Two Days from Base Camp

In two days, I will be fifty years old. You might assume that this event - which arbitrarily seems to carry the mathematical heft of Avagadro's number or the speed of light or some other constant I can no longer remember - is freaking me out. You might be right.

So, I decided to do something. I'm a man of action. Granted, increasingly slow action, but action nonetheless. Plan A was to come up with an analogy or slogan to cling to... you know, like "50 is the new 20" or "Life begins at 50" or something like that. Something to emblazon on a t-shirt, that might get me to walk an extra block when the dog needs to go out, get me motivated to take up new hobbies, save the planet, embarrass my teenage sons, or at least get the dishes washed.

In my youth (ahem), I climbed mountains back home in Colorado. The first part of the climb was always jaunty and invigorating and full of promise, but eventually you would begin to face increasingly difficult terrain, your legs would start to burn, your breath would become increasingly short. Near the top it would become a single-minded struggle to merely put one foot in front of the other. But I never turned back. And now, when I look back on those days, it is the stark beauty of the alpine that I remember and treasure, the grand vistas, and the tremendous sense of peace and accomplishment that greets you at the summit. The second half is tougher, but it's well worth it.

So, there's my analogy, and I'm sticking to it. I've just reached timberline, and the deep forests and babbling streams of youth are quickly receding below. Who knows where this blog will go, or whether I can even devote any time at all, but my intent is to follow myself through these times, looking back some, looking ahead some, but mostly reminding myself to take my eyes off the trail and just look, period.

But first things first. I'm seriously out of breath already, which doesn't bode well, and I've been gorging on way too much trail mix over last few legs of the journey. Time to regroup and get serious about this assault on the summit.

See ya... gotta run... the dog needs a walk.