keep things in perspective

Today starts a big weekend here in town. Duathlon today and half marathon tomorrow. With all my muscle issues of late, I am not sure how I will do. I hope I can finish both events.

But in the grand scheme of it, it is just about being there and taking part. I have a lot of friends involved in the events this weekend and it will be great to see them, cheer them on and share the experience. It does not matter who finishes first.

I hope to see a lot of smiles and laughter today and tomorrow. People enjoying life and completing a challenge. What could be better than that.

I checked out NPR right before lunch today. There were three articles right on top of one another. I wondered if they were put in that order on purpose.

1 – 50 Million People In Path Of Potentially Historic Blizzard
Now have been through many blizzards here in upstate New York. I don’t know if i would call any of them “historic”. I don’t remember the specifics of any of them. I just know we got a lot of snow. This must be really bad if it will be historic? I hope we all survive…

2 – Close Shave: Asteroid To Buzz Earth Next Week
Now this is the first I have heard about this happening. They say it will miss Earth. I hope so. But if it hits, now that would really be historic!! But then, who would be left around to document such an historic event?

And then there was this:
Outside The Big City, A Harrowing Sexual Assault In Rural India
A somewhat common occurrence. To be forgot in history. But never to the victims.

Snowstorms and near-misses don’t seem quite that harrowing, or historic, any more.

I hope everyone has a safe and joyous evening and day tomorrow.

There is a lot of crazy things going on in this world. Our community was rocked by a fire and shooting early today. I’m trying not to pay attention, but it was close and it is all over the news. It is hard to ignore.

So it becomes all the more important to tell those close to you that you love them. To give them a big hug. To be calm and enjoy your time together.

I hope everyone has a wonderful and Merry Christmas.

Peace.

I have said in a couple entries that I am reading “The China Study” and I am somewhat following a plant based diet. The book makes a good case for eating this way, but as always, I am skeptical and do a search on the critics of the book. I am rewarded with an array of articles and people who say the book is wrong and the study is flawed. I am not sure of the credentials of these critics. Most seem to just be bloggers. There was one who had an MD after his name and another who was a med student. I am not sure they know more than the author who has over 30 years of study and research on this topic.

I guess my point is, we still don’t really know the affects of meat and dairy on our health. After all the study and smart people who look at this stuff, there is still so much mis-information and unknowns on the subject of meat and dairy on chronic disease.

So, I am my own experiment now. I can read more and try to make some good choices. I still believe the vegetarian life style is the healthiest. Vegan may be better. It will be a long experiment. I’m not sure what I can prove though as I am only an N = 1.

Things happen; good and sad.

On the good side, Lisa, who 20 years ago was in a wheelchair suffering from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, climbed to the top of Mt. Kilimanjaro one week ago. The photo is her on the summit. She had a tough battle and fought the disease for 9 years, 4 of those years in that wheelchair. It was a tough battle back then. Not much was known about the disease. But she never gave up and finally realized this dream of hers. We are all so proud of her.

On the sad side, A friend from a long time back died yesterday of brain cancer. Karen was diagnosed only a short time ago and she went fast. She was a fantastic person, so unassuming in life, yet would do anything for you. She ran in a lot of the local races. I caught up to her in one a while back. She was having a tough time that day. It was near the end and we ran together to the finish line, pushing each other to just get there. We crossed the line just about together. She was one of those good people we need here on this planet. She will be dearly missed.

I don’t really have a big point here. Maybe that life is precious. It throws a lot at us. A lot of times it is not fair. All we can do is our best and try to never give up.

It has been a week since I have got out for a run since the Myrtle Beach debacle and recovering from my cold. It felt good to get out and get moving again. And I am getting over the feeling of being cheated out of the marathon.

Especially now since the call I got from my sister the other night.

My 16 year old nephew went to the doctor for a routine sports physical. He was immediately sent to the hospital. They found a growth on his testicle that was cancerous. He had surgery yesterday. They also found some suspicious spots on his lungs. Chemo starts soon.

So my feeling cheated of one race feels pretty trivial compared to what this young man is going to go through. He is a good basketball and baseball player and will likely miss the next seasons. Here I am just talking about some sporting events. This kid may be cheated of his whole life!!!

So I’m getting over this MB thing fast. I’ll see my nephew over the next few days and give him some encouragement. There are a few races and events coming up. I can enter these and do my best, enjoy them for what they are. Maybe even dedicate this season to him. I don’t know if it will help him, but it will at least help me keep all these events in the right perspective.

Life isn’t fair.

It’s been a long, busy week. A lot going on with work and around the house. And it’s the last week of marathon training, so there is a lot of energy around that.

There was a note from one of the guys in the riding group that he and his wife just had a baby. They were so happy. A new life has been brought into their lives.

And then, later that day, there was another note, from CD. She is so bubbly and energetic, just a good person to be around. She had bad news; tragic, horrible news. She wrote that her brother’s wife was murdered by their son. She just blurted it out. It was so shocking. You could see the distress in her words.

I know things like that happen. There are a lot of terrible things that happen in this world. But it made me sad for her. She does not need that in her life. She is such a good person.

I’m glad my sons are level headed and I feel they are safe from the trauma of the world. Of course they are out there, but they seem to be holding their own.

And with all the good that happens around me, the ugliness of the world will always be right around the corner.

Keep CD and her family in your thoughts and prayers for me.

I just finished the book “Outliers” by Malcom Gladwell. It was a very interesting with intriguing ideas on why some people make it in this world and others on not. It discusses why Bill gates became one of the richest men in the world and why professional hockey players rise through the ranks. The book delivers a good argument for destiny and fate. Some people, given the time they were born and the choices they made, were just destined for greatness.

One of the main points in the book is that all these highly successful people got a lot of help along the way. Even the “self-made” success stories had a good share of help. And they also knew how to ask for help.

The one line from the book stays with me; “…no one – not rock stars, not professional athletes, not software billionaires and not even geniuses – ever made it alone.”

My perspective was that one only needed intense desire and a boat load of talent to make it in this world. No one ever explained the help part to me before or taught me how to ask for or how to solicit help. It now helps me realize why I am the way I am.

I don’t know what has changed lately, but my outlook is
certainly better than has been in the past. Maybe it is just my perspective, but life is good. That feeling of doom and gloom that followed me around, especially during holidays is gone.
The holidays have been a bad time for me in the past. I just don’t like winter and I find the holidays not all they are suppose to be.

For a long time previous I had been lost. I did not know where I was or where I was going. Now, I still might not have an exact direction or know exactly where I belong, but I do not feel so lost.

I know I have some pretty good people around me. At work, there is a core group that is great to be around. My sons have been great lately and they are coming into their own. I have been busy in some new winter activities this year. Things I would have avoided in the past. And also all the people here on 43T. All the support and encouragement that is generated from everyone. It is nice to be a small part of it.

Thanks to everyone on 43 Things who has helped me and others not be so lost.

Merry Christmas

I keep coming back to this; What is important? because I feel what is important to me, has no meaning in the lives of those around me or those who are close to me. It is not the big things like family, health, living; but the little things that get us to those major things. It seems the way I get there has no meaning or value to anyone.

Is my perspective that messed up? Maybe my patience is just wearing thin these days.