I am drawn to adventure stories. Feats that seem bigger than possible. Particularly stories of endurance and sport. I have no desire myself to climb Mount Everest (twofold dislike: cold and my klutziness might lead to the scariest misstep ever), but I am in love with the idea of it. I chomp up non-fiction books like Into Thin Air and Angels In The Wilderness and passionately follow stories like those of Diana Nyad and Pam Reed. I find it fascinating that mere mortals run 100 miles, climb Mount Kilimanjaro, and hike the entire Appalachian trail.
I assumed every kid rode their bike down the street dreaming they were crossing the finish line of the Tour De France and spent summers building makeshift survival shelters near the creek.
There is something about pushing your body and your mind to the limits that fascinates me. My own stories of endurance seem like the 8-pack of crayons by comparison. I've graduated beyond the primary colors, but I've yet to see exactly how cerulean and maize can change my life. However, I'm not entirely certain that I will ever feel done with dreaming big. It's what keeps my heart aflutter.
I hope that I am never too old for butterflies nor too young to savor the moments.
The List keeps growing.
For too long I lived in fear that I wasn't strong enough, rich enough, trained enough, or timely in my big ideas. But something has slowly been evolving over the past few years. It's not been instantaneous. It's a process of seeing life in a more positive light than the day before. It's about believing in myself. It's about forgiving my weaknesses and cultivating my strengths.
It's about saying yes to testing new boundaries and saying no to things that make me unhappy.
5 years ago I was building up my long runs to run my first marathon. 3 years ago I was in the midst of writing a handwritten letter a day for 365 days. 2 years ago I leaving my first adult job after 8 loyal years for a new gig that would prove far less stressful.
Why all the deep mumbo jumbo QC?
*I am about to embark on a bucket list kind of trip. 5 days hanging out in Portland with an amazing group of internet strangers running The Mother of All Relays and 5 days meandering through northwest Wyoming with my favorite person on this earth. By August 31st, I will have traveled in 17 states in the past year. Hello adventures!
*Apple Pie sparked another crazy entrepreneurial idea (oh my, the list grows!) that is not completely
insane. Beer Camp anyone? Join me in a wooded paradise for a few days or a week running, eating gastropub-esque food paired with incredible beer (wine and non-alcoholic stuff too 'cause I'm all-inclusive like that), and doing campy things like kayaking and finger-painting. Oh puh-lease, you are NOT too old for finger-painting.
*The lottery is still 6 weeks away, but Boston dreams are fervently brewing already. I truly thought I was reaching for the stars when I embarked upon this journey this time last year.
*The calender is getting packed up for the end of the year (a vineyard wedding, a Poughkeepsie wedding, Marshall, and Rehoboth!) and instead of putting work first, I am putting my dreams first. I am happy with my current balance and turned down a job offer that would have pocketed me more money, but would have given me worse hours and commute.
*I'm tapering. What else am I supposed to do?
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