Elongate The Dash (The Friday Ficks S6 E21)

It holds everything.

It is a simple, sobering truth that between the day you’re born and the day you die, there is a line.

In her poem of the same name, Linda Ellis calls it “the dash.”

When a lifelong friend died a few years ago, I delivered the eulogy. I’ve stood at the podium before and I will again. It is both an honor and a reckoning - the closing argument of a life.

As I prepared, the Ellis poem guided me, helping me talk about my friend’s dash.

Not the titles. Not the trophies. Not the accolades. Not the credentials. But his dash, and how he so fully lived it.

In turn, I thought about the intersection of my dash and how deeply I care about fitness and wellness.

Why? I want to elongate the dash. Not out of vanity. Out of responsibility.

More years with my wife. More conversations with my daughters. More chances to mentor and watch the next generation rise. More miles on my bike, and more meaning in those miles.

The data is clear: consistent physical activity is strongly associated with a longer, healthier life. How you move influences how long you live.

That’s not motivational fluff. That’s evidence. And it reframes everything.

It’s not just what you build, but how long you’re here to build it.

I invite you to be curious. Are your daily choices helping you elongate the dash, or quietly shortening it?

This holiday weekend, keep it simple. Take one action for which your future self, and your family, will thank you. Because one day, someone will stand at a podium and talk about your dash.

Why not do what you can to elongate it?

Own the day. Own the weekend.

Carl