Crazy is as crazy does

I'm limiting myself to just a short entry tonight. This will not be one of my waxing (or waning, if you tend toward the negative side of things in life) ramblings. I just know that I won't be able to sleep right away because of something I've just experienced. So what do I do? I write about it of course!

Anyways.

So I just finished watching Running the Sahara and it was AMAZING. Although the thought may have never crossed your mind, it is fascinating to watch 102 minutes of three male runners sweating, foot-abscess popping, and carbo-loading, mixed in of course with some stunning National Geographic filmography that almost makes running across the hottest, and third largest desert in the world look fun. FUN.

The point being is that these guys went through hell and back, making the 4,300-mile shuffle over the course of 110 days and some of the harshest conditions that make the Sahara's indestructible camels even cringe. Sand dunes that can reach almost 600 feet high. Duststorms that suffocate you, sending sand into your eyes, throat and lungs. And of course, a shortage of the most crucial element to human survival - water.

And the question remains: Why did they do it??

The movie trailer overs a sneak peak into the answers of the runners themselves, but I (surprise!) have my own ideas on the matter. 

This movie has me irked. Mostly I'm annoyed because I want to understand why things like this seem so impossible, why I don't even dream about doing crazy stuff like this at all.  Where's my imagination? Have I settled for the ordinary? The acceptable? The do-able? Where's the fun in that? Sure, I don't need to go out and run the Sahara desert, but c'mon let's face it, why don't more people tell me how freaking average I am?? No, seriously! We let ourselves slide on so much - take the easy ways out - let ourselves get distracted from going the extra miles. "I don't have time. I don't have money. I want to settle down..." blah, blah, blah.  Excuses, excuses.

When you get right down to it, excuses like that are sooooo boring!! When we say these things, what we're really saying is that we're not going to make the success of our dreams a priority. It's like we, as human beings, are collectively afraid (or lazy) of striving to fulfill our full potential. 

Now to be fair, if everyone was as crazy as these three guys, pursuing the impossible, well then where would our world be? Honestly, it's hard to imagine. It'd be so awesome, and probably incredibly chaotic... visions of incredibly enthusiastic goal-oriented creatures, devoiding the world of its stability

But anyways, I guess in all seriousness, it's astonishing to think of what we could achieve if we could overcome our huge mental blocks that prevent our bodies from making the impossible, possible on a regular basis. In the words of Thomas Edison, "If we did all the things we are capable of doing, we would astound ourselves."

I believe that any person should be able to change their lives any day of the year. You don't need a holiday, or an excuse to mix things up. Just do it. I know I will be re-evaluating my priorities and learning how to become most efficient and effective, especially having watched this movie in which three runners put in the miles ultimately to understand themselves and their potential for greatness.

Time to hit the trail, and if it makes me crazy so be it, but it'll be helluva lot more interesting than sitting around waiting for life to happen around me. NO EXCUSES.