In this super high tech day and age I did a very retro thing yesterday; I bought a new cd. I've had an ipod for a couple of years now and don't even know where our huge rack of cds has gone. Everything has been downloaded to our itunes account and onto our ipods. Any new music we buy we do online. But as I stood waiting for coffee yesterday I spotted the new Dave Matthews Band (DMB) cd and scooped it up. One of my favorite bands of all time. I've listened to it several times already having loaded onto my ipod and gone for two runs since I bought it. The focus of this week' s blog was simply going to be about instituting a more varied workout instead of just focusing on one activity, running. Usually I do some lifting and mostly go for runs all summer long. My goal for my workouts this summer is to lift weights, run and mix in at least one swim and one bike ride into the mix as to avoid wearing out my knees by September as I've done the last two years. Simply put, I was going to preach balance in all things athletic. But listening to the Dave Matthew's song got me thinking along a deeper vein. 
 
  The song that really got to me is called "Funny The Way It Is." I know I was on a pretty intense endorphine rush as the lyrics of the song got me thinking......(from this point forward the blog may slip into 'Jerry Maguire' mode ala the movie starring Tom Cruise and Cuba Gooding Jr., meaning it may sound like a personal mission statement. but, that's how Jerry truly found himself)...........I realized what I have been striving for all along is not only achieving balance in my athletic endeavors but in my personal life as well. If I can establish balance in all phases of my life, work, working out, onyerleft, my family and friends as well as my spiritual life I will be a much happier and productive person. 
 
 I am not a religious person but I do consider myself to be spiritual and try to have respect for all people and living things. I strive to live by the 'golden rule' "do unto others as you would have them do to you." But, my goal going forward is to also find ways to enrich the lives of others thereby enriching my own. In the song by Dave Matthews,  he sings about how 'it's funny' that while one child walks a great distance just to go to school while  another, elsewhere in the world is dropping out....while one man and his family are having a day in the park another's home is burning to the ground. I believe he is remarking on how many different things are all going on at once, how interconnected we all are without realizing it and to appreciate the day and the love you have around you. Like I said, endorphine rush!!! Anyway it just got me into a deeper vein of thought and has inspired me to move forward and try to do some good. I challenge everyone who reads this to adopt the same approach; We are all here for a 'limited time' not knowing how long that is, let's take time to really appreciate the good in our lives and pay it forward (to borrow another phrase)    My wife once asked me why I was running so much. My reply was, "because I believe it will take me places." And today it certainly did.         See ya on the pathways, Dave. 
 
Postnote; Best of Luck to Lisa Rorer and her group of 12 as they tackle the 140 mile two day Madison to Chicago relay for Special Olympics!!!!