a guilty break (and random notes)

I've reached the point, in my Namsan routine, where I now feel guilty if I take a break from hiking. Alas, that's what I have to do tonight after racking up only 7,000 steps today (3.1 miles, 475 calories): I simply have too much left to do in terms of lesson and curriculum planning. I can't afford to spend a few hours on the path tonight. So, since the weekend is coming up, I plan to make up for lost time by doing nothing but double-summiting for the next few days. Once the planning is done and I've gotten my kids to run on autopilot, I'll have little to do except act as a guide and facilitator, which will free up loads of time for me to just go walking, and maybe to throw in some strength training.

Today, September 10, also happens to be my goddaughter's birthday. She's seventeen. Damn, how time flies. I still remember when she was a toddler, and here she is, agonizing over what college to attend. Her little sis just got her learner's permit, and the youngest sibling, my buddy Mike's son, is doubtless champing at the bit and impatient to get driving, too. Won't be long before the kids all leave the nest and my best friend's house in Fredericksburg, Virginia becomes eerily, sadly quiet.

But that's the future. For the moment, it's back to curriculum planning.

UPDATE: Check out this Tumblr photo by Robert Koehler of a path on the west side of Namsan—one I've never seen before. I'm going to have to find this path and walk it.


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