06
06
Progress is great, except when it illuminates how far you really are from the end
Written by Nathan on June 6, 2009 at 7:45 pm from Uncategorized.
Written by Nathan on June 6, 2009 at 7:45 pm from Uncategorized.
In 6 days I’ve learned two things about serving. In hindsight both lessons were self-evident at all times, but that’s the thing with lessons - until you’ve learned them, no matter how simple they are you need them.
First, serving someone isn’t a set of actions, it’s an attitude. That’s much more difficult, because attitude adjustment require constant work and are tiring. A series of actions, no matter how many or even how difficult are going to be easier than re-calibrating my worldview in an instant.
Second, my wife is far better at serving me than I am at serving her. This too, was painfully self-evident before. But in just a week I’ve noticed more and more how from when I wake until when I rise, she’s looking out for me. I, on the other hand, too often start my day wondering if I can get 5 more minutes of sleep. If I can reform my (bad) habits even in the slightest bit this month, then I’ll be incredibly happy when this project is said and done. (Though I really hope it’s never fully done.)
03
03
It was evening, it was morning
Written by Nathan on March 3, 2009 at 11:53 pm from Uncategorized.
Written by Nathan on March 3, 2009 at 11:53 pm from Uncategorized.
Today’s practice of wisdom is writing Proverbs 3. To keep my project is perspective, earlier I checked out another notable project’s third day.
02
04
My better half
Written by Nathan on February 4, 2009 at 6:39 pm from Uncategorized.
Written by Nathan on February 4, 2009 at 6:39 pm from Uncategorized.
Here, finally, is my first interview with my wife, Jenn. The original mic was so terrible that the audio didn’t come out from our original session. Last night we sat down again with a better mic and without further delay, here is the first interview in a Month of Listening.
Year of Months / A Month of Listening Day 1 from Nathan Clark on Vimeo.
01
25
Dusk runs, painful progress and bathtime
Written by Nathan on January 25, 2009 at 8:26 pm from Uncategorized.
Written by Nathan on January 25, 2009 at 8:26 pm from Uncategorized.
Owing to a few technical hang-ups at work, I missed my planned run time and ended up heading out at dusk. I’ve spent this month, and generally my life, avoiding dusk runs. That’s mostly been a decision informed by my love for life, and my recognition of how hard it can be to see at that time of day. Even through much of my run takes place on sidewalks, I still had a bit of nerves around precisely at the time drivers are most apt to hit me. That said, this as a mostly good run.
Because my iPhone’s battery was dead, this was also my first music-less run. Without my soundtrack, I spent the first few minutes over-thinking my form (or lack thereof) and how good (or terrible) my legs felt. My first mile was in the 7:45 territory — I have only estimates, because without my iPhone I don’t have a proper timer. So my run was patrolled by my wristwatch, with the seconds counted out loud in good ole’ fashioned “one mississippi” style. I hit the 1.5 mark around 13, and the 2 mile at 17. My legs were seizing up and the forecast was dim, but in a fit of pique I decided to try and out-sprint my leg pain. Surprisingly, it worked and I ended up running the 3 miles in 24:15.
That’s my best time by a full minute, despite relatively slow splits. My legs complained bitterly about the punishment for a good time after the run, but notching such a huge time improvement was worth it. The only time the pain was really an issue was when I was giving my two children a bath. The constant leaning and reaching did my slow-to-recover body no favors. But again, the pain was nothing compared to the joy of spending the time with my kids. My wife is due with our third child in the next few weeks, so I’m treasuring our remaining time as a family of four.
Fortunately the incentive to make the most of the time I have with my kids (even more than the incentive to beat Bush) provides plenty of natural pain relief. Tomorrow I’ll probably hit the gym and do something low impact, then I’ll try to get in two more runs before Saturday morning’s early 5k.