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Which Are You??

/ Sloan / 4 Comments

“This is why I moved here,” as my fellow east coaster friend and I rounded a bend and saw the view of Mount Shasta I know we were both thinking it, I said it out loud. The trails here in Southern Oregon are incredible. In-cred-ible! We both moved here from the mid-Atlantic to be happier and then we figured we figure it out as we go.

As our conversation progressed on our 3 hour trail run topics progressed from all over the board: men, work, running, roommates, religion, moving…etc. My friend started talking about a woman she works with and couldn’t help but notice that this woman seems to be young, beautiful, married but works a whole lot! Like, a lot a lot. So much that I think the only time she’s outside is when she’s between her house and her car and her car and work…unless she has a garage, and then maybe parks in an underground parking structure…anyway, this woman seems to do nothing but work and then grocery shop on her days off. BORING.

 

Why am I talking about some woman I don’t even know? I’ve never met her, why do I care what she does? I don’t, really. But I know lots of people like her and it makes me kind of sad and curious. Did she never have the chance to figure out what she loves? Is she happy?  Makes me think about something I’ve heard people say as a concept of life: I live to work. OR I work to live. Which one are you?

Do you spend your days at work dreaming to get out, planning your next trip, gearing up to experience something alone or with a friend in a new place? Or do you get up in the morning and go to bed each night with work on your mind, making money your first thought, paying off those bills so you can enjoy the good life LATER?

My friend and I ran and ran and ran for three hours yesterday. Winding through the trail systems that put my old ‘trails’ to shame. Talking, laughing, detoxing from our week of working—this is one of my favorite ways to feel good about life. Knowing that I have the opportunity and love of the outdoors to detach myself from the everyday struggles and stresses of life. My jobs are to allow me to do what I want know, they let me live where I want and let me do what I want right now.

 

I chose to work so I can live. Don’t get me wrong, I want to enjoy my job and be full filled, but I’m also beginning to understand that there is so much more than work. I want to work, I want to learn, I want to play, I want to figure out the best balance of being able to do it all and be full filled and enriched!

 

Now how do I do that? Quarter life crisis countdown is on… T-minus 6 days! Eeeeeeek!!

I’m a Quitter For sure

/ Sloan / Leave a comment

SourceURL:file:///Users/sloandorr/Desktop/TheSoleSeach/Now.doc

Now, back to the topic of my birthday. The day, January 18th, is quickly approaching and with each passing day I’m feeling the pressure of What The Fuck Am I Doing With My Life??? looming over my head like a (insert cheesy metaphor here, one like: black stormy rain cloud.

Annnnnnnnd cue quarter life crisis music: brain spinning, grad school thoughts, cheap tickets to Mexico and a bungalow with a beautiful lover, thoughts of living in my mother’s basement, being single for the rest of my life, working retail into my 30s or 40s, wasted youth…etc etc…

 

All through life I’ve witnessed people living to work; being unhappy in their career, their relationships, their bodies, their emotional state, their living situation, etc… I’ve never been one to do that, I generally quit if I’m really that unhappy. (this is where we show a montage of my life: losing 80 pounds, dropping out of college, quitting a stupid job, going back and finishing college, quitting a great ‘career’ job to move to the mountains…)

 

I’m a quitter. And I’m  happy about it.

 

Now I’m approaching a quarter of a century and am not sure where or why this path has taken me this direction. Sure I have two fun jobs, I get to talk about fitness and running all day, meet cool people, play in the woods and stare at the mountains—but really, lets be honest here, I can only mooch off my mother’s insurance for another year, after that I’m on my own and I don’t think two part time jobs will do it for me forever. Neither financially or be as full filling as I want them to be.

 

An old co-worker of mine posted a scene called Ten Things from an award winning video from the 5 Point Film Festival, I just watched it and am literally wiping the tears away. It’s amazing what speaks to you at certain times in your life, this video is speaking directly to me, in my face, at my feelings and forcing me to evaluate and reflect. Please do the same as you watch this amazing piece.

The Ten Things from Jeremy Collins on Vimeo.

 

The Gifts We Give and Get Back

/ Sloan / Leave a comment

Holy time machine! Between Thanksgiving, Christmas and now it’s past New Years I feel like I’ve been in a time warp for the past month and a half! I started two new jobs, doubled my concept of what a “long run” is, got back in the pool and am gearing up for the next big celebration following New Years.

WHAT?! You ask?! Martin Luther King Jr Day isn’t really a big celebration day, rather a day of remembrance… RIGHT, I know! A few days after we remember Dr. King we celebrate the day of my birth. January 18th, mark your calendars folks, with a big star, heart or whatever symbol reminds you of me the best… just don’t forget it!

But before we talk about my birthday, we have to talk about Christmas. I know, I know, that was sooooooo 2011, but I want to share what I gave my family. Being the poor, no-longer-a-college-student-but-still-cheap-like-one kind of lifestyle I am currently living I sent my mother and my father and gave my brother a homemade card, it was made with a lot of love and a lot of Modge Podge.

The card wasn’t really the present, the present was what was written on the back and on each card I wrote: I’m giving the gift of inspiration and support. And promised to find a race and train (from afar) with each family member. A half-marathon with my Dad, raising money and going on an epic adventure with Team Athena and my Mother, my brother and I still haven’t figured out what race, but something awesome to come I’m sure.

Right now, for me, life is about the connections, the commitments we make to ourselves and to the people we love. I want to embrace what I love to do and spread the knowledge I have, I want to inspire and continue to be inspired by the awesome people I surround myself with. Since moving west I’ve been in awe at the athletes I see everyday, inspired by their love of sport, the outdoors and healthy lives. The fresh air, the sunshine and the sacred conversations we have on the trail are enough to keep me running every day.

If you do nothing else today, tomorrow, the rest of the week take a step outside (even if there’s a foot of snow) and breathe in the air, remember your lungs, fill them, feel your body and what it is capable of. Our bodies are incredible machines and I think we sometimes forget that, so take a moment every day to collect your thoughts, slow down and breathe deeply.