On Goals

"Goals are like bowling pins:  you set them up, just to knock them down.  And when you leave one standing, it just stares you down and mocks you"

Set 'em up boys

     I came up with this clever little thought one day while I was thinking about some of the things that I want to accomplish before this year is up, and even beyond that.  I'm not sure if this is a totally original sentiment that I came up with a while back, or if I had heard it or some variation on it a while back and it popped back into my consciousness because I was on the topic.  Either way, I think its a good way to look at the plans that we all make in our minds for our lives, short or long term.  If you are really serious about achieving some goal, it really should bother you when you don't get the job done. 

     Health and fitness goals are typically the ones which end up unaccomplished and gnawing at my conscience.  I don't think I am even close to being along on this one.  Any quick survey of New Year's resolutions will show that there are a whole lot of folks out there with great intentions at the start of the year, but check back in a few months and you will find a lot of folks who have moved on, leaving the weight loss, fitness, or healthy habits in the rear view mirror.  None of this is groundbreaking news.

     Last year I started off with a goal of running a 5K race and a 10K race before 2011 was over.   I managed to start off the year well enough, and by the end of May I had run in my first 5K:  The Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon 5K.  Good start to getting that resolution knocked out.  But then afterwards, the running slowed down, eventually coming to a complete stop and the 10K never materialized.  So it wasn't like I left too many pins standing, but there was that one left; standing there mocking me as 2012 started.

     So, for 2012 I decided to work on that same resolution.  Again, by May I already have the 5K portion completed.  And for good measure, I ran another 5K in June.  So far so good.  But, somewhere in logging all the miles leading up to the first 5K, and the buzz and excitement afterwards; I decided that a 10K may not be a high even bar to clear.  So I have decided to run a half marathon before the year is up.  Its definitely a bigger leap from 5K to half marathon, but if you're going to set up a goal to test yourself you might as well set it up to be a true test.  I have run 10K on my own for training, and I plan to go ahead and sign up for a 10K race still; but I want that true test of my abilities.  And I plan to leave no pins standing this time.

     



    

Thoughts From Father's Day

     I'm a big fan of The Avett Brothers.  I've always been a fan of music that packs a big emotional punch.  Not just the usual "oh baby, I love you so" type of emotion:  but emotions like insecurity, self-doubt, fear and disappointment.  The kinds of emotions that a lot of guys have a hard time coming to terms with, let alone throwing out there for public consumption.  The Avett Brothers certainly have their share of straight forward love songs, but they also add plenty of these less glamorous human emotions to the mix.  So today, on Father's Day, I found myself at work with the song Murder In The City stuck in my head.  That may seem, judging by the title alone, to be a curious song to have rolling through my mind on a day like Father's Day; but a quick listen to the lyrical content of the song will reveal the connection.





     When I think of my role as a father, of course I realize that it is very likely the most important task I will ever undertake.  And that brings a lot of pressure with it, and worry, and doubt about my abilities to do it well.  I don't walk out the door every morning worried that I won't be returning; and I doubt that Scott Avett does either.  But, the thought of not being around or able to raise my children does manage to creep into my mind now and again.  Even just the nagging thought that I had made a poor decision in some situation that had presented itself to me at home can bring on worries about whether or not I have the ability to do the right thing by my daughters.  We all need reassurances on occasion.

     Then, midway though the song we get that reassurance from a father/son moment:  a tender sentiment shared from a father to his son.  Sometimes a simple statement such as "I love you and I'm proud of you" can be enough.  None of us who become parents walk into the job with a manual.  Most of us only have the blueprint that our own parents left for us in our youth.  Thankfully, I had just enough of those father/son or mother/son moments to have a template to refer to in my own parenting life.

     As the song draws to a close, the message that most every father would want his family to understand, to know, and to feel is revealed. 

Make sure my daughter knows I love her.  Make sure her mother knows the same.  Always remember there is nothing worth sharing, like the love that let us share our name.

     Hopefully, in words or actions, my family gets this message from me.  I'm quite sure that they do.  But its always better to put it out there for them to see and hear; just to remove the doubt.