Bliss is Ignorance

I thought this was a good quote:

Anyone who imagines that bliss is normal is going to waste a lot of time running around shouting that he has been robbed. The fact is most putts don’t drop. Most beef is tough. Most children grow up to be just people. Most successful marriages require a high degree of mutual toleration. Most jobs are more often dull than otherwise. Life is like an old-time rail journey—delays, sidetracks, smoke, dust, cinders and jolts, interspersed only occasionally by beautiful vistas and thrilling bursts of speed. The trick is to thank the Lord for letting you have the ride.
--Jenkins Lloyd Jones

I know it sounds a bit on the pessimistic side, but it makes me realize that joy comes from the inside out.  You may be tempted to think that a different job or more money or talents would add more excitement to your life; but, the truth is that life is mundane and hard most of the time.  But, just keep enjoying it.  The grass ain't always greener on the other side; the Three Billy Goats Gruff were full of crap.

Pace Yourself

When I was younger, running was all about beating something.  I concentrated on beating my best time, or beating someone else's time.  I tried to push myself as hard as I could without passing out.  Consequently, I hated running and wanted to quit all the time.  It felt great when I ran a good time, but I wasn't having an uplifting or enjoyable experience.

Today, as I ran I concentrated on listening to my body; not pushing myself too hard, but just trying to maintain a good pace without over-exerting myself.  I didn't worry about my time, or impressing someone else by running hard and improving quickly.  All I worried about was running hard enough to get a good workout, while listening to my body telling me if I was going too hard.  I only concentrated on running my pace.  As a result, I enjoyed the run.  I didn't enjoy it because I got a better time or because I pushed myself really hard.  I enjoyed it because of the experience of it.  I wasn't looking forward to the end of the run or thinking about how far I had gone, I just concentrated on the feeling of my breath filling my chest then releasing it and my feet hitting the pavement.

It showed me that it's possible to enjoy life no matter what circumstances I am in.  Happiness is not about making as much money as I want or having the biggest house possible.  It's not about avoiding mistakes at all costs or gaining more knowledge.  I don't find anything inherently wrong with these ideals, but they will not make me happy.  The way to be happy is to let go of my expectations, and just enjoy the moment I am in.  It's about running my own pace.

Yoga Buddies

Pretty sure she did all the poses way better than I did

One of the perks of trying to work out with kids is they do cute things sometimes.  Kailyn (2 years old) did some yoga with me today.  On the plus side, it was adorable.  On the other hand, it only lasted about 5 minutes then turned into crying, which is super annoying because I had to turn the TV up really loud.

The run went well, too.  I cut my time down to just over 11 minutes per mile, which is pretty sad because I only went two miles.  But, it's an improvement, so I'm happy...you know, the way a fat guy is happy when he finds a half-eaten Twinkie on the ground.  It's not great, but it's better than nothing.