an unfinished person (in this unfinished universe) » Running

K-I-S-S-ing this year goodbye from the start

unfinishedperson — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 13:01:12 +0000

This year I’m going to keep it stupid simple: no 10-point, three-parter resolutions with promises of marathons and how much mileage I’ll run, promises of challenges and how many books I’ll read and promises of living the holy life and how many times I’ll attend Mass.

Image by melgupta via Flickr

I’m only making three resolutions:

WALK every day.
READ every day.
PRAY/meditate every day.

That’s all for me here for today: keeping it stupid simple here, y’all.

Goodbye.

2011: The Year I Sucked or Wait, Did I?

unfinishedperson — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 11:32:04 +0000

What a whirlwind of a year it’s been, folks.

I started the year motivated…

…to post once a day for 2011!

To say “no” and “yes” each week to help me toward being physically active...

…to read all the books on this shelf.

Somewhere…about April, I think, as evidenced by this post, I lost my mojo…

By the end of the year, not only did I not post once a day for 2011, I killed this blog and started another one.

I no longer said “no” and “yes” each week. I just said, “Meh” every day.

I read maybe two, okay, three books from that shelf, if that.

Wow! I suck…

or do I? (Wait, don’t answer that until I have had a chance to answer and then feel free to tell me how much I suck in the comments. Thank you.)

Hmmm, maybe we should look at this another way. What did I accomplish, in some cases even, despite my moniker, finish?

1. Not one, but two jobs: one, being in the newspaper business for 15 years; the other as a volunteer for a senior center.

2. 58 books as of today, Dec. 26 and probably 60 by year’s end, including

The Harry Potter series….also saw all of the movies finally too.
The Jack Taylor series by Ken Bruen, which started out well, but since, in my humble opinion, has faltered.
The Dortmunder series by Donald E. Westlake.

3. Restarting this blog.

4. Remotivating myself, this time to eat frogs.

5. Celebrating 15 years of marriage this past Nov. 23 with my wife.

6. Discovering new music in November and now into December too.

7. Something about which I almost forgot until searching the archives here: Surviving a tornado.

8. One last thing about which I also almost forgot until searching the archives here: Surviving The Rapture.

So how about you? How was your year? It didn’t all suck, did it? Really? That bad? C’mon, there had to be one redeeming quality this year?

Each Friday, I post Flashback Friday, where I use St. Ignatius of Loyola’s Examen as a guide and usually ask the following questions: For what are you least grateful this past week? For what are you most grateful this past week? This is a variation on that theme this week as I look back at 2011. I will have another Flashback Friday on…well…Friday, pertaining to just this week.

Like sugar and spice, so good, so nice

unfinishedperson — Tue, 12 Apr 2011 01:44:34 +0000

Each Monday, I write a Motivation Monday post, which is to help motivate me and you in terms of physical well-being, both diet and exercise. For 2011, I also am including a “no” and a “yes” to help motivate us toward being physically healthy.

No more sucky shoes

I’ve been talking about getting a new pair of shoes since at least December. The shoes I had were a cheap pair of shoes from Wallyworld that I’ve had since…I don’t know when. Not only were the soles gone, but the rest of the shoes were almost gone too. One of them had a hole in it through which I could have poked a toe. So to say it was time for me to get a new pair of shoes would be an understatement.

Yes to new balance

I’m not usually one for endorsements, but today I’m singing the praises of New Balance, specifically the now no-longer-made MX622′s. I went today to Armenia Mountain Footwear in Troy, Pa. and the saleslady there helped me pick out a pair that fit just right. Looking around online, I’ve seen the reviews for this particular shoe aren’t that great. However, for me, who’s been wearing the $10 pair of Wallyworld shoes, it’s the perfect shoe…you can ask my wife. I almost had an orgasmic experience this afternoon on the way home with them. They felt that good.

Yep, sort of like that. Sort of, but not quite. Point being: Never underestimate a good pair of shoes. Whatever exercise you’re doing, you do yourself a grave injustice if you don’t get yourself a pair of shoes that makes you feel good.