Prologue

Over the years, I’ve worked harder and harder to find meaning in life. But the more I've looked, the more I’ve wondered if I was going about my search the wrong way.

I've been looking for meaning through experience, but I think now that I've always had it backwards. Life will never be defined by extravagant experience, but about finding extravagance in common experience. So for 2009, I'm going to focus less on living large, and focus more on living well. Each month I'll start a new month-long project (like trying to run 3 miles faster than George Bush), to find uncommon results from common experience. Each project will involve daily activity, so every day of 2009 you can check my progress on the monthly projects and see what I discover.

None of these projects will cost much—in fact, I think most will be free. So if you're looking for a year uncommonly rich, you can join me. There's no membership required, just participate and comment if you want. Either way, get ready for a year I hope is unlike any other.

Epilogue

I stumbled across the finish line, but I manage to complete 8 of the month-long projects successfully. Blogging is now over at Wonderfam!

It's May, and May was a …

A Month of Accomplishment (about)

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Forcing myself to finish something (about)

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Achilles and his various tendons

Written by Nathan on January 12, 2009 at 8:17 pm from A Month of Resolve.

The story of Achilles always struck me as funny. According to Greek mythology, Achilles’ mother, Thetis, had a change to grant him near-invincibility by dipping him in the river Styx (rock!). Every submerged part of his body would become immortal, but she held him by him heel leaving him exposed to the type of attack that later proved to be his downfall.

I understand parts of Thetis’ rationale. Obviously she didn’t want his head or chest vulnerable. But the heel? That seems like a pretty risky move. Even without the constant war Achilles lived in, I’ve injured that part of my body many times. Would immortality be so delightful if you were stuck with a game ankle? Limping forever seems like it would get old, fast. Why didn’t she did just hold him from one ankle, then switch to the other? Or use some sort of cage? Even holding him by his hand would’ve made more sense. At least then he could’ve just spent eternity wearing a sweet metal fitted glove for safety.

All that to say, as I apparently seek to remake a month of resolve into a month of self-diagnosing self-inflicted injuries, now I’m wondering if my problem is really my Achilles Tendon. I suppose the silver lining to all of this is getting to find graphics like this.

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