CrAzY for Good Causes

My husband informed me yesterday he was creating a team for the October 2014 Tough Mudder in Dallas. I felt fear instantly. I know what those obstacle courses are all about. And just the idea is frightening.

It wasn't until today that the level of craziness really sank in: he paid for our registration. It is official. I am going to run the Tough Mudder.

If you are unfamiliar with what Tough Mudder is all about, here's a YouTube video that might help you understand the fear that first seized my heart when he said we're doing it:

I think the reason this is so frightening to me is because it requires me overcoming several very real fears.

• The fear of failing in front of an audience. Oh, and there's an audience. You can pay $20 to be a spectator. Seriously. So people pay to watch other people face-plant. Yep.
• The fear of water. I don't like water. I don't mind lounging in a lazy river if I can stand up in it if I want or need to. But I don't swim well, and I have to hold my nose to keep water from going into it. Ugh, water obstacles.
• The fear of murky water. Yes, I have seen the above video. I realize that the water is murky and muddy and gross. I've always HATED not being able to see what my feet are touching. I hate not being able to see what is right in front of me in the water. The only consolation here is that I will have shoes on, so that is good.
• The fear of heights. I don't like to climb to the tops of water slides that are only eight or nine feet off the ground. It makes me dizzy. I stepped to the edge of the Stratosphere observation deck only once and only for a few seconds because seeing the world from that height made me want to throw up. So the idea that I will be jumping and, probably, falling from undetermined heights makes me feel nauseous. 
• The fear of weakness. I am strong. Mentally and physically. I know I am. But I am not that strong. My upper body, my abs. I am going to need major strength training between now and October. 

But with all the fears I have to overcome, I have decided that they are nothing compared to the reason I am training. 

My team chose the name Boobs, Beards, and Freedom, which gets a chuckle out of most who hear it. But there is more to the name than humor. These are the organizations we support and these are the organizations for which we train:

1. Wounded Warrior Project. The "Freedom" in our name refers to America's freedom and the soldiers who protect it. I cannot say enough about Wounded Warrior Project and what it does to help the wounded soldiers of our nation. We live in a nation of brave men and women who sacrifice themselves, in part and sometimes in whole, for the lifestyle we live. Giving back to them is the least I can do to show my gratitude, especially considering I am able to go out and overcome my superficial fears because they faced real fears on the battlefield. Wounded Warrior Project is the organization the Tough Mudder works to support, and a portion of my personal fundraising will benefit this worthy cause. 
2. Breast Cancer Awareness. "Boobs" is a shout-out to the other cause we are working to support. This is a cause close to my heart, considering my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer when she was thirty-seven years old. I just had the fourth mammogram of my life this morning, and I will continue to promote the importance of self-exams and breast cancer awareness. When I was ten, I watched my mom, and since then, other friends and family of friends, overcome great fears as they fought for their lives, and I am proud to be able to give to an organization that is working to educate women about breast health and to raise money for research to bring an end to this disease. October is breast cancer awareness month, and I hope to dedicate a portion of my fundraising efforts to a worthy breast cancer awareness organization.
3. Health and Happiness. How does the "Beard" fit in? Well, my husband celebrates "freedom from razors," as he calls it, beginning July 4th weekend. As his beard reaches the point where I start to hope for January (which is when he usually shaves again), he reminds me that a beard makes him a man; it shows he is healthy, and it is his right as an American! So in celebration of our bodies--these temples we should worship and care for--we will run ten to twelve miles and endure twenty-five obstacles with names like Fire in Your Hole, Arctic Enema, and Ladder to Hell. Because, hey, we can, right? And, well, let's face it: because we're crazy.

If you'd like to join our team, there's still time, but these obstacle course runs sell out fast! Visit the team page and join team Boobs, Beards, and Freedom: 

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/tough-mudder-dallas-saturday-october-4-2014-registration-10081910265

And if crazy isn't your thing but you still want to root us on, please check back. I hope to set up a donation page soon!

Thank a Veteran and Exercise Your Right Tomorrow

My brother-in-law and I had an interesting conversation via Facebook today. He made a post about a professor of his who rather flippantly disregarded this coming Monday’s holiday. First, she couldn’t remember why they weren’t having class… some holiday or whatnot. Then, when her memory returned, she said (and I’m paraphrasing his paraphrase), oh, yes, Veteran’s Day. I can’t keep all these “silly” holidays straight.

Now, I am a pretty laid back person. I’m a Libra and Libras prefer balance; they are mediators and dislike conflict to the point that they will endure unhappiness to keep those around them happy. As such, I am relatively even keel most of the time. But there are a few topics I cannot remain silent about: the first is my children. That one is rather obvious. The second is my family, certainly. And the third is my country and those who fight to protect it.

I have the honored privilege of having a great many veterans in my family. My husband served our country as did my uncle, my grandfathers, and any number of extended family members. We have many friends who are still active duty, scattered throughout the world, and many who are either separated or retired right here at home. And my position as a college instructor in a training base city means I meet veterans and active duty military members, all with their own unique stories and experiences, each semester. I am grateful to them all on a daily basis.

To forget the day we honor those who have served in the various branches of the United States Armed Forces or, worse, to refer to that day as “silly” is not only disrespectful; in my mind, such disregard is directly linked to the main problem facing my generation and the generation that will be voting in it’s first election tomorrow: selfishness. I would say ignorance or even indifference, but both of those initial reactions can be traced to the larger issue that truly appears to drive every decision today’s youth makes.

As a further example, the day after the last presidential debate, I asked my classes to respond via a casual journal topic. I don’t preach my beliefs before my students: politics and religion rarely make their way into my classroom except through rhetorical questions and occasional independent writing exercises, honestly, because I view my authority as a means for encouraging and promoting thought in an environment that fosters growth, creativity, and freedom of expression. But with the election looming on the horizon, I thought it was a topic that should be addressed rather than ignored. I knew it was hopeful, to say the least, that my younger students would even have realized the debates were on TV. For my non-traditionals, I really expected passionate, issue-driven responses.

What did I get? Apathy. Indifference. And even a bold, “Who really cares?”

Well, for one, I do. And honestly I find it rather frightening that this is the general attitude of those who will one day be charged with making decisions for this great nation. The selfishness that leads to such bold statements is the same selfishness that leads to Veteran’s Day being referred to as “silly” and students commenting, “I’ll vote one day when I care enough to follow it all.”

The general attitude in this country stinks. Everyone sits around complaining about the economy, about the war, about unemployment, but very few of those who are the most vocal are willing to put forth the effort to change it. Ralph Waldo Emerson argues that mankind is “afraid of truth, afraid of fortune, afraid of death, and afraid of each other.” And that is, quite possibly, truer today that when it was written. He encourages man to avoid the conformity that society encourages: “To believe your own thought, to believe that what is true for you in your private heart is true for all men, — that is genius.” Sadly, today’s conformists are all too content to jump on the “I don’t care” or “it doesn’t affect me” bandwagon. Perhaps a lack of conviction in addition to a “foolish consistency” is, indeed, the “hobgoblin of little minds.”

Much like the ignorant professor whose thoughtless comments inspired this post, those who choose not to vote have every right to conform. That is, after all, what society wants. However, I think it important that we remember who guarantees our right to vote (or not vote), to speak our minds (however boorish our thoughts may be), to walk outside and feel the sun on our faces, the wind in our hair, and not fear gun fire or roadside bombs. Because, despite their sacrifices—and they are many—and despite the fact that they live with the reality that they may or may not return to this country alive, they defend it without question. They defend the freedoms of those who don’t care enough to visit a polling place on Tuesday and give five minutes of their lives to cast a vote; they defend the rights of those who choose to loudly protest against them and what they represent; and they protect this nation because, despite her problems and despite her fair-weather citizenry, America is still a great nation.   

This post isn’t about being a democrat, a republican, or an independent. It is about being a proud American and honoring those who risk their lives to afford us the right to declare our allegiance to a particular political party and exercising that right tomorrow at the poll.

And don’t be afraid to thank those who have served. There’s no need to wait until Monday. Tell them today and tomorrow. Tell them Monday and tell them again the next day. Considering the sacrifices they make, they cannot be told enough.