This is the thing: When you hit 28 or 30, everything begins to divide. You can see very clearly two kinds of people. On one side, people who have used their 20s to learn and grow, to find … themselves and their dreams, people who know what works and what doesn’t, who have pushed through to become real live adults. Then there’s the other kind, who are hanging onto college, or high school even, with all their might. They’ve stayed in jobs they hate, because they’re too scared to get another one. They’ve stayed with men or women who are good but not great, because they don’t want to be lonely. … they mean to develop intimate friendships, they mean to stop drinking like life is one big frat party. But they don’t do those things, so they live in an extended adolescence, no closer to adulthood than when they graduated.

Don’t be like that. Don’t get stuck. Move, travel, take a class, take a risk. There is a season for wildness and a season for settledness, and this is neither. This season is about becoming. Don’t lose yourself at happy hour, but don’t lose yourself on the corporate ladder either. Stop every once in a while and go out to coffee or climb in bed with your journal.

Ask yourself some good questions like: “Am I proud of the life I’m living? What have I tried this month? … Do the people I’m spending time with give me life, or make me feel small? Is there any brokenness in my life that’s keeping me from moving forward?”

Now is your time. Walk closely with people you love, and with people who believe … life is a grand adventure. Don’t get stuck in the past, and don’t try to fast-forward yourself into a future you haven’t yet earned. Give today all the love and intensity and courage you can, and keep traveling honestly along life’s path.

from here on tumblr

We finally went running together approx 3.30pm which is quite rare for us to go together. I wanted to do a time trial of “gate to gate” (Marley Trig point gate to the Bundeena gate). I ran 1h 18m back in July and wanted to try again. I took my iPod with The Clash and The Specials. I usually start quicker than Dawn then slow up, and she is better on firetrail than me. Anyway, it was quite hot/sticky humid and I set a “cracking” pace. She didn’t catchup and I came in 1h 02m and Dawn in 1h 03m. However I think Nick Galvin did 1h 01m (although that was in the winter – summer is definitely harder). Very pleased with that.

Had a dip in the sea afterwards which felt like total heaven. In the evening I watched the DVD of the North Face 100km race. It was a very good video and I wouldn’t mind running it myself.

• Drink more water – I have been drinking a lot more anyway, but want to continue the habit.
• Go to Crossfit at least once per week.
• Keep making a serious effort to do exercise every single day (I do mostly anyway).
• Go to India and work for a charity (I have already half-sorted something out).
• Do some yoga in India – most likely Rishikesh – will probably take some lessons in other styles before I go though, so I at least have some clue.
• Keep on my paleo-like diet of no bread, no pasta, no noodles, and generally little/no wheat as well as being 98% vegan without stressing about it or getting too freaky.
• Stretch goal : not to work too hard and worry less about it!

Anyway, New Year’s started on a bit of late note – got up approx 10.30am when my Mum rang from the UK. I didn’t run the traditional New Year’s day run as was too tired/late so it was a bit disappointing. took the dog for a walk, went for a swim – it was a hot & sunny day, perfect for not doing a lot. Dawn worked last night and was working again tonight so she was only around a little. Went for a quick swim with her and then went for a run myself after she had gone to work – to Maianbar and back along the spit  (I quite like that – took approx 40mins). In  the evening, Peter’s last, we had a bbq on the back deck. Nice & relaxing.

The Kids enjoyed the surfing and seem to be quite proficient now (unlike me!!). Me and Kody had some Sushi and Pete/Chelsea had a Subway for lunch. We went home and had a quiet couple of hours. Went to the beach.

We headed out for the evening about 6.30pm to pick up Chelsea’s friend Tabitha but typical Chelsea didn’t arrange a time or a place and didn’t take her phone number. We eventually caught up after ringing her Mum and went to Cronulla but the Guzman Y Gomez there was shut (wtf!), so we drove straight to Newtown to see the 9pm fireworks from Sydney Park Hill. We got there approx 8.30pm so the timing was good. The fireworks were ok.

We then walked into Newtown and went to eat at a Thai Restaurant – we were all starving by then. Luckily it wasn’t far to the railway station where we eventually got on a train to Milson’s Point, dealt with the usual dilemma of kids wanting to go pee. It was quite different than before as there were massive fences everywhere herding people in one direction. We got a decent spot by about 11.45pm. Great timing.

The fireworks were good, but we were probably the wrong side of the harbour bridge. There was a massive crush getting back onto the train, but we made it eventually, the kids were pretty good. We eventually got back to the car at close to 2am, and cam home just stopping for petrol and the kids to get a slurpee from 7/11, eventually getting home approx 3.20am. Pretty much went straight to sleep, after deciding NOT to get up at 04.30 for the Beyond the Black Stump run on New Year’s Day.

Drove onto Kogarah and went to Crossfit there for the 4pm class. the WOD (work out of the day) was: 4 reps of 5 mins, of as many of rounds of these as possible within the 5mins (2min 30secs between each rep) :

• 5 Pull ups
• 10 Push Ups
• 15 Air Squats

I generally did 2 or 3 rounds per rep, for 11 rounds all up. Obviously the pullups were not the proper ones, as I am far to weak for that – I was using a green elastic band. I was totally shattered afterwards although surprisingly not quite the worst in the class (but pretty close to it). All up I had 55 pullups, 110 pushups and 165 air squats. What make it worse is that I can do approx 30+ pushups straight off, but these are nose to floor, the Crossfit ones today were chest to floor and they are MUSH harder.

I had time for a quick jog to Ramsgate beach and had a quick dip and run back to the car to head back to Caringbah for the 6 o’clock yoga (the last class before a 4 day xmas break).

Unfortunately it was obvious that a yoga class straight after crossfit was a big mistake. BIG MISTAKE. I couldn’t put my arms over my head, couldn’t balance, missed a few poses – I was a total wreck – Massacred. My muscles on my arms were twitching and the girl next to me thought I was about to pass out.

Did some final food shopping and got home by 9pm. wrecked.

ps the Crossfit-FX facebook page is well cool – shows all the daily workouts, usually with cool videos too.

Met Chels & Peter on the way home – we were all very tired. In the evening went over to Bonnies for a Christmas drink. Cooked the kids some food approx 10pm.

Spent some time reading the news/blogs about it being the 9 year anniversary since Joe Strummer died: Nine years on, music mourns Joe Strummer

I usually park halfway up Bondi Rd down a sidestreet as there is usually free parking there, and I always walk past a clothes shop in Bondi with this really cool poster on the wall – I finally found a copy of the picture on the internet. noice!

In the evening we picked up Dawn after yoga and drove to Surry Hills and went to the Maya Indian restaurant, believe it or not the kids were desperate to go here (good brainwashing on my part!!!) The kids are starting to eat more of the food and quite enjoy it. We bought some deserts to have at home (not vegan!). All up approx $100 including drinks and deserts.

Home & bed approx 11pm.

In the evening me and Dawn were going to yoga, but I set up the BBQ and started cooking it, then left Peter and Jaz to finish it off. It seemed to work well and they didn’t burn the place down!