Men’s Breakfast sermon this morning was entitled “The Cure for Stupid Thinking.” Yesterday I got excited and signed up to run a half marathon in Corvallis on April 6th. So last night I ran two miles on my treadmill with the incline set at 3% as I began my training for this new B-HAG of a goal. I think I might have overdone my first running in 10 years because tonight I can barely walk I am so sore. The worst part of it is my wife is laughing at me and calling me a perfect example of stupid thinking! We actually were laughing together as I sat groaning pathetically in my recliner.

I don’t think it is stupid thinking, just a bit naive, unrealistic and overly positive. But if I am going to have a thinking problem I would rather it be overly positive instead of negative and defeatist like so many people that I know. My soreness will be gone in a few days and then I will start in on the pursuit of my goal a little bit more gradually, but I am pretty sure that I will run a half marathon in April, even if a bit slow, and then I will ride my bicycle 2,600 miles to Southern Utah and back. I see where a guy 91 years old ran and finished the Boston Marathon this year, I think I will make a goal to do that.

The reason I like goal setting is that it costs nothing to write big hairy, audacious goals down and dream about doing them and make an attempt to accomplish them. I made a goal the last four years to climb Mt Adam’s, I didn’t make it to the top on any of the four climbs, but I did give it a go and made it quite a ways, and I had fun in the process. I think I might make another goal to climb Mt Adam’s if I finish the half marathon in April. yep, I am sure I will.

I may not finish the half marathon, I may not ride all 2,600 miles on my bicycle, I might not even attempt climbing Mt Adam’s or run in the Boston Marathon, but it is sure fun to dream about doing it. On some days when I am feeling especially good I even dream that I am going to win the Boston, now that is a fun dream!

I wonder if having crazy unrealistic dreams is bad for your health, if it will cause my heart to fail, or give me cancer, or make me a grumpy old man. I don’t think so!