Erasing the Line

"There's a fine line between genius and insanity.  I have erased this line." - Oscar Levant

I love this picture from the Mid-Atlantic Mudder because it illustrates the quote above.  You can clearly see the ice bath that you have to swim through and the hand reaching out from the subzero water.  You can also see DC, Patrick, and I in the background watching this poor person struggle to jump in, swim under, and get out of this obstacle.  Most people would not watch this event unfold and then think it would be a great idea to follow into the water.  Keep in mind that you are always free to walk around any obstacle.  The picture below clearly illustrates that walking around an obstacle is not an option for the three of us.  Although not caught in motion I can assure you that I did follow my teammates into the water.

We are consistently erasing the line between genius and insanity.  I am now able to do many things that I couldn't do a year ago.  I still don't enjoy it but I can run 10 miles and then turn around and run another 10 the next day.  I've also learned that I can work at The Element Hotel in Miami because I already have the uniform and that people are more than willing to share dryer sheets and life advice at the local laundromat. 

The obstacles we face (both real and imagined) can be dealt with in two ways.  You can jump right in or you always reserve the right to simply walk around.  As crazy as some of the Tough Mudder obstacles are there is a great sense of pride when you conquer one even if you can no longer feel your toes.  The same sense of pride comes when you overcome real life obstacles and challenges.

This whole notion of obstacles and facing them is on my mind for many reasons.  One of the biggest reasons is that our mudda brotha Patrick (of the flowing locks and gazelle like quickness) is likely sidelined due to an injury for a while.  This is certainly his biggest obstacle to date.  I have a feeling that he will attack this obstacle in the same aggressive way that he attacks the course.  Where is your line?  What are you doing to erase it?