Running to or from?

I have been running quite a bit lately. My goal is to run 1000 miles this calendar year. This is roughly triple what I ran last year. 1000 miles is well within the possible range for me. Hell, I think that I can do just about anything that I set as a goal. I now run for as often as possible and I set a different goal for each individual run. Some days I run fast and short, some fast and long or slow and recover/rest. Whatever the run maybe I have trouble not pushing myself to some sort of new best, whether I make it or not, I still try. This keeps me sharp, interested and intense while churning out the miles. I am behind where I need to be for the year, but no matter, I am making up ground and I will hit at a minimum 1000 miles.

Making Waves... and I can't go.

On my drive home from work this afternoon, I was able to sneak peaks of Lake Erie in between the million dollar lake homes, I noticed some white caps punctuating some greenish brown rollers. At the few openings in the urban enclosure surrounding the water I was able to confirm that yes indeed there were 3 footers rolling into the shore, churning up the surf and making plenty of noise. After an instant spike of adrenaline my next thought was that I have to pack up my 14.5" Perception Carolina and get out for some early fall Yak surfing. I wondered if all my gear was accessible, how cold the water was and then not caring about temperature, and how I was going to explain to my wife where I would be at for next two hours.

Then I was yanked back to reality as I remembered that Tuesday night is soccer night. Two practices, two different fields, divide up four kids between two parents and... no 3 foot rollers for me. I guess there is always next time.

One of my all time favorite distractions.

When I listen to this song, I am able to block out just about everything that is going on around me. I am able to forget the trouble of work, kids, etc.

I think that everyone should have something that proves itself as a worthy escape from the hub-bub that takes us away from our spiritual well being. Spiritual, not it the religious sense, but in the aspect of your own personal human spirit. Your will, your free-thinking mind that allows you to be "Alive". I pray that you too have dialed into your spiritual being and found the distraction that lets you just be you for a few minutes of the day. If you have not, you should spend the time to find that place.

Varying from the Routine

On Saturday and Sunday mornings I can usually be found sitting outside in front of my or my neighbor's house enjoying a couple cups of coffee. We are usually joined by several other of our adult neighbors and a half dozen plus children of varying ages running around enjoying being outside with friends. We have named our weekend morning routine "Coffee on the Stoop".

This morning at the invitation of one of the regular "Stoopers" we moved our coffee spot to the end of the beach at the end of the road. We packed up the collective 5 children that we were presently responsible for, mounted up on the bikes and pedaled the 1/4 mile to our little Lake Erie beach. Within several minutes we had the bikes stashed, the kids stripped down to bathing suits, camping chairs set up and most importantly the coffee poured. With one cup of Joe down, I joined the mini-people that were cruising around in and out of the clear waist deep water. A quick dive under the cool surface and I was revived and ready for some more of my favorite morning beverage.

I know that it is not the most idyllic beach, but this morning it was just right.

About Alive

What is Alive about? What does it mean to me?

People live too much in the past and think a lot about the What-ifs of their life. While doing so they are sometimes blinded by fear, so that the future is featureless.

Alive is a reminder, a call to arms if you will, to remember that without a little risk nothing magnificent is ever accomplished.

Making another go of it.

Well here I am again. After another long hiatus of not writing I am going to make another empty promise. Another shot at writing on a regular basis. Another stab at notoriety and attention. Whatever the promise and whatever the outcome, I am back and I am just as committed as I always have been in the past (read sarcasm). Only this time, it is part of a greater experiment. I am going to test a theory of mine about myself (I can't divulge the secret just yet, but possibly in due time).

So here is what I need. I need readers. I need comments. Even if you are going to berate and insult or just mock my attempts, I want to know that people are reading what I have written. So, why don't we all sit back see how long I last.

Hibernating Humans

I have seen some people in the past couple of days shaking off the hazy cobwebs of hibernation. We have hit the first few days of warmth of the year and I have been out running. Normally I would have run in the slush, muck and snow of the season, but not this year. I, like many of the people in the northern part of the United States hunkered down and stayed out of the elements. It seems that we do this almost as instinctually as the bears. Regardless of how much fun wintertime outdoor activities are and how great cold weather gear has become, people seem to relish the idea of some time off from the physical grind of warm weather activities. Maybe we need this time to re-charge our batteries, or maybe the weather is just a convenient excuse to not get wet and a bit cold and to let our bodies and minds recover from our months of warm weather.

Maybe this hiatus enables us to live longer. Doesn't it seem that longevity is usually centered in colder climates? Could it be that people in warmer climates just don't take the time to stop, fatten up for the winter, and rest their tired bodies?

Smart TV, I think not!

I have a real problem with weight loss infomercials.  It is no secret that the citizens of the United States are overweight and that most of these "heavy" people are undoubtedly in denial of their precarious health situation.  It is so bad, that a better description of their mental state in relation to their weight and health might be oblivious.  This has been brought on by a shift in what has become acceptable because of the "cushy" lifestyle that has been afforded to us by our county's ability to adapt and overcome in the past global environment.

 

The price of the sweat and perseverance of those that forged this country is coming to pass in the cost of keeping fat people "healthy".  Our country, both citizens and government alike, have spent way too much money reacting to weight related health problems rather than taking a proactive approach and keeping people from becoming fat.  One cannot go an hour through the day without have some contact with the weight loss industry.  We are surrounded/bombarded by different tactics to lose weight and get ourselves back to the correct frame of what is healthy.

 

Weight loss infomercials are a huge part of our problem.  The message delivered in these programs, preys on the quick fix that everyone wants.  Very few describe to the viewers that these devices or programs are only helpful as part of the big picture of healthy living.  One machine will not make you thin.  One pill will not help you fit into those pants that you used to wear, 50 pizzas ago.

Can't and Won't

There are few things in this world that grate on me more than someone telling me that they "can't". I would rather have a person tell me that they "won't" do something. At least if you refuse to carry out a task or a request, you have the courage to inform someone that you are not willing to do. To me "won't" means that you have the ability but for some reason, whether you tell me or not, you are not going to do what I have asked. This refusal involves several admirable traits.

"Can't", to me, implies fearfulness, lack of courage, and lack of intelligence and/or imagination. Can't is the opposite of Can. Can't then would mean that the ability is present, but that fear has taken control and blocked the persons will. This is weakness at it's core. You must have power over your mind and you willfulness. If you are too weak to override your own mind's fears then who are you to even try to present yourself as a powerful, person able to accomplish a perceived difficult or impossible task.

There is a solution to any and every problem, a person just needs the courage, determination and imagination to solve problems. Cowards and liars allow the word "can't" into their vocabulary.

Cabin Fevers

This winter season appears to have caught up to my family. Ear infections, mysterious headaches and bronchitis are currently moving through our lives. These afflictions make daily living all the more difficult over and above the usual semi-controlled chaos of a large family.

I am able to look past these current minor trials and see the future, to a time when the little people of the family will be ripping and tearing around regardless of the weather, season, or location. I see adventure in their eyes and restless wanderlust lurking in their spirits and I will not curtail this by giving them the trendy, heartless objects that will beckon our children in the future. However I promise to feed their spirituality with love and intensity. For some time now I have refused to grow up and I will rely on their passion to keep me young, and in return I will keep up with them where ever they will have me.