Resolved

I’ve never quite understood the etymology of the word resolved or resolution. I am someone who makes every year 8 new year’s resolutions. I try to make some of them simple, some over ambitious, some somewhere in between… I’ve never achieved all 8. In 2012, I pulled off 6 of the 8. But how are these re-solutions. Some of them are things I’ve never solved, how can I solve them again?
Anyway, as 2013 started, I want to continue enjoying running. Someone from my running group said you know you created this image of a monster who puts off brain surgery to run a marathon and a few weeks later is out on the track again and then after he collapses is back out there 2 days later. So in 2013, I want to make sure I keep my love of running going about more than just races and trophies so while I had an invite for a commitment 5k (come on who tries to pursue the George Clooney lifestyle and wants to start the new year with commitment) and for an informal half marathon, I decided instead to do Jack and Adam’s annual underwear run. It was kind of a perfect way to set the tone that running can be fun… the route wasn’t mapped out, just had to check in at 3 places (fortunately it was all fairly easy to figure out) so it was a way to test spatial orientation. Also, it reminded me that the more clothes I wear the better I look. The route I took I did about a six minute pace for 4.6 miles. So it was good to start the New Year with a W.

I had struggled with coming up with 8 goals this year. I had 5 right away and got up to 7. But here are the 8. Other than the first, they aren’t in order of importance, more like a child day dreaming letting the consciousness flit from realities to what may end up being fantasies

      1. Keep putting Kiana first-This is the highest priorities. It is intriguing to compare it to last year which simply stated keep being a better dad.

      2. The second is about relationships. Some are incredibly specific and even I’m not that public but one of them was Kiana’s mother. I hope and dream and pray that we figure out how to coparent better still. But along those lines, I the kid who didn’t meet his dad till I was 15 thought that was a relationship I should improve as well. We talked longer on New Year’s Day than we had since before the cancer. In that relationship context, I said be open to being at least as romantic as you are hopeless.

      3. Break a 3 hour marathon-This was in 2012 as well and one of the 2 that didn’t happen

      4. Run a trail race-The one I was supposed to do didn’t pan out but I’ll get one in.

      5. Use the passport- This one may be more dream than reality but I remember traveling all over the world. A trip to Brazil got replaced for a trip to Duke… I don’t even know where my passport is anymore but I hope to find it and use it.

      6. In the obligation of the cured, raise money for the Duke 5k. I really do want to keep echoing that idea that to him who much is given much is expected

      7. Weigh the same or less (167.5) on December 31^st, This was also a 2012 goal and it tells you about my eating habits that despite 2 marathons, 2 century bike rides and tons of exercise I literally weighed .5 lbs less on December 31^st as I had on January 1^st. Still, a win is a win.

8. Play trombone more. For a guy who sings all the time, I forget that I used to play a few instruments and was even in a brass quintet.

But I am still getting number one right. That trail race didn’t work out for a variety of reasons but Kiana will have 2 birthday things. One occurred on her birthday with some friends and one will be a big playing around time with some schoolmates this Saturday.

Long term goals are good even when each day is a big question mark since those who aim for nothing achieve it every time. I finally got around to doing some long neglected dental work the last couple of months today. Some of that was finances and not having dental insurance and some of it was why invest in teeth when you don’t think that much time you have left. I biked 45 miles round trip 3 times to get all this stuff done. We scheduled a tooth cleaning for a few days after the Austin marathon because while I hope it’s the one I break 3 hours in, either way, I’ll remember that this Livestrong one was one I put off brain surgery for and that 2 years later I am still capable of running well and that should make me smile and I might as well let that smile be as clean as possible.