Mild case of 'Options' disease

I've recently been reminded that I have a a disease that infects 100% of people.  It's called 'options'.  A.K.A 'Excuses' in my homemade dictionary.  It's the same thing - only with a different rash....  I like options more than excuses.  It sounds like I'm being more mature.  But really, it's the same thing.  Considering options for too long becomes a disease that needs curing.  Considering options/excuses after you've made a decision rarely ever helps.  I hate excuses.  Except for when I use them...

Here's the definition from my homemade dictionary (Idiopedia): 'Options' (aka 'Excuses') is the disease of the uninspired procrastinator.  It presents itself as helpful, only to become an emotional & mental ponzi scheme that never pays what you invest in it and collapses on your head every single time, racking you with guilt, only to leave you worse off than where you started.  That's the coles notes version - you should see the unabridged one!

Practically speaking, it's easy to give myself mental options that lead me away from the discipline of working toward my goals.  I.e.  using the weather to determine whether I will work on the house on Saturdays.  This morning it was apparently around -41 with the wind chill.  Good thing today is not Saturday!  It was 'suppose' to be around -4 on Saturday and now the forecast has changed and is calling for -15 (without windchill).  Those 11 degrees are not that much difference for us here on the frozen tundra in January, but it's too easy to come up with another option - "I'll wait until _________.   It's not suppose to be as nice, so maybe I won't put in a day of working every single daylight hour."  Maybe it's a bad example since the glue I need to use in this next step is only rated to -17 (wind changes things in a hurry).  Believe it or not, those ratings actually mean something.  I exploded a couple tubes of PL300 in under a minute trying to seal up my foundation membrane before my last inspection.  They were rated to +5 and it was around -10.  Exploded.  Thanks for your applause - I am, as always, the idiot builder.

Back to excuses... I mean, options.  Honestly, it's like that with this ultra-marathon for orphans (and a number of other areas in my life).  I haven't verbally said that I want to try and finish every step this year - so no one knows & I have .... tada! 'options'.  Nobody asks if I've started to train or if my feet will even handle it (this past 4 weeks has been a dream - no pain in my feet when I wake up or when I walk).  It's easier when there is no verbal commitment.  In reality, I could just say that I'm not doing it at all at this point.  I have other 'options' (like building a house, working hard at my job, taking my family on vacation, still working toward my degree, etc. etc. etc.).  And when do I really have time to train, let alone organize that thing?

I don't know how I could not try after reading the homepage though (just went there & read it).  Stinking Sorestad.  Why do you have to write something inspiring?  Maybe it's not as much inspiring as it is 'remembering' for me.  Check it out at http://www.run143.com  - maybe I just need a few people to commit to part or all of the madness in order for me to get after it again.  Actually, no.  That's another excuse to wait.  It was worth it last year whether we raised a few hundred $ or a few thousand $ or inspired 1 person or 20 to consider the worldwide orphan crisis.  It will be worth it again.  That commitment is gonna leave a mark...  Hopefully a larger one than just pain in my body though!   I think I'm already having sympathy pain in my feet & legs just thinking about it.   It's like Pavlov's dog response.... Is that possible?  I'll have to check in my Idiopedia later.

Here's a pic at the completion of last year's epic week - it's one of those things that I'll probably tell my grandkids about.  I guess we do it so that more people will have grandkids to tell about it and more kids will have families to laugh with & be loved by.  I kind of hope I have hundreds of things like this that I tell my grandkids about - that's the kind of life I want to live.  But I guess it requires treating & destroying 'options & excuses' early & often.

Above: Sorestad 1 & 2, Mario, Spark-plug, Wonder Lu, Me, Dude, Sparkles, and Putz's wife (still working on a nickname for her)



Some days I look around & find it hard to believe that Dude has been in our family for over 9 months!   Our life has taken some different roads and been presented with a lot of cool opportunities since we felt God's leading to pursue adoption.

It's not even worth wondering what life would be like if I was not willing to treat my disease.


'Excuses & Options': treat early & often for a life with less regret.