I'm going to run a marathon. Eventually.

I'm going to run a marathon. Eventually.

I'm not sure how it happened, but since I got back from my mission a few years ago, I can tolerate things much more than I did in high school. I mean physical things, like pain, cold, and tiredness; I still can't tolerate rap. But, I've noticed that my my own personal comfort just isn't as important to me as it used to be. I think just realized one day that life is too short to miss out on cool little adventures and awesome memories just because it's cold outside or because I'll get wet or I might get bruised up a little. My priorities changed, and making memories and having fun took the place of being comfortable. The way I see it, I can be comfortable when I'm old and sacrifice a little comfort for some memories while I'm still young.

For example, the other day while I was out geocaching, I realized that I was running through a park in the freezing rain in the dead of night wearing only jeans and a t-shirt so I could crawl around in the wet wood chips at a playground looking for a tiny capsule with only my iPod to use as a flashlight so I could sign my name on the piece of paper inside and then put it back. And I liked it.

I've hung from the side of a cliff, 10 feet above my last connection to the wall, feeling my arms giving out, knowing there would be at least a 25 foot drop if I slipped (more if my belayer wasn't fast enough), and being scared out of my mind, but doing it anyway because I knew I was safe, and I knew that although my arms hurt, I'd be glad I did it later.

So, in this same spirit of comfort-abandonment, I've decided I'm going to run a marathon. That's right, 26.21876 miles. I'm gonna do it. Of course, not right away. But, I'm going to work up to it. Hopefully in a year or two I'll be ready. It'll be rough, but so what?

Life is good if you make it good. Sometimes that means being a little uncomfortable.

Hair Stylists

Have you ever seen an orthodontist with horribly crooked teeth? Or maybe a chiropractor with a hunchback? Of course you haven't. Not only do they have the means and the knowledge to correct these problems, but I imagine it would be important to their practice to inspire confidence in their customers. If your orthodontist has five teeth that are pointing straight at you, and four more that are growing right behind those ones, and a couple more that are actually growing ON the only two straight ones in his mouth, you're likely to wonder if he even knows HOW to fix teeth.

The point I'm trying to make is this: if you expect people to feel comfortable trusting you with some part of their body, you might want to show them that you know what you're doing.

This, to me, is common sense, a sort of unspoken rule in the health/cosmetics world. At least, it SHOULD be. But, what about hair stylists? Have you ever seen a hair stylist with bright pink, unevenly cut hair that's all in their face and everywhere else, giving you the impression that either they tried to do their hair themselves in the dark while they were drunk or they were letting their FRIENDS experiment on their hair in the dark while THEY were drunk? Of course you have. Anyone that's ever had their hair cut at a hair college has.

So what makes this profession an exception to the rule? The answer: I don't know. Some how I keep going back there to get my hair cut. I sit there waiting for my turn, watching stylists walk by. There's a guy that looks like he could be in a Japanese cartoon, and a girl with half of her hair blue, and the other half gone. But, I'm not freaking out. I don't know why. The girl behind the desk, with what looks like a green and purple porcupine on her head, calls my name. She introduces me to Medusa and I follow her obediently to her chair.

But, despite all the craziness, 99% of the time I'm 100% satisfied with the haircuts I get at hair colleges. The other 1% of the time was the time the power went out and my stylist was drunk. But, I like the color green, so it's okay.