goes, you are a winner. WINNER. Your accomplishments far exceed the failures.

To put your name, track, and failure in the same sentence is beyond an injustice.

You didn't make the Olympics; you are still a world-class athlete with an amazing career.

2. As I have read your comments outside of track, I am disturbed by how you view and treat others.

I think your relationships (not friends) will grow if you reevaluate how you treat others. Your words make you come across as a user, arrogant, and unappreciative.

Is that really you?

You are a great friend, so why not treat everyone with the grace, dignity, and class that you show to your friends?

You are a winner on the field.

Now go be one off the field as well.

A friend.

Anonymous said...

Brianna,

This comment has nothing to do with this blog. But I read something you wrote talking about why you are still single and maybe you should just settle for less. well... I know of an excellent book that will solve all your concerns. It's called "I Kissed Dating Goodbye" by Joshua Harris. I know the title sounds scary, but this book will change you life. It can be found in any major book store like Barnes and Nobles, Borders, Books-a-Million, etc. Its in the Christian Inspiration section.

Brianna said...

a couple of things...

When did I mention that I was a failure? I re-read this post and did not see that word anywhere. If my goal was to make the Olympic Team and I did not do that, then yes, I failed at that particular goal. That is not a pessimistic point of view or not giving myself enough credit for what I have accomplished, it is simply the truth as to the outcome of that particular goal. How do you see it differently?

In regards to how I treat others...I must admit I am a little perplexed on where this is coming from. Other blogs? Heresay? You know someone who tried to date me? Regardless, I do not agree. I treat people with respect. Find someone who has had personal interaction with me and ask them if they would say otherwise. Unless YOU have met me and known me to be all these things you claim I am, I would say that it is baseless. If you don't find the humor in my stories about guys at the bookstore or people I sit next to on a plane, or whatever else you could possibly be referring to, then ok. But you should know that I am polite even to them. And if you are speaking about something entirely different, don't be so vague because if you want to call me out I'd like to know what exactly it is in regards to.

and to the next anonymous...I don't know what you might be referring to but know that if I said that maybe I would settle for less...it was said in JEST. I don't settle. 28 and single should make that point obvious.

Anonymous said...

@ Bri: Ouch!
Blogging has no boundaries! and while many of us have no clue who you are outside of your words, the blog may give some the idea that they understand so much more. It's good in some ways and unfortunate in others. Shake it off! and Good Luck, sweetness!

eclectik said...

You're in one of the toughest sports possible and you've succeeded, that's big.

What's bigger than that? Your heart and your Wisdom.

You have a big things ahead of you, no matter what.

I hear there's relationships and fun to be had on the East coast :)

Anonymous said...

hey you should change the picture in this post; i know the road in that picture.

Anonymous said...

I feel like I am a crossroads in my life as well & I am truly inspired by this post (and by you!!!)

White Flower said...

Bri, change your settings so that anonymous people have to cop to an identity.

Anonymous said...

opening ceremonies were the most incredible ever! I do realize it's a hard pill to swallow but it's time to move on however unsensitive that this maybe it is time to accept this fact. this blog is starting to turn into some mtv reality tv thing and as much of fan i am of yours cut the sap. You didn't make the olympic team--o.k. trust when i say it won't be the most important thing you have or will ever try---if you feel that bad and want it so damn much start talking about the road to 2012 in London--if you don't make then maybe then is when all this continued sobbing should happen--you had knee surgery a couple of weeks before the trials and changed coach 10 months before the games what did you expect? It's like trying to learn how to dance 2 hours before the prom! How do you run 11.10 in the 100m and can't get 23 feet in the lj? Get back to training find the right coach stay with him or her for the next 4 years you'll be 32 and you will make the team and medal! Grace Upshaw can't run as fast as you can she is 32 now and look what she did jjk wasn't as fast as you and how far she get there?--trust me this is all love--

Anonymous said...

I agree with Bianca! Change your settings. No anonymous post allowed.

@ anonymous: You are a parasite!

Brianna said...

to the 432589283 anonymous post...first of all, you obviously know me so it's quite lame that you post something without putting your name. if you want to call me a sap, the least you can do is include who you are because then, at the very least, i can address you directly.

but generally speaking, here is to all of you....i am getting sick and tired of people posting anonymously just so they can say what they want and then hide behind the computer. i leave my comments open so that the people who want to comment but don't have an account won't be inconvenienced. But it it getting out of hand and it is downright annoying. I don't know when anybody got the idea that I blog for YOUR sake or that my feelings or emotions were something that you had more of a direct understanding of than myself and that you should in fact tell me how to feel, how to act, how to live, how to process my emotion, how to ...ANYTHING. Half this stuff is just plain vindictive and serves no purpose. If I ask for your opinion, fine. If not, what in the world made you think that you are the authority on when is the proper time to "move on" and what should be important in my life? Are you serious???? You seem to be up to date on all my relevant stats but did you actually experience them yourself? I think not. Do I go around telling other people when exactly their timeline is for grieving over something that means a lot to them? Do you realize how completely insane that is??? You have not walked a single step in my shoes, don't ever pretend that you understand exactly what I feel and then try and further tell me how I SHOULD feel. Like i have said many times before, this little blog here is nobodies required reading and if you are getting sick and tired of whatever it is I choose to write about, DON'T READ. It's not that hard of a decision and it really would make both of our lives a lot easier.

Anonymous said...

lol...tell'em girl

It's obvious that anonymous is writing things to purposely get a response from you for some type of self-serving purpose...

Anyway...you didn't miss anything from the opening ceremonies as it appeared on t.v.

I'd like to know what's next personally...

you know I use you as an example for my athletes...I guess I can tell them...
after track you can do this (modeling, acting, modeling, etc.)...cuz BRIANNA GLENN track athlete extradonaire did it :-)

Anonymous said...

I was just reading nytimes.com and saw a ralph lauren ad, and said, "brianna glenn." i told myself, i soooo remember her from pac-10 competition, she was from u of a, and a mad fast runner and jumper. remember seeing you run each race each year at pac-10s with such confidence. i was a competitor, but on the field side of things, but i remember, year in and year out, the track was your show and you owned it. It is mysterious to see what the Lord gives and what the Lord takes away. It is amazing to know that there is a purpose behind all things even when we do not see how it all fits together. Be blessed as you look back to see the road that you have literally run down in your life and in your career.

with care,
fellow pac-10 athlete

Anonymous said...

The opening ceremonies put me (and my spouse) to sleep.

Signed,

Anonymous

Anonymous said...

Wow, this entry is pretty serious and true. That's the thing about track though, on top of the fact you can't blame someone else if things don't go well. You can end up sitting their kicking off your spikes wondering where you went wrong, or why you picked that day to foul all three jumps...at least that's what used to happen to me. I kind of feel the same way right now about my professional life. I wrote a pretty popular blog entry about how my degree hasn't done for me what I expected it would. It can be viewed at my blog called "The Ramblings of an Articulate Black Guy.

Anonymous said...

You have good heart. I hope you find a love worthy of your desire to find an equal.

Medoblado

Anonymous said...

Okay, real talk here! You have GOT to keep competing! If these Olympics have taught us anything, it's that there is no such thing as a "foregone conclusion"! People get DQ'd, get cramps, clip hurdles, etc. You still have the physical gifts so keep going for it until the proverbial "wheels" fall off! God Bless!