Inertia

I expected a certain amount of inertia to deal with at first, and know there will be more exposed that is currently hidden neatly in the folds of my life habits.

So far, I love the increased activity. And I'm obsessed with paddling now. Seriously. I think about it constantly, read about it online, and am reading another book on it for my review later this month. Enthusiasm is not the problem.

The nature of my physical involvement has been more haphazard.  I need a consistent schedule for exercise. December has gone by without me planning my winter exercise schedule like I had hoped. Time gets filled in effortlessly when we don't make our own plans. Another truism: Everything takes longer than anticipated.

I'm finally starting to see a plan taking shape. In the hiking world, there are mountains that are less esthetically pleasing than others because they are just mounds. The hike isn't technically challenging, in fact it's a bit boring. People sometimes describe the hike as "a slog" to get to the top. I've read paddlers and sailors refer to pushing into the wind as "beating" into the wind. That's how it feels to fight inertia.

It's also part of the journey. A distance race, with the occasional (or constant) beating into the wind is a microcosm of what my greater journey entails. And I have to remember to enjoy the challenge of the path as well as the destination.

Even as I take little steps I can see the landscape changing for me permanently: greater awareness; joy in the challenge; being involved in something so big. I'm also learning a lot. To quote an acquaintance,  I'm organizing my ignorance so that I know how to proceed. And it's exciting.

I'll start letting you in on the research side of things more this month.