It’s been a slow start, but I’ve finally got to item number two on the list. I cannot say that it was worth the wait.
I have never been a drinker. When I was in my teens, I was a track and field athlete with (unrealistic) dreams of becoming an Olympic champion and, therefore, never started drinking alcohol as I believed it would ruin my chances of winning gold! By the time I’d stopped competing, I’d seen people with whom I had grown up get into all sorts of alcohol-fuelled trouble and that just didn’t appeal to me. So I never started drinking.
Until now.
Here’s the story of my first – and last – beer:
Never again!
“Wisdom is supreme, so make sure that you acquire wisdom. Even if it costs you everything, acquire understanding.” Proverbs 4:7.
I don’t think that I’ve done that, really, have i?
I’ve never had a daft haircut, not even as a teenager. And, let’s be honest, a post about a haircut can’t really be all that readworthy, can it? Essentially, I had my hair cut. Not particularly interesting. Then I had an idea: just write down some of the feedback that you’ve had. So that’s what I’m going to do.
Ruth: “Your head will feel the cold.”
Danielle: “I do love you.”
Isis: “Wasn’t expecting that, I must say. Midlife crisis?” Then, “If anyone can rock it, it’s you!”
Isla: “Amazing!”
Helen: “No waaaaaaaaaaay!”
Ben: “Love that view, David. You look great.”
Lindsey: “Loving it!”
Nicky: “You look like an extra from Trainspotting.”
Graham: “Oh, my God, I love it! This is the best thing I’ve seen all day!”
Catherine: “Very Beckham 2002.”
Tracey: “Will you let me dye it green?”
Richard: “He’s rebelling.”
Adele: “What on earth have you done to your hair, David?”
Fin: “Love it!”
Blessy: “Love that hair!”
Claire: “You ********!”
Diane: “Looking great!”
Steve: “Looks good. Like a car tyre.”
Anne: “Oh! David’s done a Taxi Driver!”
Tom (the barber): “I like your hair. Obviously, I might be biased.”
Brittany: “Ooh, David!”
Eve (aged nine): “I love your hair, David. I want to have it like that when I’m older. I want to have a line through my hair like you.”
George (aged seven): “When I’m eight, I might be taller than my daddy.”
Back to Eve: “I hope you don’t ever shave your hair bald again.”
Michael: “What were you thinking?”
Brian: “David the UFC fighter.”
Cara: “No way, that’s so good! For some reason, that does suit you.”
Tim: “It makes you look mean.”
Solange: “You do you.”
And, finally, me: “I expected it to look hideous, but the more I look at it, the more I like it. I thought I’d keep it for a week, then shave it all off, but I think I’ll keep it for a while.”
Well, that’s item number one ticked off the list – hurrah! I wonder what’ll be next?
“All things are permissible, but not all things are beneficial.” I Corinthians 6:12.
“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”
Old Chinese proverb.
Eighteen months from today, I will turn fifty. Fifty! How did that happen?
Reaching the half century mark – or approaching it, at least – really makes you think. It makes you think about life choices, life experiences and life ambitions. And all of this thinking about the past has led to me thinking about the future, too. What do I want to do? Where do I want to go? What do I want to be when I grow up? And the answer to all of these questions?
I have absolutely no idea.
That wasn’t a particularly satisfying answer for me, so, until I can answer those questions, I’ll try to fill the void by embarking on a new challenge: Fifty to 50.
“You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.”
Les Brown.
Over the next eighteen months, I’m going to try to do fifty new things in the run up to my fiftieth birthday. Some of these will be small and easy-peasy, taking only an hour or two to complete; some, however, will be much more challenging, taking months or maybe even over a year to tick off the list, like the one that I started preparing for today: do a Tough Mudder.
Fifteen kilometres. Twenty-odd obstacles. Lots of pain and hard work. It doesn’t sound like a lot of fun, does it? My mother summed it up beautifully: “Why on earth would you want to do that?” My answer was a familiar one: “I have absolutely no idea.”
Idealess or not, training began this morning. I hadn’t done any sort of training in the last two months, so the hardest part, believe it or not, was just getting up early and getting started. Once I got going, though, it wasn’t too bad, but I made sure that it was a nice and easy session and completely refused to push myself too hard. Some stretching, a few plank exercises and a two mile jog was a satisfying way to begin my Tough Mudder preparations. Now all that I have to do is make sure that I am relentlessly consistent in my training over the next five and a half months. It shouldn’t be too hard, should it?
“But they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength … they shall run and not grow weary, they shall walk and not faint.”
Not Past It Yet 