As I’ve been blogging about this week, I decided to take on a marathon task recently: watching many, many episodes of the TV show “Breaking Bad,” over the course of very, very few days.
I set some limits, regarding this task:
- I would not reduce the amount of sleep I usually get, during that time.
- I would not cancel appointments or other commitments I had agreed to previously.
And I have kept to these limits.
I have noticed some benefits (or pros) to this marathon, including the benefit of distraction. That is, I have NOT worried about:
- A presentation I’m giving next week.
- The imminent advent of colder weather.
And, in the past, I have worried about the above, over similarly-timed weekends.
I have noticed some negatives (or cons) to this marathon, including missing the following:
- Spending more time talking to real human beings.
- Spending more time outside, in some beautiful weather.
Another negative/con I’ve noticed:
At times, watching “Breaking Bad” has seemed like something I HAD to do, not something I CHOSE to do. And that certainly makes a difference in mood, don’t you think? But I knew I had “an out.” That is, I knew I could stop at any time. And that helped.
From the perspective of this morning of the Last Day of Breaking Bad, I’m realizing this:
I think it’s impossible — with the limitations of time and space — to complete the marathon.
So here are some possible solutions:
I may skip some episodes and, perhaps, read synopses on-line. In some circles, that might be considered cheating. BUT, as far as I know, that kind of cheating is NOT against the law. (And I believe I am NOT rationalizing here, unlike some other characters I’ve been seeing a lot lately:
.)
Or, I may drop out of the marathon. In some circles, that might be considered weakness or failure.
But, here’s a question I like to pose sometimes:
What if the concept of failure did not exist?
And why not pose the other question (even though this is a first, for me)?
What if the concept of weakness did not exist?
Wouldn’t that be great?
Okay, people. I need to bid adieu to the rest of the world, for now, as I spend more time with those characters above.
I’m sure I’ll learn something.
Thanks to all those who set goals, recognize limits, solve problems, let go of unhelpful things, and keep on going (including you, me, and some other characters, too). And thanks for reading today, too.
