Hey Kids,
It looks like I’m going to be able to take possession of a new motorcycle. Cool, eh? Take a look at her:
OK, she doesn’t look like much. But it’ll be a fun project.
I’ve never owned a dirt bike. Never worked on one either. In fact, I have never even rode a dirt bike. What a great way to venture into a whole new world!
Day 7
What’s the point?
To climb a mountain. Why?
To exercise? What for?
To work hard? For what?
To deal with life? To what end?
When it comes down to it, there really is no answer that works for everyone. And there’s really no reason at all to push yourself. In fact, life would that you don’t. Don’t believe me?
Tell someone you’re on a diet. See how long before you’re told that it won’t work, or you’re not doing it right; not giving up enough stuff, eating the wrong things.
Start a new exercise program. You won’t be doing it long enough, at the wrong time of the day, or you’ll hear some story about someone who, despite being fit, died at a young age.
Set a goal. It’ll be too high, or too low.
Write something. You spelled it wrong or you’ll be told how they should do it too, you know since writing is so easy- a monkey can do it.
You see, no one wants to see you do something out of the ordinary or accomplish something.
I don’t think it’s always mean, but it’s discouraging. And ultimately, the naysayers are right.
There’s always a better way to diet and exercise. There’s always a taller mountain. There’s always someone who worked less and got more. There’s always a better way, someone more accomplished, or a threat of failure and total humiliation.
So what’s the point?
What is it? You know what makes you feel good. You know whether a challenge is rewarding to struggle for. You’re the one that has to tough it out; do the work. You’re the one that has to live with the results.
Don’t let perfection stop you. Go for it. For you. For your reasons. Climb your mountains, set your goals, do what you want to do and do it because you want to. Just be prepared to be asked, “Why? What’s the point?”
You don’t owe anyone an answer, but if you don’t know, ain’t no one going to be able to explain it to you.
I’m not sure if it’s the nearer to death one becomes as one gets older in age, or that I realize now that I am beyond dying young and with no assurance to grow older than what I already am, but I find myself weighing each decision I make with more gravity and spending more time wondering if it is the “right” thing to do. I find that, instead of savoring my time and experiences, I have fallen into the trap of overthinking the value of everything.
The problem with the pondering and assessments is that it rarely leads to more time “doing”.
I feel some important things have fallen to the wayside or have slowed down to speeds unacceptable.
Not unacceptable because of no other reason than I want to do more stuff. Not as a rush against a two-minute clock or anything. Instead it’s more like: “Why do I care what it’s worth if it’s what I want to do?”
My writing has slowed down. This blog is a great indicator of a general lack of committing enough time to wrte as much as I want to. One of my main goals for this blog is to leave a record of my thoughts. Remember when Blog meant Web Log, or Web Journal. Now too many times, Blog means marketing. Not exactly why I started my first blog years ago and not exactly enough reason to make me want to write posts. When I blog, I blog because I want to.
I write posts in my head all the time while riding my motorcycle; however, it’s not very condusive to taking notes, or leaving behind a posted entry. I write posts in my head because I enjoy it. How have I allowed life to take place of writing posts for real? I know it’s mostly for me anyway. It’s time to write more blog posts. If any of you read them, I hope you enjoy them. And if you like the posts, maybe I can interest you in a book. *Eye brows raising up and down*. Seriously, do as you wish, that’s what I’m doing.
And Fishing. I really need to fish more.
Ice-off is coming soon to my favorite lake. I will be fishing it. And then I will not stop until it’s frozen again. I will set a goal of how many times my waders need to be wet each month. There’s always something more important than fishing. At lease in other’s eyes, and yesterday in my own. That has to change.
There was a time that I dreamed of being a guide. The big reason I decided not to pursue that dream was that I worried about feeding the family and the thought of leading others to that fish of a lifetime and then being the one at the end of the net and not at the end of the fly rod just didn’t seem right.
And with that dream lost, I somehow also gave up my effort to be as good as a guide, to think it was important to keep the pulse of my waters, to be the expert, to always know where the fish were, what were they hitting, and to always be into many huge fish. I let things more important dictate skilled fishing wasn’t worth the time and effort.
Life is short. It flies by so fast. And when one is looking at the last stretch of forty, one never knows just how short the remainder might be.
But a lot can be stuffed in a very little. And if God grants me anywhere near as many years in the future as he has in the past, and I fill, no, stuff them with the things I want to do, I have a feeling I won’t feel cheated or wanting.
This might start out like sounding like complaining but please keep I mind that it is not. I am doing what I love and have enjoyed most, if not all (no, most) of my time doing it.
I have been preoccupied with readying the books Twice the Christmas and Ain’t Dead Yet for print. I learned a lot of formatting, font setting , and even a little cover art techniques in the process. I’m very proud of the finish products, as they become available. Twice the Christmas is now ready, I am proofing Ain’t Dead Yet now but it’ll be out soon as well.
I’m doing what I truly enjoy. I had envisioned writing, had done some writing int he pas, a lot really. But as I immerse myself deeper into the workings of bookmaking, I feel like I fall deeper into that groove of life that I sought.
They say if you never want to work another day in your life, do something that you love. I have my day job, and I have writing. One goes by slowly, the other I never seem to have enough time to do as much as I want. Want to guess which one is which?
Find your passion. Then do it.
I did and I’m loving it!
Mike M Jensen 