Convergence n. – The occurrence of two or more things coming together that were originally very different.
 Credit - Encarta Online Dictionary

Epiphany n. – A sudden intuitive leap of understanding, especially through an ordinary but striking occurrence.
Credit - Encarta Online Dictionary

Transcendence n. – The state of excelling, surpassing, exceeding, or going beyond usual limits.
Credit - Encarta Online Dictionary

CONVERGENCE

Doesn’t it seem like, sometimes, the smallest things can have the most profound effect on you? About a month ago, a simple glance at my pocket change prodded everything you are reading here, and everything that is to come.

How could pocket change cause a profound effect? Let me elaborate.

As I looked down at the change I had accumulated that day, a Delaware quarter was staring back at me.

The Delaware quarter isn’t worth much. Twenty-five cents to be exact. To me, it brought back a flood of fond memories.

My vision blurred and faded, as it does sometimes when a person looks inside oneself. The last conscious thing I recall before the memories started playing was that a smile stretched across my face.

When these quarters were released in 1999, the guys I was working with at the time had a pool going. There were 10 of us twenty-something professionals, and each of us put five dollars into a pot. The game was to see who could get one of the new quarters in the normal course of commerce, and be the first to place it on the community desk where the pool funds were securely locked up. Needless to say the contest inspired many trips to the snack machine and hilarious ruckuses and accusations.

I never won a pot, but the entertainment factor of watching my co-workers fight over each new pool for each new quarter was worth twice the price of admission.

As time went on, and as happens in corporate offices all across this great nation, one by one we all moved on to bigger and better things.

It seems like only yesterday I was checking my pockets for these new quarters. But here we are nine years later. Nine years! NINE YEARS!!! My gosh, has it been that long?

That was the first step in my awakening. I didn’t realize it at the time, but a phone call later that same day, combined with the above quarter memory, would really set my wheels into motion.

That phone call was from my oldest daughter. “Dad, the graduation was moved to 7 pm. It going to be at…”

Again, I faded off as my mind took over. I knew that my oldest daughter was going to graduate from high school this year for, but the weight of it was suddenly a reality. A blessedly brief, albeit painfully strong, wave of sadness and nostalgia washed over me.

Memories of daddy’s little girl laughing at pincher bug tickles, playing softball and basketball, going to middle school dances, getting braces, and our shared laughs flooded my mind. It almost didn’t seem real.

Her voice brings me partially back to reality. “Are you okay? What time do you think you will be there?” Even as I am talking to her, my mind is still flashing with fond memories.

“My God, has it really been 18 years since I held that little angel for the first time?” I asked myself.

It was at that point, that things started coming together, and it really hit me.

“Can I call you right back, sweetheart?” I manage to strain out.

After hanging up, I wept hard. I think of this monumental event as “The Purge.”

Now crying is not like me. I only remember a couple of times in my adult life I ever shed a tear. This occurrence was more like a broken dam.

I won’t bore you with everything that ran through my mind during that outpouring of emotion, but this was the point where I decided that a change, a big change, was long overdue.

EPIPHANY

By all rights, I should be extremely happy. I have a lovely and healthy wife and family. For some reason I cannot fathom that they love me. I have a stable job that I really enjoy. I have a new house that far exceeds anything I ever though I would own. I have two fairly new cars that are mostly paid for. I have hardly any stress, and the stress that I do have usually rolls right off of me like water rolling off of a duck’s back. I should be extremely happy.

Don’t get me wrong, I am not unhappy, just, for lack of a better word, if it even is a word, blahhh.

Up until “The Purge” I didn’t even realize that I was “blahhh.” But that series of events really opened my eyes for the first time in a long time, and really caused me to take a serious look at myself without blinders on.

I didn’t like what I saw.

My life had become a series of rituals preformed over and over, day in and day out, month after month. Get up, shower, go to work, come home, eat dinner and go to bed. FOR 15 YEARS! I had become what I swore that I would never allow myself to become – predictable. Or in a rut, or having a mid life crisis, or any of the other 1,000 or so terms that we use to describe the human condition so many of us find our selves in.

I had also packed on about 60 extra pounds. The results of a couple of blown out knee ligaments and quitting a 2 pack a day habit.

It was time for a major shake up. And the time to do it was now.

TRANSCENDENCE

“In the absence of clearly-defined goals, we become strangely loyal to performing daily trivia until ultimately we become enslaved by it.”
Robert Heinlein
(1907-1988)

Since the day I had this eye opening experience, I have vowed to make a change in my life.

First, I am going to get back into shape, and back to the weight I was in my mid 20’s, 190 pounds, with a body fat percentage in the 12-14 percent range. Since I now weigh about 260 pounds and guessing that my body fat percentage is in the mid 30s, I have a long row to hoe.

Second, I am going to get back into archery. Ever since a near fatal car wreck in 1995 that pretty much destroyed my left arm, I haven’t been hunting with the bow. With the help of the good Lord, the miracle of modern medicine, and the dedication of several physical and occupational therapists, I have regained the full use of my once withered arm. But the pain I have drawing a right handed bow, set at 40 pounds, is excruciating.

After a phone call to a great friend in the archery industry, I now believe that I can get back in the field, better than ever.

Details to come.

EPILOGE
"Wast no more time talking about great souls and how they should be. Become one yourself."
Marcus Aurelius Antoninus
(121 AD-180 AD)

So there you have it. You know the why’s and when’s of this journey I have decided to take. This blog will chronicle the daily trials and tribulations of this journey. My sincerest hope is that you will find it entertaining, and inspiring.

If anyone reads this, and decides to make a life change, please let me know, and we’ll track our results together. My e-mail is dhart@buckmasters.com. Please put Blog in the subject line of the e-mail.

Editor's note: J.D. Hart's fitness and excercise program was customized by professors and staff in the Foundations, Secondary and Physical Education Department at Auburn University Montgomery in Montgomery, Alabama.

It is strongly suggested that our readers consult a physician prior to starting any fitness or excercise program.