No Excuses

I can't see the sun. I can't see the sun because, although it's shining right now, I'm sitting in my small bedroom in Ottawa and my only window faces the brick wall of the house beside mine. Not the greatest view.

I'm not outside running. I'm not outside enjoying the relatively warm November weather and the sun and the joy and health that running gives me. There are no excuses for this.

I could say that I have too much work, too many essays to write, articles to research, dishes to clean. I could say that I'm not feeling the best or that I don't have proper running clothes for this weather. I could say those things, but really there are no excuses.

A ten minute run would do me good. It would rejuvenate me, help me relax, help me to appreciate the amazing circumstances I find myself in, which is having streets I'm able to run in and weather that is great. Most importantly running would help me to get back to something I love to do and something that would help me to be happier and healthier. And ten minutes a day is really all it takes.

Running is not the only thing I take for granted and make up excuses for because it is easier to turn it aside than work for it. I haven't written a blog in two weeks. I love writing, but with all the deadlines, errands and seasons of Weeds I need to catch up on I have become lazy with writing my blog.

We all have things that we want to do, should do and love to do in life that seem to always fall behind other supposedly more important and time consuming things. Whether it's that dream to travel to a different country, learn how to drive, help the homeless or even just talk to a friend, we often seem to make excuses to not do these things.

Yes it's hard to get up out of your comfort zone, routine or busy schedule and do something that won't earn you money, awards or a higher GPA, but in reality the things you put off doing are the things that will make you and those around you happiest. Plus, many of these things do not take that much time out of your day.

My dad always told me, especially around exam or midterm time, to get out for a ten to 15 minute run and that it would help me relax and come back to my study material fresher and more focused, helping me in the long term. When you do something you love, when you go after your goals, when you help people, this makes you a better person, mentally, physically, spiritually or emotionally, and benefits you in all you do.

So when crunch time comes around again, and it inevitably does, look stress, laziness and inactivity in the eye and tell them you're going to do what you love, that they have failed and you're not going to except any excuses anymore.

Always Stop to Watch the Deer

There are not many places I have run that are more beautiful than along the Rideau Canal in Ottawa. With its scenic views and runner friendly paths it makes you feel free even in one of Canada's biggest cities. Add in the fact that it is a world heritage site and the only cooler feeling you can get is to skate on the Canal itself. If you can get over the horrible smell of months old sewage and what I can only hope is algae, then the Canal can be an interesting and refreshing place to run.

One spring day, a year and a half ago, my girlfriend, Kelsey, and I decided to throw off the shackels of a long and arduous Ottawa winter by running along the Canal and enjoying one of the nicest days of the year. We set a goal and started out at a quick pace.

About ten minutes into our run I spotted movement on the other side of the Canal and suddenly a baby deer wondered out of a group of trees. I pointed it out to Kelsey and we stopped to watch it. We stood there panting and sweating and admiring the deer who was staring (I like to think admiring as well) at us. For me, somewhat of a city boy all my life, seeing a deer so close in the middle of a city was pretty amazing and just one more thing that added to the magic of the Canal.

Now I've run many routes in many cities in my life, but this run sticks out because I stopped to watch the deer and because Kelsey was there to watch it with me.

I think life works a lot like that one run as well.

In this day and age, probably more than any other (although I can't vouch for this cause I've only been alive for 20 years) ambition and action are prized over almost everything. People work more than ever before. From the day we are born we are bombarded with strategies and programs that are supposed to make us smarter or stronger. The rush for the top starts early and never seems to stop (although when I beat the last level of Space Invaders at the age of nine I thought I had finally arrived on top).

Now there's absolutely nothing wrong with wanting to be the best there is at anything (except a Senators fan) and doing anything you can (legally) to achieve it. However, i think there is a problem with letting this ambition blind you from seeing other valuable things in life.

If on that run that day on the Canal I had not stopped to watch the deer because doing so would have disrupted my training schedule then I probably would have not very much of a memory of that run. If Kelsey wasn't there with me as well then I would never have remembered it at all. The run would have been lost amongst all my other training runs.

Similarly, in life we can chose focus soley on getting that new promotion at work or getting straight A's in school or becoming the hot dog eating champion of the world and disregard some of the smaller, but beautiful things life has to offer. Achieving your goals takes sacrifice, but once you reach the top it also doesn't feel very good if you can't remember the jouney or didn't participate in any fun school events or didn't really savour the taste of a good hot dog.

So on your way to becoming the greatest (which you will be) stop and look a round once in a while and discover the little, but immensely beautiful, things around you, like the rising sun, the singing bird or the calm lake. And also look at who you're sharing these things with, your friends, family, significant other or colleagues, because they make it a million times more special. And if you ever cross paths with a deer, always stop to watch it.