Is today a finish line!

Sunday, April 03, 2016 · Mike Davis

Good morning! This morning I am sitting in a bed at my in-laws with my beautiful amazing wife sleeping next to me. Today is kind of a big deal for me as I will have my retirement ceremony. It is kind of a weird time because I will have a ceremony today and then be back in my uniform tomorrow to finish out the remainder of April before I officially retire. The reason my ceremony proceeds my actual last day is due to wanting to have it on our Unit Training Assembly (Drill weekend), so that military members may easily be in attendance. If I so chose I could have retired April 29th and then returned the second weekend in May when we had our next Drill weekend and had the ceremony then. That did not appeal to me very much if at all, so a few weeks early my ceremony is. I think in some ways it will allow for me to relax my final weeks without any worries. So at 1530 today I will dawn my Air Force dress blues and many friends and family members will help celebrate my 33 plus years of service to my country. “No Finish Line Running (LLC)” is the name of the business I founded and this name came from an inner belief that running is never meant to be about a finish line but, instead a preputial journey of healthy joy. Pretty deep right or maybe just a little corny. Running surely allows for finish lines and those lines are a lot of and very motivating but, ultimately if our running is for joy, it will be a forever journey. Today seems like a celebration of reaching the finish line in the service to my country. Along the 33 years, 6 months and 13 days at times it has certainly felt like an Ultra Marathon that would never end! Of course it now feels like a blur as it seems like just yesterday I got off the Bus at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio Texas and started Basic Training. October 13, 1982 I started wearing Air Force fatigues and have worn many iterations of the Air Force uniform since without a break. A long journey toward a finish line that some days I wanted to be around the next corner and other days I could not even imagine. The seats my family, friends and fellow military members will sit in today watching me say farewell and being honored are seats I have sat in numerous times over the years. It has not been till this last year that it started to sink in that my time to be the one everyone was facing was drawing near and today it will be awkward and surreal to be up on that stage knowing that everyone is essentially there to say “goodbye” to Senior Master Sergeant Michael Davis. It is my turn to. While this day will be an emotional one for me and there will be some sadness in my heart as wearing the uniform has afforded me so many opportunities to serve and feel a sense of value. However, like with running, there is ‘no finish line,’ not today at the end of the ceremony and not ever April 29, 2016 when my service time officially commences. Service to my country and people will not continue in a uniform because that part of the journey is over but, the journey most definitely continues for Mike Davis. Running will continue to be part of my service and hopefully other opportunities will be found that will allow for me to continue serving people in some capacity. No I am not trying to come off as a humble servant of the people though that would not be a bad thing. Selfishly I enjoy people and the best way to continue being around people is to run with them as well as offering assistance when possible. No finish line today just some goodbyes and chance to show appreciation to those that have been a part of my 33 plus year journey. I have been truly blessed. Have a great Sunday and thanks for hanging in with me! See you on the roads and God Bless! Mike