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Weekend Assignment #172: Under Your Own Power
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Friday, June 29, 2007
8:21:00 AM EDT
Hearing Don't Stop Now -- Crowded House
As many of you know, I found myself immersed in a technological nightmare yesterday, which required me to spend a lot of my time geeking out and spending my time wrestling with balky computer code. When something like that happens, I'll often turn around and use it as an inspiration for a Weekend Assignment, but this particular incident was draining enough that I've decided to go in the complete opposite direction for this week's Assignment:
Weekend Assignment #172: Talk about a time in which you moved or traveled a significant distance under your own power. That means walking, running, swimming, biking, hiking, and so on -- in some significant way your muscles were involved. As for the distances involved, think miles; we're talking some real effort. It doesn't have to be a marathon or a triathalon (although those would count), just a time when you got to the end of what you were doing feeling tired but possibly triumphant as well.
My significant personal power experience involves this hole in the ground: The Grand Canyon. As the final bonding experience for departing seniors, my high school had a tradition of taking the graduating class to the Canyon, hiking them down to the bottom of said canyon, where the river is, and then hiking us back to the top, all in one day. This is (or can be) absolutely nuts, of course, and before we could do it, we had to train for it and prove to the school that, in fact, they wouldn't have to call the rangers to haul our worthless carcasses out of there (those who didn't qualify would still go on the trip, they just wouldn't hike).
In retrospect, all that training was absolutely key, because coming back up from the river, you could tell that even the most physically fit of us were totally feeling it; we were hiking in early June, it was hot, and it was a basically entirely insane physical experience. But -- as intended -- it brought all of us closer together, because the only way you're getting out of that big-ass hole in the ground is by being encouraged by other, and encouraging them in turn. We did a lot of propping each other up on that trek.
We all did get back to the top, too, most of a day after we started. We celebrated (very tiredly), and then before we left, we all gathered round and listened to our headmaster recite from Psalm 40, in which the Lord brings the speaker out of a pit and sets his feet on firm rock. I'm not a particularly religious person myself, nor was I then, but the sentiment and context was spot on, and I was glad to hear it.
I was thinking of this in particular because I'll be going to my 20th reunion later this year, and I'm looking forward to seeing the people with whom I walked into canyon, and back out again.
Your turn: Tell us about the distances you have gone, under your own power. Write it up in your Journal or blog, and then come back here and leave a link! This will be a trip worth taking together.
Written by johnmscalzi Blog about this entry |
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8:21:00 AM EDT
Hearing Don't Stop Now -- Crowded House
Weekend Assignment #172: Under Your Own Power
As many of you know, I found myself immersed in a technological nightmare yesterday, which required me to spend a lot of my time geeking out and spending my time wrestling with balky computer code. When something like that happens, I'll often turn around and use it as an inspiration for a Weekend Assignment, but this particular incident was draining enough that I've decided to go in the complete opposite direction for this week's Assignment:
Weekend Assignment #172: Talk about a time in which you moved or traveled a significant distance under your own power. That means walking, running, swimming, biking, hiking, and so on -- in some significant way your muscles were involved. As for the distances involved, think miles; we're talking some real effort. It doesn't have to be a marathon or a triathalon (although those would count), just a time when you got to the end of what you were doing feeling tired but possibly triumphant as well.
My significant personal power experience involves this hole in the ground: The Grand Canyon. As the final bonding experience for departing seniors, my high school had a tradition of taking the graduating class to the Canyon, hiking them down to the bottom of said canyon, where the river is, and then hiking us back to the top, all in one day. This is (or can be) absolutely nuts, of course, and before we could do it, we had to train for it and prove to the school that, in fact, they wouldn't have to call the rangers to haul our worthless carcasses out of there (those who didn't qualify would still go on the trip, they just wouldn't hike).
In retrospect, all that training was absolutely key, because coming back up from the river, you could tell that even the most physically fit of us were totally feeling it; we were hiking in early June, it was hot, and it was a basically entirely insane physical experience. But -- as intended -- it brought all of us closer together, because the only way you're getting out of that big-ass hole in the ground is by being encouraged by other, and encouraging them in turn. We did a lot of propping each other up on that trek.
We all did get back to the top, too, most of a day after we started. We celebrated (very tiredly), and then before we left, we all gathered round and listened to our headmaster recite from Psalm 40, in which the Lord brings the speaker out of a pit and sets his feet on firm rock. I'm not a particularly religious person myself, nor was I then, but the sentiment and context was spot on, and I was glad to hear it.
I was thinking of this in particular because I'll be going to my 20th reunion later this year, and I'm looking forward to seeing the people with whom I walked into canyon, and back out again.
Your turn: Tell us about the distances you have gone, under your own power. Write it up in your Journal or blog, and then come back here and leave a link! This will be a trip worth taking together.
Written by johnmscalzi Blog about this entry |
Add to del.icio.us | digg this
This entry has 8 comments: (Add your own)
-
Here is mine!
http://anaedream.com/2007/06/30/weekend-assignment-172-unde r-your-own-power/
Have a great weekend.
Kate -
This was just the impetus I needed to tell a story I started writing down 20 years ago: the Warbler Disaster! - Karen
http://outmavarin.blogspot.com/2007/06/fan-tailed-warbler-d isaster.html -
John;
I am becoming something of a junkie to these challenges... this comes from a past life one in which I had visions and dreams of becoming a world travelling scientist... boy has that changed. Hope you enjoy it.
http://dalimstrange.blogspot.com/2007/06/weekend-assignment -172-travel-under-own.html -
This one time? The cooler by my TV chair was empty, and I had to walk all the way to the fridge for a beer. Man, I never let that happen again, let me tell you. By the way (heh), yesterday was my third blogaversary.
-Paul
http://journals.aol.ca/plittle/AuroraWalkingVacation/
7/1/07 2:31 PM
http://hutchdaddy.typepad.com
Happy Canada Day!