The Home Stretch

Feat. The Music of Jackson Browne.

“It ain’t about how hard you hit. It’s about how hard you can GET hit and keep moving forward. How much you can take and keep moving forward. That’s how winning is done.”

Experience Film’s first music video of 2018 is less than a week away! I can taste victory. 

With your generous help, Team Happy is now assembled. And, after a few more practices, they’ll be ready for gametime. I can’t wait to show them off to you. But first I need to rest.

This weekend marks the end of a triple marathon I’ve been running for 2 months. Together they’ve left me battered and bruised. I feel like Rocky Balboa after his fight with Apollo Creed.

First, yesterday I finished a very challenging 8-wk long project at work, on which I was a team leader.

I battled multiple illnesses over the course of this project, including strep throat and bronchitis, exhausted myself twice, and have now succumbed to stress headaches which are mostly preventing me from using my eyes until they are rested (for several days I’m guessing). This unfortunately means no video editing in the meantime. Which also means the completion of the Team Happy music video very much depends upon my brain and eyes healing.

(To the girl who took my big fish sticker, I earned it for you. It’s your’s. You made this project worthwile.)

Secondly, today I completed my second half marathon, Cincinnati’s 20th Flyting Pig – to benefit cancer research. My ailments, and work schedule prevented me from training for the race. So I was unprepared, and already exhausted going in. As you can imagine, I finished the race in the fiery depths of hell. I am broken.

I don’t know who ran that race today but it wasn’t me. I couldn’t have. I had nothing in the tank to begin with.

Beforehand I prayed to my Uncle Bruce, who lost his battle to cancer last summer, to watch over me today. I believe he did. I asked my Uncle Reif who passed just 3 weeks ago as well, but he already had a lot of runners to watch over, including his daughter (my cousin, Anna, who ran the full!)

My father, Eric had a difficult fight with the disease last year as well. He beat it, and has the scars to prove it. Dad, I am proud of you. My brother-in-law Joe’s mother was taken from us a year and half ago too. We’ve gotta figure how to beat this thing, people. It’s making me mad.

Thank you mom & Dad, Juli, Joe, Mike, Anna, Scott, and everybody that wished me luck going in. I needed it! Congrats, Scott on completing your first half marathon. We did it, buddy. 

The 3rd marathon is of course the music video. But I’m not quite at the finish line yet. I’ve already put in 60+ hours of work. These hours, and the energy, haven’t really been available to me. Both were conjured out of pure exitement and inspiration. I’m so excited to bring you this music video. I hope you’ll enjoy it. I think you’ll enjoy it.

This project has changed me. It has added spring to my step. It couldn’t have come at a better time. It has really gotten me through these difficult weeks.

I have a week break from work after tmrw. As my eyes heal (hopefully) I will get caught up on reading your posts, and hopefully complete this music video soon.

Thanks for reading.

E.F.