DAY TWENTY-SEVEN (12/11/12)

Last night was....different.  Rachel got the flu.  A nasty one.  I got home at 5:00pm after work and her mom was already on the way to take her to the ER.  She's doing better, but I have to extol her for her persistence and resilience.  After two hours at the hospital, she returned home, sick as Hell, and went to sleep.  She got up at 11:00pm because she had a paper due at 10 this morning.  That's an exemplary student right there.  Even though she was walking around like a zombie who'd spun around 20 times with its forehead on a baseball bat being led by a drunk seeing-eye dog, she splashed onto the couch and started writing a term paper.  Her mom brought her some Gatorade at 4:00am and she kept on truckin'...still typing up the final draft when I went to work at 8:00 this morning.  The Nike motto ain't got shit on my Rachel.

1 - Wake Up @ 6:00am

     Got up on time this morning.  Rachel was still downstairs pluggin' away on her paper, sippin' Gatorade.  Routine in full swing - Brush teeth, Work out.

2 - Scottish Shower

     It was really cold in the bathroom this morning so I ran hot water for a few minutes to steam things up.  I'm looking forward to taking a celebratory hot shower on Day 31.  Just being able to shower for more than 10 minutes might be nice.

3 - No Television

     TV really doesn't interest me much anymore.  The lack of snacking in front of the tube really opens up free time and I'm sure it's much healthier too.  Nowadays, I only eat because I have to, and I'm really enjoying eating as a means of survival, not entertainment.

4 - Clean My Room

Room is clean = Ethan is happy.

5 - Write A Song Every Day

I started producing some songs last night.   I expect to spend some significant time recording material tonight as well.  I completed yesterday's song, "Day Twenty-Six".  I will publish it in yesterday's post as well as upload it to Facebook over my lunch break.  Like I said yesterday, it's weird.  Pretty much just hit some keys on the piano and went from there.

When I finish this Challenge on Friday, I will then start to record all of the songs.  I will most likely include a final post with all of the songs available in order with a little synopsis about the writing/production of each song.
     
6 - 30 Minute Workout

     This vague challenge has done something I didn't anticipate.  First off, my physical results are minimal.  I should have pushed myself harder and will in the future, but my mental results are extraordinary.  Not because "I look great, I feel great" or anything.  It's just helped me start the day right in a healthy way and has taught me that there is ALWAYS time in the day to better yourself. 

There are so many things we do everyday that are complete wastes of time.  Give up a half hour of junk and replace it with a half hour of something that will matter tomorrow.  Give up one TV show for a half hour of reading, playing a musical instrument, learning a new language, learning to juggle.  There are 24 hours in a day.  48 half hours.  That's 48 chances to improve yourself  EVERY DAY!  There's a time slot for improvement in your busy day.  No excuses. 

I've always said, "Do something today worth talking about tomorrow" but I guess my new motto is "Develop or decompose." 

Just 27 days ago, I was a bum.  Sleeping in 'til the last possible moment to rush to work, snacking in front of the TV the moment I got home from work, not learning anything, going through the same boring-as-f*** routine.  I'm no superman now, but I feel great because I've discovered something.  Life is short, death is inevitable, and my life is just a clock counting down.  BUT I have control of the clock.  And now it's a race.  Not to death, but to a finish line.  And I'm gonna run as hard as I can until I snap that ribbon.  The race will be over, but at least I can say I had a good run.