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my little sister is pretty cool. read about her here.

Weeding and things

"No matter how mundane some action might appear, keep at it long enough and it becomes a contemplative, even meditative act."

-Haruki Murakami, What I Talk About When I Talk About Running

As I get older, (as if I have learned anything in my 22 years and 10 months of being), I find the above statement to be more and more true. Activities that I used to consider boring are quickly becoming some of my most treasured times of the day. Take weeding, for example. I hated weeding when I was growing up. Absolutely loathed it. Those hot summer days bent over pulling the unwanted plants used to leave me with sweat running down my brow, an achy back, and a terrible attitude. Up until about 2 years ago, I would've mowed every lawn in the county, pruned every tree in the city, and watched the wretched movie "Willow" 200 times if it meant I didn't have to weed another row of beans. I hated it that much.

Thankfully, my parents continued to assign me weeding as a summer chore because weeding has become... dare I say it... enjoyable. Don't get me wrong, if I had my choosing of what to do with my day, weeding probably wouldn't be at the top of the list. Or even in the first 50 slots. But when weeding becomes necessary, I no longer despise it. I find that this simple, mundane task gives me a chance to withdraw from the world and just BE. Because weeding isn't rocket science, I don't really have to think too hard about it, which means I can fill my mind of things I choose. Or I don't have to think at all if I don't want to. Pretty soon 1 hour of weeding feels like 10 minutes and my mind is at least somewhat re-energized to take on the life that is faced when I step out of the garden.

If you were to replace the word "weeding" with "running" in the previous two paragraphs, you would have another accurate portrayal of my childhood. Running was #902, 376 on my list of favorite things to do between the ages of 5 and 20. However, after going to college and not being able to swim all the time, I turned to running when I was 17. You'll notice that running continued to occupy #902, 376 on my favorite things to do list even after I was running for a good 3 years. I ran because I need to stay in shape for rugby and that was it. Come summer, when I wasn't in rugby season anymore, I stopped running. However, as the quote suggests, if you keep at something long enough, it becomes a meditative experience. I am living truth of that. Over the past 2.5 years, my hate for running has morphed into a great love. These days, I look forward to almost every run I go on. As my life becomes more complicated with all sorts of different things, I find that the simplest of activities, such as running, provide a solace that can be found no where else.

meenie weenie want it.

There is a magnet on my parent's fridge that states "The best things in life are not things." While I agree whole-heartedly with with this statement, "things" (which may be replaced with the word "toys") sure do make this life much more enjoyable. I've narrowed my list of desired toys down to two-- with a combined cost of around $1500. With my birthday, Christmas, and graduation coming up, maybe I'll be able to get them. Here's the list:

1. A pair of these (definitely in the silver and green)

2. One of these (with accessories, and hopefully in a better color)

I think both of these toys would be a worthwhile investment and even better: they both promote a healthy lifestyle. Best start saving my pennies... although I am ALWAYS open to donations. *Hint Hint*

In other news...

One of the greatest joys in this life is reading a good book-- one that entertains, inspires, and all around changes your view on life. About 2 weeks ago I finished Born to Run by Christopher McDougall and it changed my life. You may wonder how a book about running can change your life, but read it and find out. And for all of you who may think you're not runners-- you are. In fact, your body evolved to be able to run incredible distances. We're not talking marathons... we're talking hundreds of miles. Don't believe me? Read the book. And then go for a run.

early to bed, early to rise...

... makes a (wo)man healthy, wealthy, and wise. Supposedly. Since returning from Indiana, I've experimented on this little proverb. And while the amount in my bank account DEFINITELY hasn't increased, and my wisdom is still pretty much nonexistent, the first promise-- that is of health-- is holding to be true. Over the past five days, my average bedtime has been 10:30 and I've gotten up around 6:30 each day. Today, the alarm went off at 4:45 so I could get up and run before work at 7. (Lets just say that today won't be repeating itself very often). I find my days to be much more productive, and I just feel BETTER, especially when I exercise early in the morning. Maybe that productivity will translate into wealth and wisdom someday, but as for right now I'm just enjoying the health.

Speaking of health-- before Saturday, my parents' garage was a health risk. We probably should've had a HAZMAT team come in and blow the whole thing up. But after 3 days, 4 truck loads to various dumpsters, we got 'er cleaned out thanks to the hard work of a lot of family and extended family members. All with finding only a couple of dead mice. We also got the sheds cleaned out and organized. Now I'm going to padlock the garage so the reason for the cleaning (my father) can't go in and mess it all up again.