Endorphin Rich Puppy Legacy

Back a long time ago, when I was a mere 16 years old, I suffered from acne. I know that's a big shocker to most people. Imagine that, a teenager with zits.

Anyway, after whining and complaining to my Mom, that my all-important social life was in grave danger, and that I needed to do something about my acne, she took me to the doctor. He prescribed a mild dose of Accutane, which cleared my skin right up.

Sometime after that, I went in for another completely unrelated check up, and was told that I had unusually high blood pressure. Although, somewhat alarming, I didn't really worry about it, because I was such a young buck.

I'm not saying that Accutane was the cause of this blood pressure. In fact, it's probably pretty unlikely. What's more likely, is that I just got dealt a bad hand (genetically), and that its all hereditary. Either way, I just remember the first time ever hearing about my bad blood pressure, right after I'd finished using Accutane.

Well, recently, I had a persistent ear-ache, and went to the doctor about it. He took one look at my blood pressure, and went ape-shit on me. We spent about 5 minutes talking about my ear-ache and about 45 minutes talking about the silent killer, aka. Hypertension.

*Sigh, somethings gotta kill us, right?*

Talk about a wake-up call. So, as you can imagine, I've been going out of my way to eat better, keep the sodium intake low, and I even started my exercise regimen today. Which is the point of this post.

I have a puppy that is nearly 9 months old. She's a total riot. Really funny little pup. When I first got her, I really tried hard to keep her walked, and exercised in general. Boy, have I failed.

I went running today, for the first time in YEARS, and I totally kicked that dogs ass! She was wussing out before we'd even gotten to the end of my block. Granted it was a hot bitch out today, but still.

The run was fantastic, despite my lazy dog. Really got the endorphin's flowing. I got home, and was feeling great. Super motivated, and ready for more.

It's crazy how quickly our schedules can become hectic, and suddenly we don't have time to take our dogs for a walk. I was looking through some of the older posts on this 'ole blog. It's hilarious to read about how I had nothing to do, or I was bored, or how I couldn't imagine what I'd be doing after I was done with school. It sure would be nice to have those types of problems nowadays. I can't imagine waking up, and not having something to do that day. That'd be awesome.

I find that lately I have allowed myself to have more pause. The world seems to continue about it's business, and we have all begun to spend less time appreciating life. It's eerie, in a way, taking a moment, and trying to look at things with the same wonder and appreciation that was so easy to have as a young kid.

When you're young, things are simple, beautiful, and new. In reality, there should be no reason that we, as adults don't live the same way. The world, as a whole doesn't change. We, just find ways of changing our perspective of it. Its as if we don't think that the world is good enough, and struggle to find ways to bend it and "improve it" to our standards.

It's more than just the world though. It's the entire concept of life. Its so raw, so simple, and uncomplicated. I guess I just had a moment of self reflection, and a realization that a part of the reason we exist is to consider that existence. Why is it necessary that we understand, and explain everything? What's wrong with just living, and enjoying the trip?

I often dream / daydream about myself in really lonely, secluded situations. As an example, I believe there's probably a post somewhere in this blog about a field of wheat.

Recently, I imagined myself laying on a grassy hill, staring at the small section of the world around me. It was very calm and refreshing, just the sound of wind, and life around me. It's so simple. It really made me contemplate my life, and what I've done for the last 30 years or so. Despite all I've done, when I'm gone, that little patch of the world near that grassy hill will still be there. The wind will still blow, and the life will continue to breathe.

It's actually pretty humbling to realize how little your impact on the world as a whole is.

Which leads me to wonder... is that what we're all after? Do we spend the 70 or 80 years we have, trying make an impact on the world? Does that just come back to us trying to "live longer?" Perhaps not physically, but via our legacy? Which in turn makes me think, "why bother?"

When we're dead, do we really need to be buried with a gravestone marking our existence, or a legacy that will allow us to "live" after we're dead? Why bother? Our run is over, and with any luck, you enjoyed your life. The goal should be to experience your "turn" to live. Experience joy, happiness, and even pain and sorrow.

How quickly the world's waves sweep over our marks in the sand, and wipes them away.

...mmmmhmmm...

*V*