First Taekwondo class tonight

If you look down toward the bottom of my list you will notice that I have another odd goal - black belt. I have always wanted to learn and be proficient at a martial art, but figured I was too old and out of shape. Well since both my boys started a couple of weeks ago and my "realization" that I am not too old for anything, I decided to go ahead and jump in. Actually, to my surprise, my lovely wife "M" decided to join with us so now its something we can all do as a family.
Actually this is an important one because to pull it off will mean taking care of several other items on my list (getting in shape, being flexible, and 2 of my personal goals). So while this is shaping out to be a fun family activity, I will be taking it very seriously - much to my wife's amusement I'm sure.
Tonight will be our first adult class, so please pray for us - I think we'll need it.

I can a-a-a-l-l-m-o-s-t touch 'em

The first on my list might have some scratching their heads (and maybe laughing), but I have never, ever been able to just bend down at the waist and touch my toes without bending my knees. I know some people could care less, but I have always wanted to be flexible enough to just do that one simple exercise. 2 weeks ago I started stretching twice a day, and I mean "til it hurts and hold it" kind of stretches, but it was not until I did some research on resistance stretching that I started to see some results. Last week I was able to touch 'em for the first time, but I am not checking this one off until I can do it comfortably at any time.

Happy Birthday to Me!

As of today, I am officially 37 years old. Yeah I know, half way to 74 - good lawd that sounds old. But you know what, I am happy to be so close to 40. I was never what you would consider a healthy child: I had, and still have, asthma that requires daily medication; I was allergic to everything under the sun; my legs and feet were misaligned when I was born and I had to wear a brace to learn to walk; I was always a little overweight which eventually led to high blood pressure; and a host of other "issues" that would bore even the most dedicated therapist. I tell you this not for sympathy or to sell my story, but those were the reasons why I always wondered what my life would be like when I grew up. Well, I did grow up and thanks to the miracles of modern medication I live a perfectly normal semi-healthy life. I hunt, fish, play golf, play ball in the yard with my boys, and just about anything I want to do.
But, to be brutally honest with you, I am not totally satisfied with the way I spent my first 37 years of my life. Ofcourse I am proud of some of my accomplishments - I married the woman of my dreams, I have 2 wonderful boys, and we live in a nice house in a great neighborhood. What more could you ask for, right? I couldn't agree more. Still, I feel like I left a little bit on the table. I had some personal goals that I never met - people I haven't met and places I havent' seen, if you will. While I have totally exceeded my expectations in some areas (luckily the most important areas), I came up short in others. Its not that I am unhappy or unsatisfied with my life, its just that I know I could have done better. Actually, I think I can still do better.
Pushing 40 does not mean pushing up daisies does it? I don't think so either. I came across a list I did some time ago, a bucket list if you will, and I realized that I had actually accomplished almost half of them without even trying. So I figured what the hell, lets give it a go and see if I could not get them all done - after all I'm only 37. So I am going to celebrate my 40th birthday by finishing that original list and adding a few more for pleasure. 3 years is not very long, especially for a list that long, but I think I got what it takes. So let's roll!