Learn to control money but do not allow it to control you

carol01

Firewalker wrote: »

Just a brief message to say the I finished the marathon a minute under 5 hours. was a long run in the heath and I have sunburn.

well done !!!! :T hope your sunburn doesnt hurt too much

savingwannabe

I hope you are not at work today. You should be resting!!!!! Well done. Aloe Vera is good for sunburn. EEEK!

:j

Firewalker

Done – last Sunday I run the first ever Brighton Marathon. It was a nice running day – bright and sunny and although it got rather warm, it was nothing compared to the heath during Edinburgh marathon last year. In Edinburgh at mile 21 I thought that I has died and gone to hell, it was so hot. But still managed to get funny sun tan last Sunday – it goes around my vest and is very strong on the back of my neck. Serves me right for putting sunscreen only on the bits of me that I can see!

Have I mentioned that when I run marathons, at about mile 16-17 I usually start asking myself ‘Remind me, why are you doing that?’. Not this time – at mile 17 I though ‘Yes. I know why am I doing this one. I am doing it for my mum, for other mums and friends who went through the same, and for the over £500 I raised.’

Crossing the finish line! The feeling is very hard to describe – it is a mixture between exhilaration, sense of incredible achievement and great relief. And, yes, this time I finished with loads of young people. Unfortunately was too knackered for hugs.

Running 26.22 miles is not a joking matter and there are three things one should remember. First, anyone can run a marathon if they really, really want to completing a marathon is a head game, not a fitness game. Second, to finishing a marathon one needs to master the art of pacing oneself – run fast at the beginning and you might run out of steam after 16-17 miles. And third, the thing that gets you through the difficult bits and through the pain is the image of crossing the finish line.

I think that these three ‘rules of marathon running’ apply pretty much to all undertakings that take long and are hard to complete. They probably apply to becoming DF, as well. Particularly the pacing and the image of the finish line.

Firewalker

savingwannabe

Beautifully put my friend. I hope you are resting. A fantastic feat.

Goodnight,

:j

Firewalker

Little boy came back from swimming and told me that he is having tests for bronze swimming award. Then he looked at me and said: ‘I don’t think that I will ever get silver and gold.’ ‘Why do you think so?’ – I asked.
‘I can’t be arsed.’ little boy said.

Now, there are three expressions that to me a like showing red to a bull. These, in order of annoyance, are: ‘I can’t be bothered’, ‘I am bored’ and ‘Oh, whatever.’ Why do I find these expressions so objectionable? Why hearing them angers me so much? Could it be that they are not on my mental map at all? I have never been able to understand how could people be bored when the world is such a fascinating, brimming with activity place. People ask me ‘Why do you run marathons?’. And my response has always been ‘Because they are there.’ So, can’t be bothered is not exactly an attitude I comprehend.

Yes, some things are difficult but can you think of anything worthwhile in life that is easy? I can’t. Love – really hard. Raising children – hard. Careers, jobs – difficult. Mastering a craft demands dedication, strength and bravery. On the other hand, I can think of many destructive things in life that are easy. Giving up on your dreams - easy. Living a wasteful life - easy.

I believe that if one really wants something they should go after it with all they have. And when one fails, one learns and tries again. And again, and again...Never give up without a good fight.

But how do I explain this one to little boy.

Firewalker

savingwannabe

Tell him the story of David and Goliath or maybe Joseph from the bible. He will learn.

Goodnight.

:j

Firewalker

Tonight I started writing ‘A major tragedy happened last night...’ and than stopped myself. ‘Is what happened, really a tragedy?’, I started asking myself. May be my ‘tragedy’ is fairly trivial compared to world poverty, global warming and the Moon moving away from Earth. But then again, is it right to judge outside some reference frame? A broken doll is not a ‘tragedy’ to an adult just like all cataclysmic events of the last century do not make much sense to a little girl.

I’ll try this one again, shall I? Yesterday a moderate mishap with the potential to become a major tragedy happened in our house. I came back from work, slightly limping from stiffness still, and heard this rhythmic thumping from the downstairs bathroom. Opened the door – and yes, water was pouring down from the ceiling. Not just dripping, really pouring. Called OH, hysteria thick in my voice, and all the while these images of an empty savings account going through my mind.

Well to cut a long story short, it turned out that when OH cleaned the bathroom last week he loosened the tabs of the bidet upstairs and they started leaking slightly. This actually caused the waterfall in the downstairs bathroom. As it happens, my images of plumbers, empty bank accounts and fallen ceilings turned out to be somewhat premature. Thirty minutes without water and OH had fixed the leak.

Financially, as you might have already guessed, this week will be a bit heavy. The trip to Brighton was not rally expensive but still added to the monthly bill - trying hard to keep within budget this month. On the positive, today received my new life insurance – it is about £30 lower than what I am paying now and includes terminal illness cover. How good can it get?

Firewalker

savingwannabe

Bless you. Don't worry that's what i do, it just causes unecessary stress. Your family sounds really strong. They will always be there for you. Give them all a big hug and be happy.

I have every confidence that the money situation will sort itself out because you always try your best.

Have a good day. Off to worky poos!

Firewalker

Last Friday morning, just when I was about to leave for Brighton, Ninky asked me a question. It was about time, it was about being ‘time-rich’ or ‘time-poor’. I answered in haste but the question kept coming back – it was in my head while running, it was there today whilst I was cycling to and from work. If something keeps coming back I usually have a second look.

Having had a second look, I would like to get back to this question. Time is not an asset – time is a resource. It is also a very precious resource – because long or short, our time is always limited. I, for example, would like to live long enough to enjoy grandchildren, but not long enough so that my children guiltily wish me dead. Time being a resource makes us all ‘time-neutral’. So, here I was wrong – I am not ‘time-rich’, I am not ‘time-poor’. Just like everyone else I am ‘time-neutral’.

I believe, the important questions about time, particularly about time as a precious resource, are ‘what do we chose to do with’ and ‘what can we afford to do with it’. If we did not have constraints in our lives the former question would suffice. But this is never the case...

Where am I going with that? Well, if I did not have constraints it probably would not be my choice to cook – I would have a cook. If I did not have constraints I would probably (not in order of importance or preference): read more philosophy, re-read the classics, learn several more languages, spend more time with little boy. But most of all, I’ll probably spend much more time writing – writing for fun, that is.

As to being organised – this is my way to deal with the constraints and do the things I enjoy. There will be more time for reading if the jobs around the house are done faster – so I have learned to stack tasks. So, making hummous takes about 10 min. preparation time and about 20 min. cooking time. In the 20 min. I will always do something else – and not necessarily housework. I have learned to clean ‘on the go’ – when I see something dirty I clean it (for which there is fast way as well – take my glasses off so I don’t see anything).

But there are limits to the dovetailing of tasks. And when the limit is reached it is time for another look, for another choice....

Firewalker

savingwannabe

This is lovely. I always feel like i am reading a good book in front of a warm cosy fire when you write Firewalker. I am too exhausted to think but it sounds so soothing. Like the shipping forecast.

Goodnight dear friend.

:j