things i've learned (so far)

i saw a sign in front of a church the other day: "i've learned two things in life so far, there is a God and i am not Him." i love reading all of the signs out front of church's because most of them are pretty cheesy and easy to laugh at. does that make me a bad person? this one in particular inspired me...and now you're thinking, "cool, he was inspired to do something spiritual." in fact i was, it inspired me to blog.

i started to think of all the things i've learned in life so far. to be honest, i feel like it should be a LOT more, but that's ok. i still have a lot of living to do, God willing. that reminds me...ray lamontagne's new cd "God Willin' & The Creek Don't Rise" is amazing! back on track (it is 4:30am you know). i was suppose to go to the gym to lift this morning. i go every monday, wednesday, and friday...i know, i know...i'm such a gym rat. i figured you could tell by my jacked muscles. since i'm doing the half marathon tomorrow, i decided (emily suggested) that i take today off. i was going to be stubborn and go, but once i was up and got moving i soon realized (this is one thing i've learned) that i do need to take it easy today. so this blog is in place of my workout and boy are my fingers tired!

things i've learned in life (so far):
1. God does indeed exist
2. love is real (not to be cliche, but i have the best wife)
3. nothing is impossible
4. people CAN be amazing (all people)
5. math is mostly pointless
6. people in indianna drive the worst
7. money is the root of all evil
8. some people have it rough (meaning: i need to try to put myself in someone else's shoes before i think anything about them or where they've been)
9. america is the land of the free and the home of the brave
10. cell phones are the devil
11. music is therapy
12. being healthy is fun
13. working a job you don't want to do is insane
14. i can't grow a beard
15. i do actually like cats
16. "it's not what you know, it's who you know." (thanks mr. sax..the only thing i learned in high school)
17. crying is not just for girls
18. reading is actually enjoyable when you're reading something you WANT to read
19. having two loving parents who love the Lord is awesome
20. riding a wheely on a bike is hard (not impossible...see #3)
21. i can trim my finger nails too short
22. i cannot stand facebook, yet i still use it because "i want to keep in touch"
23. some people will always think they know more than you
24. sledding is a great time
25. even though college debt is awful, i think i might've learned the most about life during these years
26. cars are not toys (most of the time)
27. there are women's jeans and men's jeans for a reason
28. there are people who need my help
29. losing a loved one is one of the hardest things to experience
30. you really do not want to pee into the wind
31. the news on television is negative
32. ...to be continued (i didn't actually learn this, well, i guess i learned that phrase...but you get what i'm saying here.)

please don't assume this is all that i've learned. i don't want you to think that i didn't learn more in life...i just really have to go to work (see #13.) one cool thing i suggest you try is to think of all the things in life you've learned so far. it's actually a really cool experience: it helps you realize you still have a LOT to learn.

"I don't think much of a man who is not wiser today than he was yesterday."
-Abraham Lincoln (my favorite president...dang, that could've been a great #32)

optimism sucks

being an optimist is tough. let's be honest...being happy/positive is tough to do in a world that is so incredibly messed up. you ever notice that when you're in a good mood/having a good day...you're an optimist? but let's say you've had a crappy day, nothing has gone right...all you want to do is slap an optimist in the face and scream, "be realistic!" right? oh..well for me that's how it is.

best example i can give: a typical sunday - i get to sleep in, i don't have to go the gym to lift, most sundays are an off day of running, so i basically get to be lazy. i wake up as late as possible, shower/get ready, listen to music, go to church, spend quality time with my wife and see some family. life is at an 11, so i'm an optimist. then comes monday...i'm still holding strong to my optimistic thought pattern and still feeling the "sunday high," but i start to have a few pessimistic thoughts and let the little things start to get me. and then on tuesday something happens at your workplace that sets you off and there it went. remember what it was like to be optimistic? me freakin' too.

so, my question is this: why is it SO hard to be an optimist, consistently? is it really because the world sucks? that seems like a cop out. is it really because our lives are so hard? doubt it. i know some people have it rough, so maybe that's legit. but could it be that it's just plain impossible to be optimistic everyday? maybe? does it really matter, tony? not really? why so many questions? i don't know. probably the same reason a kid on a bike came up to me at work today and fired of these brain busters, "what are you doing? why are you just sitting in your truck? what are those cones for? are you going to the pool today?"

ultimately, i just want to figure out how to be an optimist, all the time. i guess i'll still call myself an optimist...but there are plenty of days where i suck at it. does that make me a hypocrite? crap.

"goals are dreams with deadlines"

running is one of my favorite things to do. it's a stress reliever. it helps me get some fresh air. it gives me quality time with God. and to top it off...i burn quite a few calories doing it, which is always a plus.

i started running during my weight loss era and it actually stuck with me. before i got "healthy" my mom always worked out and ran and did that lame stuff, but i never paid any attention to it. then, my dad (who was a bit overweight) started getting into running and really liked it...and ended up losing a lot of weight, too. still, at this point, i wasn't buying it. my infamous saying was, "i only run if i'm being chased." fortunately for me...i rarely got chased, so things worked out pretty well for me as far as running went.

it was one of the best things to happen to me though: mentally, physically, spiritually, even emotionally...running has been a great experience. the hardest part is getting started. it sucks in the beginning. who am i kidding...it can suck pretty bad once you're in it for awhile, too. it's just like anything else though...you gotta stick to it and keep at it.

right now emily and i are training for a half-marathon that's on august 21 (12 days 21 hours 22 minutes 39 seconds away.) my dad also made the mistake of saying he'd do it with me, so he got signed up for it as well. when i got serious about running i made it a goal to do a 5K, 10K, a half, and a full marathon. finally, we're at the point in this post where you figure out what it's all about: goals. according to wikipedia (the official online encyclopedia/information know-all of everything that is good and is always 100% accurate) a goal is "a projected state of affairs that a person or a system plans or intends to achieve." i think it's so important for people to have goals in life. it gives you something to work toward. it gives people a purpose. no matter what happens...you're striving to reach your goal(s) and nothing can stop you, right? mostly. i'm more of a believer in the saying, "only you can prevent yourself from reaching your goals." but there aren't too many feelings out there better than reaching a goal you've set. maybe during the summer in the middle of the night when you flip over your pillow to the "cool" side...you know what i'm talking about. other than that though...nothing.

so...the challenge is: set a goal. a short term goal or a long term goal. or both! and then, achieve it! if you've just recently achieved a goal...AWESOME!! how'd it feel? that's great...now set another! life is all about setting goals.

was this a really cheesy, wannabe motivational post? sorry.