People are always talking about making lists of adventurous things they'd like to accomplish during their lifetime. Here's my list, and what follows are notes about what I'm currently up to.
Spanish soundsApril 3, 2008
The Spanish word for blue is
azul, but to my surprise this seems to be pronounced as
asthul, with somewhat of a
th sound. Strange!
Life listsApril 1, 2008
It's interesting to reflect on what it's like to have a life list: A real list of things you'd like to accomplish during your life.
During the last year, I've heard life lists discussed on popular talk shows, and I've had at least one friend who was excited to make their own. So: After you've had one for a couple of years, what is it like? Does it change how you live your life? Is it a positive thing? Are there drawbacks?
Here are some observations.
First of all, I find it to be quite motivating, as one would hope it to be. Especially for task oriented people, it is very rewarding to set goals, make a plan, and accomplish them. What a rewarding feeling!
Another observation is that a life list begins to take on a certain weight in your life, and for many people, this could be a negative thing. As soon as you make any commitment or dream any dream, there is a certain pressure to keep up that commitment or to feel that you have to chase said dream. I think the most important thing here is to realize that objective goals, while they are important, are not the purpose of life, and are not more important than a lot of the more subjective, implicit things that make up who we are. The other important consideration is that these goals should always be things that you really truly want to do. People change: Our interests, talents, etc. are constantly in motion, and so if we tie ourselves to things we used to want but no longer desire, that's not going to be doing anyone a favor. I would say that there is a tremendous amount of value in changing your life list to reflect where you're currently at.
Then there is the cost factor. Money isn't an infinite resource, and as Christians we are called to be generous people. If all of your goals are costly or just financially unrealistic, that's setting yourself up for a rude awakening. I think it's important to realize that, while it's fine and good to have a few things that will take a chunk of cash, most goals will want to be things that require little more than an honest application of the human spirit.
Another spiritual dimension of a life list, along the same lines as cost, is that, well, they can seem a little selfish at times. Here we are, spending time and money on things that *we* want. And on that point, I think, as for most things, it becomes a matter of balance.
I think the biggest benefit of a life list is that you're taking the time to ask yourself questions such as: "Who am I?", "What do I enjoy?", "What am I passionate about?", "What are my gifts?", "How do I want to grow?". It causes you to dream outside of your immediate context and see life from a wider angled lense, which I think is always a healthy exercise for young people.
What will my marathon time be?March 3, 2008
As May approaches, I sometimes wonder what my marathon time will be. I've always had "4 hours" as this vague number in my head that seems reasonable. But the more 7 minute kilometers that I run, the more I think that 4 hours, while very attainable, isn't very realistic for me for a 42 kilometer distance.
At a 7 min/km pace, 42 km takes 4:54... that's a long, long ways off of 4 hours! And while I did manage to do 21 km in 2:05 last year, I haven't really had any runs this year where I've managed that pace over a long run.
Only time will tell!
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