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Tuesday, February 29, 2000
happy leap day
Today is February 29. Happy Leap Day!
Today is also a really special day. Other than it being February 29 (a once in four years occurrence), it's February 29 on a year ending in 00 (a once in four hundred years occurrence). Plus, it's a special day for me...today is the day that I've officially started my training.
Training, you ask? Well, here's the deal. In the past, I've not liked things about myself. I point out my flaws quite often, especially when looking in the mirror (and they're not always physical ones). I would look at myself and say, "I wish that I didn't waste time. I wish that I read my Bible more and had a quiet time with God. I wish that I ate healthier and that I worked out every day." And on, and on...
Then I decided to do something about it.
Thus began the formation of my creed. It's not posted anywhere on this site, but here's the gist of it...I want to better myself in these areas:
- Spiritually
- Physically
- Mentally
- Financially
- Temporally
So basically, I'm wanting to become closer to God in Bible reading and prayer. I'm wanting to become stronger physically and keep my body healthier by working out and eating better. I'm wanting to expand my horizons and become sharper mentally. I'm trying to spend my money more wisely and make it work for me, instead of me for it. I'm wanting to use my time more efficiently; not to the point where I have everything scheduled and I don't have any free time or fun, but where I get done what I have to get done without waiting for the last minute before it gets done.
That's a mouthful.
It's also a lot to undertake at once. But I've started it this morning (it's about 8:30 a.m. as I write this), and I really am feeling better about myself already. I've had a quiet time with God, I've worked out (yes, I'm a weakling on the bench press, but that's okay...it's going to get better. Plus, my arms and chest are actually sore for the first time since high school!), and I've eaten a reasonable amount of cereal for breakfast. (That's right, mom, I ate a half a bowl. And not half a Jethro-sized bowl, either. :) ) I feel really good. And I've got a full hour before class, and I'm ready to face the day!
I know that it's not always going to be easy to get up three hours before my first class every day so I can go work out, and there will be times that I'm really going to want a burger. But I figure that the end result (a happier me) will be worth sacrificing some of the little things.
It's Leap Day...and I'm taking a big one with this training regimen.
Tuesday, February 15, 2000
good grief
As a child, I always read the comics. (Some things don't change as you grow up, and for this I am thankful.) Of course, the first one on the front page was always "Peanuts". On how many newspapers was it not?
I didn't usually laugh at "Peanuts" back then. Looking back, I realize that it's because I didn't understand the humor. Now that I'm older, and perhaps a little wiser, I can understand a little more about Charlie Brown and the gang.
"Peanuts" was never about physical humor or obvious one-liners, though as a child I did usually laugh when Lucy pulled the football away from Charlie Brown and caused him to miss. (I don't laugh about that anymore; it's probably because I was a kicker in high school.) But things that they said back then that didn't strike me then do now. For example, in "A Charlie Brown Christmas", Lucy is complaining that she always gets stupid toys or clothes and that she never gets what she really wants. When Charlie Brown asks her what that is, she replies, "Real estate." I, personally, find that quite humorous now.
Another thing that "Peanuts" dealt with was unrequited love. That's a subject that I'm familiar with, though probably not to the extent that Mr. Schulz was. But Charlie Brown's perpetual crush on "the little red-haired girl" is something that I can really identify with. Charlie's interest never changed; mine, to this point, always has, but the point is that I understand what he is going through. I identify with what Schulz was trying to communicate, and it brings an important point to light; sometimes comic strips are not about making you laugh. Sometimes they're about making you think.
Charlie Brown played the lovable loser for the most part, but sometimes he had his moments in the sun. He hit a home run one time to win a game and stop what certainly is one of the longest losing streaks in the history of sports. He even got to give the little red-haired girl a kiss once; he didn't remember the rest of the night because it made him so delirious with joy, but Linus was there to retell it all. And the interesting thing is, knowing that Charlie Brown won sometimes makes you, the reader, feel good. It gives you hope for your own little troubles and anxieties, even if they're not as important as winning a game is to a child.
It took me a while, but I finally understand a lot about what "Peanuts" means. And now, Charles Schulz is gone. 50 years of work is left behind. 50 years of insights into the human condition. Many thanks to the real Charlie Brown for performing this labor of love.
Because now I understand.
Friday, February 4, 2000
the ultimate Cinderella story
Yes, I know that by now we all know about how Kurt Warner and the Rams have gone from grocery store bag boys and NFL also-rans to MVPs and world champs. But think about a couple of things, if you will.
In ESPN the magazine's preseason NFL edition, according to analysis on every team's starters, the Rams were chosen dead last in the NFL. Dead last. Behind the Cleveland Browns.
Every starter had a one-line tag that summarized their worth to the team and a rating from 1 to 5. Kurt Warner rated a 1 (the only starting quarterback to get such a rating); his summary was "Okay Arena Football cred, so relax. Wait, yikes!"
Of course, we all know the rest of the story. They were wrong. Absolutely, positively, 100% dead wrong.
Now, I don't know about you, but this helps to restore my belief in the little guy coming out on top in the end with enough hard work. I mean, think about it. This guy worked at Hy-Vee last year. The Rams were 4-12. Things like that just aren't supposed to happen. And you can make your argument that they had a soft schedule. The truth of the matter is that when the playoffs were over, the only team in the playoffs who had not lost was the Rams. And the quarterback who'd rated a 1 by ESPN the magazine was the NFL MVP and the Super Bowl MVP. Too bad he didn't get to go to St. Louis to celebrate...he had a trip to Oahu coming up.
Wonder what he'll be rated next year.
Someone once said that you make your own luck. I tend to believe this theory, and I think that there is proof positive in this story. Yeah, the original starting quarterback had to be injured for Mr. Warner to get his break, and that's luck (in a way...I'm sure that Warner never wished injury on him), but he still had to make something of his chance. And he did.
The whole thing makes me feel, if not more confident, at least more hopeful that when I eventually face the real world, that I can come out on top too. I may not be a Super Bowl champion, but I can achieve my goals in life.