Breaking point Jun 2, 2009
I've come to the humbling realization that I have a breaking point.  It's all in my head, but it consists of a combination of physical, emotional, and psychological components.  When one of those components is missing, I'm strong and confident, capable of anything and everything.  But the right combination of those three things breaks me.  I give up.  I quit.  I make irrational decisions and have a hard time coping.  When I think about it later, I feel stupid and weak for not pushing through it.  But that's because I'm not in the situation anymore.  It's easy to feel unbreakable when I'm outside the situation that broke me. #psychology
Hiking goals Jun 2, 2009
Two weekends in a row I've gone hiking.  Two weekends in a row I've read a map incorrectly or made some other navigational mistake, resulting in a hike much longer than originally planned.  What I should've learned after the first time was that a hike, like many things, should consist of specific, measurable goals, and that if such goals are not met by a certain time, a decision should be made, most likely to turn back.  For example, both recent hikes had certain waypoints, such as a trail crossing or a waterfall.  These things were supposed to appear after a certain number of miles.  We should've said from the outset that if we didn't see these waypoints by a certain time based on the slowest speed (2 mph on average, 1 mph being ridiculously slow), we should've turned back or at least taken a closer look at the map.  In both cases it would've cut the length of the misguided hike in half, and in one case would've saved a call to the state park police after following a trail for four times its stated length while carrying next to no gear and watching the sun quickly disappear. #sports
Condolence cards Jun 2, 2009
Every once in a while, a relative of somebody at work dies, and we pass around a condolence card for people to sign and contribute money to a charitable cause.  Nothing wrong with that.  But every time a card reaches my desk, I sit there for what feels like forever, reading the things people have already written and trying to come up with something different to write.  All the usual things are taken, like "Sorry for your loss," "Our thoughts and prayers are with you and your family," "Please let me know if there's anything I can do."  What else can you possibly say?  How many people can write the same thing before it gets old?  Is what I write really that important?  Do people actually read these cards?  Can I write what I'm really thinking, something like, "I can't imagine how you must feel now that your relative died.  I hope you find some sort of constructive and healthy way to deal with it, because I know I'd be an emotion mess and wouldn't know how to function."  After I've stared at the card for long enough, I usually just end up signing my name because I can't think of a better thing to do. #sociology