What makes you weird?

What makes us weird is usually what makes us interesting (assuming what makes you weird isn't too, well, weird). Elite athletes are weird. They keep crazy schedules and follow odd diets, all in pursuit of being the best in their chosen sport. This kind of behavior is expected for money sports (the games that are on in sports bars every weekend), but when you tell somebody that you fence or row or do judo, that makes you weird, but that also makes you different.

Weird is in our wiring. I always see connections in things that I read. This blog post is about regrets. This book is about science monks (at least that's the best I can summarize in a few words). I was at the beach earlier this week and a water park this morning. Last year I thought that I would like to get rid of my gut so I could walk around these places without the roll of fat that virtually everybody at these places carry around. I'm a little thinner than I was last year, but you'd be hard pressed to tell the difference if you saw me walking around the park. So I'm thinking about how I regret not working harder to lose my gut over this past year. That gets me thinking about religious groups that demand adherence to a strict discipline. This discipline typically requires the observance of strict dietary and lifestyle rules. They also require the observation of regular rituals.

Is there such a thing as a weight-loss ritual? A ritual is just an activity that we observe on a regular basis. There's just as much discipline required in observing a ritual than abstaining from foods we enjoy. I've decided to link up this idea of regret with the idea of a ritual, and implement a regular abdominal exercise ritual into my day.

What will I be observing in this ritual? My virility. Belly fat is linked to low testosterone. I stopped carrying my cell phone in my pocket to preserve my testosterone. I'll be engaging in a daily rite of medicine ball exercise to keep myself masculine. I hope you don't think this makes me too weird...