The Ordinary Impact

What is it about long drives that is so exhausting? Sitting in a car for a long period of time is extremely draining.  Running 3.5 miles makes me feel tired (and exhausted); but at the same time, I feel invigorated and energized. Stagnation is not a good thing. From birth, people want to go and do. Parents celebrate first steps and riding a bike for the first time. So many milestones have to do with activity. There are even times, as kids get older, that parents (and adults) want them to “get off the couch” or “stop being lazy.” However, the lives of many Americans are marked by stagnation: the lack of motivation to do something. I don’t want to get into the topic of laziness and obeseity, and I’m definitely not the guy who rants about fitness or tries to solicit people to pursue supplements that will give them good gut health or use various workout programs. (Note: I’m not against any of those things, but I’m definitely not a zealot.) What I know is that we fall into ...

In March 2014, I chose to give up food for Lent . Anything that I could chew and digest I did not consume from Monday to Saturday every week. (On Sunday, I would eat something light with a community of people as an opportunity to connect and refuel for the coming week.) I’m not Catholic, but I value self-discipline and I’m interested in what my body and mind can accomplish when focused on a goal. (I might add that there’s a fine line between being focused and being crazy, and I flirted with that line almost every day. Actually, I’m sure people who know me best think that I flirt with that line with every goal I strive to achieve.) When I set the goal, I was determined to go without eating for the entire period of Lent (March 5-April 17). It should be noted that merely ten days later, I chose to use Sunday as a time to lightly eat - to “ break bread ”, if you will - with friends and family in order to add an element of community to my journey (and to not end up in the hospital...