This past December I made an arbitrary decision and set a particular goal for myself but I didn’t give myself a time frame for achieving it.
Some might argue that not doing so makes it harder to measure and motivate but it had no such impact or effect upon me.
I’ll readily confess part of why I didn’t set a date was because I was uncertain what would happen if I met my objective and wanted to think about what I wanted to see come from it.
I suppose by this point in the tale I ought to have already provided an explanation of what the goal was/is so that you dear reader can better follow and appreciate my success.
It is not going to happen because there are boundaries in blogging and this is one I maintain so unless you know me well enough to reach out and ask for details there won’t be more details.
It is not a huge secret but I have intentionally only mentioned it to a few people because I don’t need nor want much attention about this.
I only want it to be known by a select group that I am capable of hunting elephants, moving heaven and earth and other epic feats.
This information serves no useful purpose in general life for me and especially not for most of you.
It irks me a bit that I can’t engage with the old man about this because he would appreciate the story of how things came about.
“Dad ought to know” popped into head almost immediately followed by knowing he would appreciate my caution because even though I have completed 90 percent of the work the remaining 10 is significant.
I don’t expect things to blow up or anticipate they will because I have worked my ass off on the prep work and the execution should be relatively solid.
Relatively meaning there will still be some hiccups and challenges because there always are but given the size I expect to find ample support to cover areas where things might be lacking.
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I received a bunch of compliments and accolades regarding this and found myself struggling a bit to accept them because the work isn’t done.
It is 90 percent complete and you can call it PTSD from the past whispering inside my head about not relaxing until I have moved from third base to home.
In the midst of the excitement and chaos there was a moment in which I thought about hopping in the car and driving straight to the cemetery to go share the tale with dad.
Figured it would be a good break and laughed because no matter how hard I pushed it would take me driving all day and most of the next to get there.
There is no question of my physical ability to do so but since this isn’t completely done it wouldn’t be a good use of my time.
Beside if Dad were here he would tell me all we can do is our best and that if I have given it I have done what I could.
I know that speech so well I can give it in my sleep and can guarantee my kids know it.
Anyhoo, I am doing my best to decompress and unwind enough to get real sleep and then hit things hard in the morning.
That is the theory.
Been mulling over a few things about conversations I want to have and some other goals I have set but am choosing not to set those up here…today.
Might not do it any day or might. Hard to say, so much of it comes from the intuitive part of me known as the gut.
So I think I will close the circle here with one more Roosevelt quote that expands upon the one above and provides some truth worth chewing upon.
“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.”
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