"I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived. I did not wish to live what was not life, living is so dear; nor did I wish to practice resignation, unless it was quite necessary. I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life, to live so sturdily and Spartan-like as to put to rout all that was not life, to cut a broad swath and shave close, to drive life into a corner..."
Henry David Thoreau from "Walden"
With regard to my running, fitness, and nutrition, I have been essentially mindless, lacking deliberation and deliberateness. For that matter, my life frequently transects this same concept. The following is the thought process that has grown out of Mr. Thoreau's quote. While it doesn't apply directly to running and fitness, as written, it is no stretch to find clear application. I must move forward with deliberateness or I shall continue to swell into poor health.
I've put a lot of thought into this quote since first reading it some years ago. Last night, watching a documentary called "Tiny: A story about living small" brought forth this concept again. Living deliberately has been lost. We (meaning Americans) have so much we can live mindlessly. We can have so much stuff it gets piled into closets, packed into boxes and stored, perhaps to never be seen in our living years. We can drive to the nearest convenience store and pick from shelves of sweets and boxed foods that have more calories (and lacks most essential nutrients) than many "disadvantaged" humans consume annually. Some of us fret over which shirt to wear when there are people walking this earth rummaging over garbage dumps hoping to find the essentials of survival. We complain about so many things despite having so much. Many accept, even demand, handouts, sin gratas, and gladly wear a label of disabled, disadvantaged, or worse. We do not have to live deliberately as we wallow in plenty. I can't help but wonder if it is this lack of deliberation and deliberateness that has lead to some of the awfulness we see on the news or, in the case of our public safety workers (etc) witness in person.
This is not to say we all should abandoned all that we have... living deliberately is an active process and if a person is content with where he stands then good for him. What I suggest is we explore the idea of living deliberately. For me this will bear disparate consequences than for the next guy. The picture of such will be painted in far different colors, brush to brush.
Nope, I'm not stoned. These are the thoughts that rattle through my head sometimes. LOL It is the evolution of thought that will bring us forward. If you walk away and at least consider what "living deliberately" means, even if the result is diametrically opposed to my statements above, then you've already moved forward from where you woke up this morning.
Have a rockin' day...
