Haruki Murakami! The Man Who Started it All!

"So who is Haruki Murakami?"  You may ask.  And how did this guy manage to inspire my wife into becoming a runner when I could not?   The answer is very simple:   He is a Japanese Author who likes cats.   Oh!  And I guess he runs a little.  
Now, if you are like me,  you probably are wondering how an author of fiction could possibly inspire someone, who never considered herself an athlete, to take up running.   Oh, those wily authors with their seductive ways of writing.   Novelist and poets have long known ways to woo  women with mere words and phrases that any football player would never even fathom. I should know!  After all, I am trying to become one. ( An author, Not a football player)   I, however, am motivated by the much more noble goals of self recognition, fame, and fortune.   Inspiring people to take up a cause or goal for human betterment is beyond me.   So perhaps we differ slightly in our focus.  


  He is also Japanese.   I can understand this a bit.   Cheryl,  has been infatuated with everything Japan for quite some time.   And why not?   Japan makes Sushi, Anime, Sony Electronics, Robots,  and Subarus!  So it makes sense that one of her favorite authors comes from Japan as well.  (They also have Ninjas, but that might be just something I find attractive.)  I'm not sure if Haruki Murakami has any ties to any of those things,  but being born in  Fushimi-ku, Kyoto, Kyoto Prefecture must make him some how connected.

He also likes cats.   Anyone who likes and writes about cats can not be all that bad, right?   I mean,  I like cats and I'm kind of awesome.  Cheryl tells me he puts cats ( And Subarus!)  into many of his novels frequently.   Sometimes as background, other times as characters.   Cats are one of those pets that have an independence  and self reliance about them  that many people might find annoying.  Anyone who finds this quality alluring is OK by me.

And lastly,   I guess he runs Marathons.   Occasionally,  he runs Iron Mans and Ultra Marathons.  Now you may be asking, "Why would an author of fiction feel the need to run at all?"   Cheryl tells me he answers these questions in one of his books.   Apparently, running is healthy for your brain and helps you with writers block.
  I should have taken a page from that lesson when I was trying to write back in November.  This book he wrote seems to have done the lions share of the inspiring for Cheryl,  since it was shortly after reading that book that she considered giving running a go.  Having  the ultimate goal of completing a Marathon at the end of a training season seems to have pushed the right button in her Psyche.

 If I had known that years ago,  I possibly could have pushed that button sooner.   But the truth is I have never run farther than a 6 mile Eagle Run in the Army.  Running in a 26.2 mile organized event was something I had never considered.  Even now,  I would find that distance daunting.

So even though I'm suspicious of his motives,  I have to hand it to  Murakami San for accidentally inspiring my Wife to take up running.  I have yet to read one of his books,  but that is on me since I'm not much of a reader.  Sometimes a simple spark is all it takes to create a devastating explosion.   So I'd like to credit Mr. Murakami for providing that spark that has unleashed Cheryl's unbridled energy.