As I have traversed this journey of mine, I have been fascinated by people who push themselves to levels that few are willing to entertain. They embrace the suffering that goes along with the desire to go farther, faster, longer, higher, deeper, bigger and so much more. The question to the protagonist always the same – why do you do it? Why embrace suffering at such a deep level. The answers, though sincere, are typically unsatisfying. It is as if they cannot explain why they seek out suffering and yet they do it again and again. For sure they are satisfying some part of who they are or are trying to become. Most recently, happily, I have come upon Alexander Doba who at 70 years old finished his third crossing of the Atlantic Ocean in a kayak. A suitably miserable experience with a lot of suffering he embraces what he does by repurposing suffering as contrarian self-determination which gives him an existential trill. A “reverse psychology” of sorts it got him across the Atlantic three times and shows the power of the mind to re-frame. Incredible for sure and we are not ever at the end of what is possible with this kind of power at our disposal.

Loving life when I start to get answers

Joe