Paperwork: It helps to know someone is waiting at every finish line

Ya gotta love the cheerleaders.

I think I began to understand this when I was watching the end of a televised marathon – a grueling race that got me thinking about crossing finish lines.

So much personal endurance is involved to reach those final seconds. There must be a continual conversation with yourself.

“Pace yourself. Breathe. You can do this.”

Then the finish where pain and pride collapse together into cheering, waving arms, and smiles – the noise of joy blends with exhilarating exhaustion.

Now imagine what it would be like to see empty space at the end, nothing but a simple line on the ground to step over.

No, it would not be enough. There must be more.

Watching the marathon I saw you don’t have to be a runner to get into the game, to feel your own pulse quicken. Dotted along that 26.2-mile course were strangers handing bottles of water to runners. Everyone there was part of the event. And that is important.

I was reminded of this by something my wife said after returning from her first-ever Chicago Bears game at Soldier Field. For her it was a bucket-list thing.

Being there, part of the crowd with cheering, crazy fans, the food, the panorama, the sunny day with her sister all added up to a great memory.

She was part of the spectacle, and that was more important than the game itself, she said. But, of course, all that is part of the game.

Again, imagine being a player on the field and looking out at silent, empty seats. It’s about winning, but what is victory without applause?

We do love a pat on the back, a reminder of why we are in the game. Why it matters to be better, to succeed, to achieve. And why we care if we lose.

Cheering. Encouraging. Pushing. Win or lose, we need cheerleaders. They are part of every sport. But there’s more. Because cheerleaders are an important part of every challenge, far beyond sports.

Marathons are challenging and a noteworthy accomplishment. But they are over in a few hours. Now think about the real marathon, that long, long race we run through life.

I think back on my years growing up, the hours spent in classrooms, the challenges of jobs and moving and family. I crossed a lot of finish lines.

Many early benchmarks were set up for me, like a track with hurdles. Get an education. Get a job. Even birthdays are built into the sprint through life.

But those finish lines often included celebrations. I had my cheerleaders. I had my applause.

Finishing high school, getting a driver’s license, college and then my first professional job – they all felt like victories. Because friends and family were there ... cheering.

There are all kinds of finish lines, though. How many do we cross alone? Or at least it feels that way.

I know I am not the only one running the gauntlet of life. We are all in the same race, right? And we need our cheerleaders.

So I guess there’s good question I should ask myself more often than I do.

“Who do I know who needs to hear some applause? Right now.”

• Lonny Cain, retired managing editor of The Times in Ottawa, also was a reporter for The Herald-News in Joliet in the 1970s. His Paperwork email is lonnyjcain@gmail.com. Or mail The Times, 110 W. Jefferson St., Ottawa, IL 61350.