White Line to an Exit Sign

So, I am bereft of ideas, again, and my efforts to find inspiration in the pure endeavor of running have proven fruitless – also again.

My primary dating profile pic. Taken by my buddy Kent.

I asked friends for ideas.

“Running. The motion. The tread on your shoes. The number of times your feet touch the ground. The smells during your run.

“The counting of (fill in the blank) while you run,” one suggested.

Another proffered:

“Maybe house hunting? You had to pass some houses on your route and it got you thinking about pros and cons of homeownership.”

And so I ponder. Surely I can conjure some thoughts on the act of running. The experience. And yet I feel if I try to draw on memory void of conscious effort I might come up short. Might miss something. I need to think about it while I’m doing it so I really remember something worthwhile. Obviously I can’t take notes while I’m running (not without a recorder), but I need to focus on that goal.

How about contemplating homeownership? Perhaps. But that doesn’t resonate right now. I mean, it does and it doesn’t.

Another time.

Some family's vacation photo from 1959 in Minnesota.

I had thought of revisiting the Minnesota vacation slides. I really need to. I have so many to consider and surely there is something to be said there. Or maybe they’d be good for an occasional entry of random photos with very little text. Sure would save me the trouble of thinking and writing.

I’ll keep that one in mind for sure. Bound to come back to it sooner than later.

In the meantime, may as well delve into my preoccupation: relationships. Dating. Love.

While preoccupied with the subject, I’m really doing much better in that realm. Not so obsessed that I am constantly in search. Not looking at every single woman I meet as a prospect. But I can’t stop thinking about it. And I can’t stop perusing profiles on at least one dating website.

So here’s what’s crossed my weary mind in the past 24 hours. This is what I was thinking about a woman I came upon who happens to live in Chicago. Ugh.

Question: Can you miss that which you've never known?

'Tis a bit of a Catch-22. Were it not for the miracle of online dating services we'd never know of each other's existence. So how would one miss the other without the knowledge of his/her existence? And yet, by this electronic maelstrom of emotion and information we learn of potential mates/matches outside our immediate spheres of experience. Certainly that wasn't possible in 1783 or even 1983. 

So, presented with this damned Sears Wish Book of humanity, we're given a view to the possibilities that are out there, whether realistic or not. Suddenly we can see our dream, only to realize the dream is out of reach.

What are you to do when you find that person who, on “paper,” seems such a kindred spirit but is 150 miles away? Is it worth even contemplating? Hell, I had trouble developing a relationship with someone less than 50 miles away I thought was an incredible match.

So do you just write it off as fancy? Move on? The ONE will come along as a matter of fate, because that’s how the universe works? Or, more precisely, there is no ONE, but rather many MATCHES with whom we can possibly create that lasting relationship? 

Anybody? Anybody? Bueller? Bueller?

Today's Stats

Temp: 36 degrees F

Distance: 2.85 miles

Weekly Total: 2.85 miles

Treasure: Treasure is off the menu for a while. Unless…

iPod Playlist (Shuffle):

Running to Stand Still – U2
Captain Jack – Billy Joel
Allentown – Billy Joel
Don’t Shed a Tear for Me – Paul Carrack (For those who don't know, this is the song from which the title of today's blog comes.)
Push – Avril Lavigne
Hand to Mouth – George Michael
I Melt With You – Modern English
Money – Pink Floyd