Here is Life

"Here is life, an experiment to a great extent untried by me; but it does not avail me that they have tried it."

- Thoreau

On Sunday, inspired by Thoreau, I went to Pilot Knob for a walk on the trails. No snowshoes, boots or skis in my possession, I was left hiking through knee deep snow in my old Nike Pegasus running shoes.

I walked up the steep hill that I went sledding on as a kid. I followed some paths that I run through in the summer. I went off the beaten path and just explored.

Not for long but for over an hour.

At some point, I just plopped myself down in the snow and sat there. Still.

The sun was shining and the trees blocked the wind. My face was warm with the glow of the sun and my legs were tired from constantly pulling themselves out of the deep snow.

A couple of hawks flew by overhead, a pheasant scattered across the snowy landscape. I was on a white beach -- laying on a blanket of tranquility.

---

The night before I had made dinner for Mark and Joy Newcom. They were eager guinea pigs for some of my new food experiments. All recipes were by Giada (the hottest cook on the Food Network).

The dinner turned out great, the wine was really good (even the carpet got to enjoy some thanks to Joy), and the conversation was one of the best of my life.

Thanks to Joy for documenting some of the conversation on her blog -- which is a must read for all of you out there in the blogosphere.

I won't get too specific about the conversation but it was largely about a calling to experience life for oneself.

The beliefs of our parents is worth questioning. Our lifestyle and way of living is worth questioning. Even as I've remained in Forest City, Iowa, my philosophies, religion -- everything really -- is worth questioning.

We get a chance to be who we want to be. To define a way of life for our self.

My parents have never eaten cantaloupe wrapped with prosciutto but it turns out that it is fantastic.

Their experiences in life have been amazing and they have exposed me to much that I am grateful for.

But there is more to be seen.

I have to try cantaloupe with prosciutto for myself. I need to travel to Peru for myself. I must challenge my beliefs -- are they really mine or are they merely a product of my upbringing?

I need to sit in the snow only miles away from my childhood home -- but with thoughts and beliefs that put me further from home than ever.

After all, here is life.

My life.

Enjoy the ride,
Damm

Hope for Haiti

I'm watching Hope for Haiti tonight. It's a good reminder that life isn't about The Damm Journey. It's about our journey together.

The worst of humanity can be on display when people like Pat Robertson claim that God is somehow punishing Haiti for their "pact with the devil." But this is not the norm. This is not the religion or belief that most of us subscribe to.

The hundreds of millions of dollars donated from the U.S.A. to Haiti shows the goodness of our country.

The partnership of Bill Clinton and George W. Bush shows that men and women of politics are really men and women of public service. I don't believe the most politicians are the slime that we make them out to be. As a Democracy, the United States will need to change the path of our country if we are to keep good public servants from being corrupted by petty politics, large corporations and lobbyists hell-bent on making money.

The way that my generation has donated money through text, Twitter and other forms of technology shows that even though we might read fewer books and participate in the world differently, my generation is just as capable of serving and giving as those who have come before us.

Haiti has taught me about humanity. I've given $20 to Haiti and I encourage you to make a donation. Anything helps.

As soon as we focus too closely on our own journeys, we are often reminded that our journeys are tied to those around us.

I'm not sure I've met anyone from Haiti but my path is tied to theirs.

My belief in the Tao means that I am tied to the destiny of everyone on this earth and that we are all one.

At some point in my life, I know I'll need to work to make other people's lives better if I am going to be happy and content.

This month I start with my donations to Haiti and my work with Winnebago County's Relay for Life. And that journey must continue.

Please join me on this journey of compassion. I'm going to give more money to Haiti and more time to Relay for Life.

It's time that we all help others....

Enjoy the ride,
Damm

Dreaming of Enigmas

An overindulgence in red wine, white wine, Fat Tire and Cuba Libres led to a strange dream last night.

She and I laid in bed wasting a day with only each other's company. I was in a foreign place but felt at home. The tourist bus outside the window was filled with souls whose journey I could not understand.

I was a traveler now.

Comfortable with the uncertainty of daily life, I could no longer appreciate the guided tours and itineraries of a tourist.

Her image was at once, a melange of women's faces I know and yet an enigma.

Beautiful. Unknown but familiar. It was as if Monet had tried to paint a portrait of my future wife, not knowing who she would be but making his best guess through the strokes of his paint brush and the colors on his palette.

The feelings from the dream collided with my morning like a hot cup of coffee spilling on my lap.

I was tired -- as I am most mornings -- but also in a state of severe melancholy. Not depression by any means, but melancholy.

The type of melancholy that Albrecht Durer expressed in his allegorical engraving "Melancolia I" -- not showing a mood of depression but rather of inspiration waiting to strike.

I didn't long for inspiration as much as I longed to meet this person. To literally meet the woman of my dreams.

Until then I'll just have to....

Enjoy the ride,
Damm

Hope for Resolution

I'm going to keep this blog short and sweet but I wanted to publicly state some of my resolutions for 2010 before it gets too far into the year.

Public accountability is a big part of keeping one's New Year's Resolutions -- what better place than my blog to make my resolutions known.

Here they are, in no particular order:

- No blackjack, casino games or sports betting. Only poker.
- Train for the Kansas Half-Ironman beginning January 18th. The race is on June 6.
- No soda or diet soda unless I'm having it as part of a mixed drink. (I stuck to this for 10 months in 2009 and should have just stayed with it)
- Lift weights 3 times per week in addition to my triathlon training.
- I will not eat Taco Jerry's, pizza, crappy fast food or superfluous treats/desserts. Eating is now a part of my training.
- Cut back on drinking -- twice per week at the MOST!
- 2 hours per week of Rosetta Stone Spanish. I want to learn Spanish!
- Travel, interact with people, live life to the fullest and help others.

As I love to say, 2010 is going to be EPIC. And while some of these resolutions are still fairly broad, I'm going to continue to specify how I'll accomplish these goals -- especially as my training begins.

Enjoy the (Epic) ride,
Damm