A new year

A new year is an odd thing. Today is only one day more than yesterday, but when enough yesterdays go by we call the lot of them by another name. It's a bit like the decimal number system - ones, tens, hundreds, thousands, etc - only in time units. Day, week, month, year, decade, century. There are more obscure denominations, such as fortnight or leap year.

But a new year.... I think we humans like to make rituals. They help us remember. Personally I'm glad that something bigger than my own circumstances insists that I pause, even if only slightly, now and again. Actually, I deeply miss down time. Time to just take off, alone, away from the driving demands of life, and think. Think? Well, yes, think, but also to just be. Be quiet, be still, be aware. The new year, that phrase, suggests something is starting again. And yes, in a real sense it is, as we feel the days gradually lengthening again from the movement of the earth through its orbit around the sun. But though we have done this trip before, it's never been exactly this one. The sun is in a different place in space, and so is the earth. It doesn't ride on a fixed track. In that sense, today is new year's day and tomorrow will be too. And so will be the day after that.

Still, it's nice to have a marker that says, Restart here. From this day you can make another year of plans. Begin fresh. Take a new run at what you haven't yet accomplished that you really want to do. Start over. Try again. Live in hope that no matter what your past the future can be different. Or even, now is a time you can make a change. You don't have to keep doing the same thing this year; try something new.

I am a spousal caregiver. I am a father. I am a business owner/operator.

Caregiver. That label has circumscribed my life for a decade. For almost that long it has determined how far I can travel. I have not slept a night away from home in about 8 years. I have put my whole being into giving care to my wife. Today I was told by a friend who has observed me the past 6 years that he has never seen anyone put more of himself into his family that I do. Although most of that time self-employment has provided a decent to comfortable income, overall this past year was extremely difficult. I appear now to be on the cusp of several things, and a little nudge in the right direction could rewrite our family's financial history. But I am starving for time and for connection. And I and my family need some financial stability. This week, perhaps, probably, I find out whether I am to be offered a position for which I interviewed almost 3 weeks ago. I want the opportunity to make a choice, the choice to accept or decline the offer. If I don't get that choice, though, there are other things in motion that appear to be starting to flower.

Happy new year. Today, and every day.

...and I'm back.

I took a break for a while. It's hard to run when you're overweight, and it's hard on the knees. I did buy a good pair of running shoes before I started up running again recently. During the break I tried to stay focused on swimming. I've managed to keep at it, mostly consistently, and can churn through 1500 yards in an hour now. I don't force myself to do that non-stop, and I am working on technique and speed. The improvement in my speed through the water is starting to show. Last night I felt like running again. Finally I got out the door about a half hour after midnight. I walked and ran around the neighborhood, a distance that turned out to be 1.9 miles. Of that, I ran 0.9. I can feel the improvement swimming has produced. It's not huge, but I notice it. 8 miles down. 992 to go. 5 pounds down too! Yes! At least 60 to go still.

Running away from the weight

Next night. I think I'm going to like the Couch to 5K podcast from 5K101.com. I used the podcast from week 1 tonight and liked the coaching along the way. 2.8 miles tonight. 6.1 total, 993.9 to go.

Journey begun

A journey of a thousand miles begins with a 3.3 mile walk/jog after too long of too little exercise. About 4 weeks ago in a chance meeting with a friend I agreed to start swimming laps again twice a week with him. This has gone well and I've already felt the improvement in my sense of well-being. But both Monday and last Wednesday both of us were detained by other demands. And tonight, partly because I'm missing the exercise, I went "running" again for the first time in a long time. So here's my goal: I'm going to track my cumulative running (and walking) progress until I reach 1000 miles. 3.3 tonight/996.7 to go.

Religion in politics

So it's that time again, more or less. Last I was making "regular" entries to this blog President Obama was running for office, and now he's running for re-election. National elections in the USA bring out a lot of interesting, often strange, information about at least some of the candidates.

One of the candidates running for Republican nominee for President has said that abortion should not be legal because it is not in agreement with the laws of God (the Christian God). He, of course, completely entitled to that view as a private citizen, but as President of the US he must put such a view aside. The government of the United States is, by constitution and by intent of the country's founders, a secular government. And logic dictates that it must not be otherwise. In order to guarantee religious freedom to all of the country's citizens, and to uphold the right of each to freely exercise his/her religious practice, the government must be irreligious.

It is impossible for a committed monotheist to genuinely support pantheism, or atheism, or polytheism, or another monotheism. It may be possible for a pantheist or polytheist to genuinely support a monotheist, but there are certainly cases where this would not work (at least theoretically). No, a government, to ensure religious liberty (which implicitly allows religious variety), must act as a secular agent, without commitment to any specific religious position.

Furthermore, in such a pluralistic society, if any religious group dominates, it may seem right to them to make rules for society according to their religious mores. However, that majority would do well to remember that they may not always be the majority, and that the unfairness they dish out to minority groups likely will be visited back on them when another group becomes ascendant. Prudence demands fairness at all times. And fairness in a large, diverse society means that rules must accommodate the greatest number of citizens possible.

In the case of the candidate above, he is welcome to hold any position he likes about abortion, or any other matter. But his right to demand compliance with that position is limited to the one person he really has any control over: himself.

I want to blog about something...

...but I'm not sure what right now. It's been a busy day, one that included a 4-hour conference call. Dinner has been served, and kids are winding down for the night and it's time for me to get into the office and log more hours before I sleep. So right now I don't have anything formed inside that needs to get out and be said. It's funny how de-focusing being busy can be. Spread thin, limited attention, squeaking by, no margin. I try to create emotional margin in the midst of the activity, but there's nothing like time with nothing pressing to allow for space to think and gain insight.

I'm alive (it turns out)

Blogging... man, that seems so 2008, or you would think so to look at my blog. I've been busy, and I forgot about this little project, but I found it again now and it's time to start typing again. We'll see where it goes next. But first I have to go get my children from friends' houses.