Danger Everywhere

Recently my class and I were put out into the field for a training course. Before the course began we were given a safety brief.
Instructor:

"Alright class, here's the down low, everything out here will kill you or injure you. First, there are rattle snakes out here, if you hear them, merely go around them at a safe distance. Next, there is a cougar, she has two cubs. If you see her, don't run, don't turn around. Just maintain contact, and very slowly back away and she shouldn't bother you. Last class saw two brown bears out here. They are in the course area. If you see them, act bigger then you are and that should scare them off, if you find yourself being batted around, play dead, if they start eating you, fight for your life... Coyotes are your next concern, the four legged kind aren't going to bother you but you will hear the two legged kind on your radios. Don't go into the mountains, it's one of their favorite crossing areas. OH! and the trees, that kind over there, there, and there? Those have barbs which can stick up to an inch into your skin which we'll have to cut out. Also, watch where you lay down, the ants and scorpions are not your friends. Long story short, just about everything out here can kill you."

Student:

"Good grief, is there anything else? Chupacabras perhaps?"

C2H5OH and Temperance

I recently was given a book to slowly peruse titled, "The Quotable Founding Fathers." It is from such book that I have finally decided to give up any form of alcohol for the time being. I have thought about this for quite some time and even though I do not believe that alcohol is a bad thing in moderation I find myself with numerous reasons to test its absence in my life. For instance, Washington Irving wrote in the "Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon" in 1820 that, "They who drink beer will think beer." I have found that for many people I watch who drink excessively, their primary thought towards a weekend is when and where and what to drink. I have found myself wanting more and more to hold both thoughts and actions captive and focus more on developing myself deeper emotionally, physically and mentally. To be intentional in my actions and thoughts ultimately.
Beyond this general idea, I find myself in Arizona for several months. The weather is very arid and the altitude higher than I'm used to. Ultimately, I enjoy the idea of not having to excessively rehydrate to counteract the dehydrating effects of C2H5OH. Either way, at minimum, I will not drink anything more until I finish training and leave Arizona.

Life

I've been contemplating a "see in your lifetime" list of places in the US. Here goes:

White Sands, New Mexico

The Maine Coast, Maine

The North Woods, Maine

Squam Lakes, New Hampshire

Stowe, Vermont

Concord, Massachusetts

Block Island, Rhode Island

Mystic, Connecticut

Niagara Falls, New York

The Cloisters, New York

Longwood Gardens, Pennsylvania
and Here

Falling Water, Pennsylvania

Washington, D.C.


Outer Banks, North Carolina

Sanibel Island, Florida

Florida Keys, Florida

Mark Twain National Forest, Missouri

The French Quarter, Louisiana

Beavers Bend, OK


Chimney Rock, Nebraska

Crazy Horse Memorial, South Dakota

Glacier National Park, Montana
and Here

Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho

The Tetons, Wyoming

The Anasazi Ruins, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona and Utah

Grand Canyon, Arizona

Monument Valley, Arizona and Utah


Zion National Park, Utah

Mount Rainier, Washington (So close to it while in WA, but not close enough)

Seattle, Washington

Multnomah Falls, Oregon


San Francisco, California

Yosemite, California

Kilauea, Hawaii

The Na Pali Coast, Hawaii

St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands

New Frontiers and New Limits

I have recently been thinking about "To Do" lists and how beneficial they can be. I also recognize that most people go through a day without a goal or idea of what should be accomplished. This isn't necessarily a bad way to live, but I would rather take advantage of every second, to exploit every moment. I want to grow through life rather than go through it. So here it is folks, a list of goals which I want to accomplish. I will continue updating and adding to it as I go. This is my life's proverbial "Bucket List."

Physical:
Run 20 miles a week
Run a half marathon
Run a 11:30 min 2 mil
Have a resting heart rate 65 bpm or lower
Score a 300 on my APFT - Completed
500 flutter kicks (triple count)
500 overhead arm claps (triple count)
Hang sideways
Hit 200lbs body weight, with no more than 6% body fat.

Cultural/Societal:
Learn German
Learn Italian
Learn 20 recipes for memory
Learn an entire Piano Concerto
Compose either a harp or piano piece
Learn to play guitar (more transportable than harp/piano)

Spiritual:
Memorize the books of the Bible
Memorize a Chapter from Psalms
Memorize a Chapter from the Gospels
Heal the sick



Mental:
Write a min of 550 letters
Become adapted to no more than 6 hours of sleep a night.Completed

Additional categories should be added later.

Marvelous

I have for a long time wanted to be the outdoorsie type of person, adventuring, exploring, learning, experiencing. I always thought this personification of self would occur at some climatic outdoor trip, that I would just... dissolve into said idea.

It dawned me today after reading several random quotes I found that so many of us are just waiting for our life to happen. Life will happen, but not the life that we so long and pine for, the life that we hope and dream to live, only life in general will happen, and it will pass us by in a blur. I then realized that we don't remember days, but rather, moments. Jerry Spinelli once wrote,

"Live today, not yesterday, not tomorrow. Just today, inhabit your moments. Don't rent them out to tomorrow."

So in the spirit of adventure, I donned my vibram toe shoes and decided to seize the day. After trekking through unpleasant terrain I came across a river I occasionally run by. I followed it hoping to cross. Finally I came to a side gully that fed into it with minimal water flowing. It was here I started my marvelous day. Hopping down onto a small sand bar, I immediately sunk into icy cold water and mud. After following this inlet to the stream I hopped over several rocks and explored the sand/rock bar. Looking around I saw a great deal of ice still frozen around the sand. I decided to experience two miracles at once and walked on water, which by the sheer odd nature of it being polar allows it to freeze. It was there that I stood on a thin sheet of ice and watched as a minnow darted to and fro beneath that layer and me. With my feet beginning to numb I opted to hightail it back to my room, post this and now I shall go and fix my favorite spicy ramen thanks to the provision made by my eldest bro Kurt.

What an exciting start to an exciting change of mind. Absolutely marvelous...