What's Next

Every year for the last 10 or so I have written goals and objectives for myself for the new year. The last two years those have been very very simple, 2008 was get out of pain ( that was berfore I knew what was causing the pain) and 2009 was recover. In years previous I have organized my goals up into personal, professional, athletic and spiritual. For 2010, now that I am mostly recovered, I am going back to the old way.

I have been thinking a lot about my athletic goals. I am waaaaaay out of shape. It is hard coming from where I was two years ago to now, to not beat myself up about my fitness. As a true puddin' I have always been pretty good abouyt only doing things that are funn and have immeditae reward. That is why it is much easier right now to watch House DVDs drink rum and eat bacon. I am already at 195 pounds which is 10 pounds heavier than I have ever been and 20 more than my fighting weight. On the psoitive side it is better than the 127 pounds that I weighed 14 months ago. The fact of th matter is that I just cant stand seeing the spare tire that has developed around my waist. There is no way that I am going to go out and buy another set of pants the next size up.
I haven't really gotten back on the bike yet. For some reason I am really having trouble with feeling ready for it. At the same time I really want it. So for now I am spending time in the gym on the walking/ running machine and the rowing machine. I am enjoying that, as well as the free weights and core work. I do feel like it is too early tgo set a big goal. No Death Ride this year. I would be really stoked if I could ride a century by next fall but I really don't know if that is realistic.
One of my goals is to be able to paddle Giant Gap this year. I think the hike in would truly be the biggest challenge for me. Not to say that the whitewater would not be a challenge. As a result I am alreaddy working on walking and getting my legs strong for downhills. I am also trying to figure out what boat to paddle... I am open to suggestions.

Outlive the Bastards

Billy posted something on facebook that made a memory come flooding back. His quote was "drink deep." Which brought to mind my favorite quote by Edward Abbey:

One final paragraph of advice: do not burn yourselves out. Be as I am — a
reluctant enthusiast... a part-time crusader, a half-hearted fanatic. Save the
other half of yourselves and your lives for pleasure and adventure. It is not
enough to fight for the land; it is even more important to enjoy it. While you
can. While it’s still here. So get out there and hunt and fish and mess around
with your friends, ramble out yonder and explore the forests, climb the
mountains, bag the peaks, run the rivers, breathe deep of that yet sweet and
lucid air, sit quietly for a while and contemplate the precious stillness, the
lovely, mysterious, and awesome space. Enjoy yourselves, keep your brain in your
head and your head firmly attached to the body, the body active and alive, and I
promise you this much; I promise you this one sweet victory over our enemies,
over those desk-bound men and women with their hearts in a safe deposit box, and
their eyes hypnotized by desk calculators. I promise you this; You will outlive
the bastards.

Like may I read Abbey voraciously when I was young. He helped me form many of my attitudes. Especially the curmudgeonly environmentalist and passionate recreationalist. The quote says to me that it is important not to take any of your work too seriously, or better yet to realize that nothing is really that important in the grand scheme of things. Rambling out yonder is just a important as the most important brain surgery because what it is to save life if life cannot be enjoyed?

That is part of the essence of what it means to be a puddin'.

So that is my thought for the day... It feels good to be writing again. I took a long hiatus, who knows when I will post again but I've got a new spark for this blog. I'm gonna make a puddin' attempt at keeping it up.
Thanks for reading.