The Bucket List

Over the last year or so I came to realize that life is finite.  "Duh," you say, I know.  I just simply never gave it much thought until recently.  I was very guilty of an "it won't happen to me" mentality, and generally sucked at planning for the future (in the extreme sense, I mean: I raised my eyebrows at friends who stockpiled three years worth of dry goods in their cellar and rolled my eyes at the stodgy 40-something men at the gun range who talked about building a bomb shelter).  

So, the idea of a "Bucket List" always seemed a bit morose to me, and I never gave it much thought (besides a fleeting thought of John Travolta whenever the phrase was mentioned).  Now I embrace it.  I want to stop saying "someday I'll ______" and be able to say "I just ________!"  I currently add to this list faster than I cross anything off of it, but that's okay.   The most important part is that I've started to approach life's opportunities with a completely different attitude -- I take the chance instead of playing it safe.  I close my eyes and jump.  I "just do it."  

Bucket List Item 42: (Note: these will be completed/attempted in no particular order)  Run a 5k.  

I am an extremely competitive person.  Ridiculously so, at times, and especially with myself.  I could kick myself now for not sticking with track (I joined once in 9th grade, and that's it), as competitive running offers the perfect mix of self-competition with competitor-competetion.  It's the best of both worlds.  Yet, stupidly, I waited until my 30s to finally capitalize on the interest I've had since my early teens.  And now I can just barely churn out a 13:00 mile.  It's pathetic, really, but it's a starting point.  I try to remind myself that this is the hardest part -- the getting back into shape -- because the pain is so severe and so fresh that it makes it that much more difficult to be motivated to go again tomorrow.  That's why I created a bit of accountability for myself...and registered for that 5k.  On 10/20...4 weeks away.  It'll be rather ridiculous, and right now my goal is to finish in under an hour.  But...again, it's a starting point.