I Need a Break

Today has been a blur. Having had my coffee at 06:15 and my Bible reading behind me, Taylor and I headed out to run the Saturday morning errands. They needed to be expedited as there was a DIY brake job on my morning schedule.

You heard that right, it was on my schedule. Scheduling and setting reminders is a behavior that I am willing to become second nature. A little of planning and actually doing the task allows me to get an enormous freedom from the clutter of procrastination.

Well the brakes took three hours to finish. Working on older cars is always an adventure. It always feels great to take apart a part of a car and put it back together. Things only work one way is a truth I learned on my 1972 VW Westfalia. It has served me well.

IMG_20140222_103126

 

I like the way this picture turned out. You can check out more pictures on my Google+ post about it.

Three days into my journey my legs are burning and I am tired. It is that good kind of tired however, a well earned tired. There are some challenges as to be expected. the surprise brake job comes to mind. The combination of waking up earlier each day and planning my day prepares me to handle it.

Well I have to go and finish cooking dinner. We are still outside on the patio because the stove situation. And there is still some tinder and kindling to prepare. I am not missing my weekly backyard campfire and A Prairie Home Companion. I think there is a cold Sierra Nevada with my name on it too.

 

Eclose

Well my legs were sore today and it felt great. Yesterday I spent twelve minutes on my ergometer and did some squats. This journey is about small changes; lots of small changes.

Riding the bike and doing squats were exercises I thrived on when I played ice hockey. God didn’t bless me with strong arms, but He did give me powerful legs. Sadly they have become a bit flabby over the past decade or so.

Adding some movement to my daily routine is vital if I am to live. Anatomy class taught me that the muscles in our lower bodies account for about two-thirds of our muscle mass. The very simple idea for my is to use my glutes and legs to get back into movement. This is the beginning, a baseline.

Eclose. Emergence. Change.

Change is needed. I need to change. This journey is still in its nascent stages but something wonderful happened today. Waking up early is something working on and this morning I created the time to watch a Hibiscus open,

IMG_20140221_064550

be there as a  Monarch butterflies eclosed,

IMG_20140221_080125

and even did a bit of gardening.

IMG_20140221_081001

I also managed to get my Bible reading in. Proverbs 2 as far as I can tell is about keeping good company so that we may be lifted up. Strangely enough I ran into my brother-in-law at the Home Depot this morning. He is a better man than I, just the type I need to spend more time with.

Today was a good day.

45 to 45

I am on a journey.

For the next forty-five days I am going bootcamp into my forty-fifth year on this rock. I have not always made the best decisions and find myself today smack in my mid-life crisis.

There really isn’t much to show for given the time I’ve been blessed to have. Yes there is my wife and our five children, but that is all. There is no house, no wealth, and no vacations, ever.

I am on a journey however away from all of that. I have a plan and as basic and simple as it is as of today, it is a plan. How do I know that I will stick to it? I mean my track record isn’t that great.  Forty-five. 45.

Forty-five is a place my Dad never saw so I am headed towards an un-precedented land. At forty-five, over-weight, in debt,and no career there is plenty here to cause those sleepless nights I have endured. There is much I want to do the next forty-five days and so I have chosen to simply list them.

The following list is a working draft and will change.

  • Drink less beer
  • Drink more green tea
  • drink 2L water daily
  • Eat more salads
  • 12 minute bike rides daily
  • Daily Bible reading starting with Proverbs
  • Acquire my Florida Real Estate License
  • Do the 30 day squat challenge (power skating)
  • Wake up at 05:00 daily
  • Play more chess
  • Be nicer to the dogs
  • Garden 30 minutes four days a week
  • Spend better time with Yane’
  • Re-read Illusions

That’ll keep me busy for now

Taken Nov, 5 2013

Taken Nov, 5 2013