A WRITTEN ASSAULT!!! A Mental Number 2. Brain Poop.

Time for a dopamine dump. Or a brain dump. A mental "number 2" as it were. It's been a while since I've rambled. I've been learning and growing, and learning to keep growing. I have adopted some new/old philosophies, prepped for some new/old adventures, and met some new/old friends. Is life good? Life "is".


Good is relative. Sure, there are events that occur that support a happy or good emotional response, and there are events that occur that have the opposite effect. But defining life is about defining the exact moment that "is", and that's what life is. I met someone in the last several months that has helped me with some different ways of seeing the world, the past, the future and the present. (I'll never be able to truly express to this person how much my life has been enhanced by them being in it. But what I can do is continuously work to be the best me that I can be, and twenty, thirty, seventy years down the road, my life will have been a testament to all those in it that have helped me find the best me I can be; and my life will have been the best gratitude I can offer.) It's fairly Eastern in philosophy, but not "religious" by any means. I have had the opportunity to learn a great deal about myself and those around me, and how things interact to create the reality of the present. It has also had the intentional side effect of allowing me to recognize the past for what it is - a record of events. It does not define me, my impression of anyone, or the state of the present. It is merely a record. Can you learn from it? Sure, but there's is a nearly 100% probability that the exact scenario that occurred in that moment in the past will occur again in the present, or in the future. In fact, you can guarantee it with 100% certainty when it comes to yourself; because you are not the same you in the present or will be in the future that you were at that moment in the past. Trippy, huh? Why deal with the present? Because the present is "now" - the future never comes (because when it gets here, it's the present, and by the time you think about it, it's in the past). Does that mean you can irresponsibly "live for the now" without any regard to consequences? No, of course not. That's a lazy way to address the mindset. Be who you are, and make sure you are the person who considers the consequences when living for now. It's a mind-bender, but it works. I meditate daily on being present, mindful, and deliberate in the way I live. I'm not perfect at it, and I never will be, but I will strive toward this in my actions and my decisions. Michael is growing up. Yes, fast. Just like they said he would. He just walked up to my leg as I typed this, traced the tattoo on my calf, and promptly pulled my leg hair while giggling. Maybe that's the best thing to happen to me today. At the same time, I can smell he needs a diaper change, and probably a healthy dose of Febreze sprayed on his tush. (People spray febreze on stinky baby butts, right?) In ten days, I'm running the Berlin Marathon. 10 Days. I'm not ready yet, but I'm doing my best. That MCL injury tossed me off my path, but I'm working to get up to speed to make sure I do this right. I've been doing pace work - short runs - to slow myself down. I know that I'm running too fast for a 26.2 mile endeavor, so I've been doing splits to get myself to a point where I can be consistent for the whole race. I've also got another huge huge announcement coming Tuesday night. It's probably the most significant thing I can think of, and it IS killing me not to tell anyone yet. To all my pen and paper type friends, I hope you don't mind me calling on you soon... All my best to all of you... Love and Kisses BradK