Be It Resolved: I’ll walk a marathon per month

Are these phrases familiar?

A gaggle of geese.

A school of fish.

A pride of lions.

A batch of BBQs.

That last one is my latest invented phrase. Good one, eh?

A batch of BBQs isn’t something I saw recently - it’s something I endured. And it ain’t over yet.

My weight is going up (I’m now 5 pounds over my legal limit) and I must do something about it after I return from Bracebridge and one more BBQ supper already scheduled at my sister’s house.

What to do?

I’ll still cycle 100 miles per week and play Wednesday hockey but I’m toying with the idea of walking a marathon per month on a regular basis.


["Photo from a short morning walk; I must go longer": photo GH]

I like walking. I like walking with a camera. I like walking speed (it’s a great speed for thinking and observing interesting architectural features on neighbourhood houses, i.e., spying on folks).

But I usually just walk short distances in the ‘hood, e.g., to the corner of Coffee and Hardware for my regular fix of java and bag o’ nails.

I need to bump it up, to 26.2 miles per month, to lose 5 pounds.

I’ll be back in 30 minutes.

***

Is a marathon a month too much?

I’ll figure out how long it takes me to walk a mile, then do the math.

We’ll see. I may have to settle for a half-marathon per month.

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From the Workshop: Slow days, time to think

Finished projects piled up in the workshop in December and January, and a few still need a coat of double boiled linseed oil before bringing them indoors for storage.

While applying oil and stain recently I was struck by the difference between what I want in life and what I really need.


["Oh, it's drying time again... and it's cold out": photos GAH]

For example, the thought of a bigger workspace often comes to mind, so that I could have a wood-burning stove, a proper dust-collection and ventilation system, more tools, etc.


["Linseed oil is lovely, but it smells up the shop"]

But I get 99.99% satisfaction out of my small shop (18.5 ft. by 8.5 ft.) the way it is, and if I adjusted my schedule somewhat (cut wood or apply stain outside from spring to fall, work on the lathe or other easy jobs in the winter) I likely wouldn’t think about the shop’s size at all.

Most of its charm comes from the fact it’s less than 170 sq. ft. in size and I get so much done in that amount of space.


["Don't stain indoors? Leave it 'til spring?"]

Why, really, I could live out there.

(And I think my wife would be happy about that 99.99% of the time).

I won’t live out there, however, and I think once I make a small increase in size to the outdoor work-deck (just outside the door of the shop), I’ll be as happy as peaches.

***

Do you ever get caught between thoughts about what you want and what you really need?

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