If you always put limits on everything you do, physical or anything else it will spread into your work and into your life. There are no limits. There are only plateaus, and you must not stay there, you must go beyond them. -Bruce Lee
"...but if you push yourself over the edge and do dumb things you will suffer!" -Leon Logothetis
When I was a wee lad (that's Scottish for small child...) I determined to stay as healthy as possible, for as long as possible. I set myself a life-long goal to look after my body and mind with vigor. And I was going have fun doing it.
It was drummed into me early on by my mother that being healthy was an important piece towards leading a happy life. I took this to heart and formed passions for soccer, tennis and just about any other sporting endeavor available to me. I still remember her piercing words: "You only have one body and I suggest you look after it." She was right. But what she didn't count on was the fact that I take things to the extreme and often get myself into a little bit of a pickle...
I enjoy pushing myself. To the edge. This trend also tends to show up in my travels. Some of the most amazing experiences have been when I have pushed my body to its limits. Sometimes things have not gone well. Sometimes they have. Today I aim to recount two rather unfortunate events. Events that went rather badly.
I embarked on a trekking expedition to Nepal. This seemed like a rather good idea: Beautiful scenery. Friendly people. Culture. All topped off with a gentle stroll in the Himalayas. What could go wrong? Actually, quite a lot. I ended up suffering from a bout of altitude sickness, one day into my five-day trek. When I reached the first camp I spent the rest of my time in bed. Violently ill. As I recovered I cautiously found my way down the mountain and back to civilization. That was the first and last time I went trekking. Well, actually that's not entirely true. I inadvertently did some extracurricular trekking in the Gobi desert. But that's another story...
A second ill-advised escapade was when I stumbled across an impromptu football game in Urubamba, Peru. Now, what my guide book did not tell me about Urubamba was that it was nearly 3,000 meters above sea level. Playing a passionate and highly charged game of football with a local mob is thus really not wise. Actually it's exceedingly foolish. And oh boy did I suffer. I spent the next week in bed recovering. I had gone to Peru to volunteer at a local orphanage and I had a steady stream of sad children file past my bed to check up on me. (Okay, maybe just a trickle)
If there is a moral to these stories it is as follows: Bruce Lee was a wise man. Leon Logothetis needs some more training...
Leon Logothetis