Pursuits

One more trip to go...and then we can find a routine that might approach normal.

Managed to get in a 3 mile run yesterday, which helped shake out the muscles. I hadn't run since last Wednesday, and was starting to feel slug-like. J and I are starting the training cycle for longer races this fall and next spring, so it's time to kick it into gear. Of course, I don't really intend to run in the mountains of North Carolina, but I may try to do some hiking and walking while we are there. The kiddos will love that...I can hear the complaints already! Cue evil laugh...

I queued up my running podcast yesterday, and totally enjoyed the topic of the most recent podcast - "The Pursuit of Happiness." The guy that produces the podcast is on a philosophical jaunt right now, and it's very satisfying because it's something I don't get much of in everyday life. It's a little hard to go looking for philosophical conversations at this stage in life, I think. Most folks are too busy trying to keep their reality together, let alone musings on stuff that might or might not exist! And I'm not much in the way of a debater or anything, but I sure enjoy giving my brain something to think about every now and then.

Anyway, the discussion was something I needed to hear right now; it helped put a few things into perspective and got me thinking about how we view happiness in our every day lives, and how we define it. His discussion centered on ancient philosophers' ideas of "happiness" and how they defined it, contrasted with how it is viewed in current life. I haven't finished listening to all of it yet; the podcast is an hour, and I only ran for about half an hour, so I've got something to look forward to next time I run, but here are my thoughts so far.

One of the things that stuck with me was his use of an ancient Greek word that is commonly translated to mean happiness - "eudaimonia." The word actually breaks down into two parts: "eu" meaning good, and "daimon" meaning spirit. A more accurate translation is probably along the lines of "human flourishing." I think his point is that happiness (or eudaimonia), rather than being a discrete notion (e.g., this thing makes me happy, or that event makes me happy), should be viewed as much more all-encompassing. It should be looked at as more of a journey, rather than a goal to be achieved or a static state of being. It is a process, and a way of living. It is having certain principles in your life, and following them as closely as possible. For what it's worth, I think exactly what the principles are is up for debate, depending on which philosopher's camp you are in - but that's an entirely other debate.

It resonated pretty deeply with me, though. It was a good reminder that the bumps in life - and there will always be bumps, some larger than others - are usually such minor blips, they are not worth worrying about. They are the static, the discrete. They are, by and large, unimportant and over quickly. The journey, the process, the pursuit, the things that make you flourish as a person - that's the fun stuff, the stuff you can sink your teeth into, and come back to when you need to rebuild.

I love running - especially when it helps me clear my head and refocus priorities. It's amazing what a few miles of pounding the pavement can do for you sometimes. And food for thought from a podcast? Total indulgence.