I have stumbled upon a great quote that I think pretty much sums it up how I feel about being obsessed:

OBSESSED is just a word the LAZY use to describe the DEDICATED.
- Russell Warren

One one hand I can actually understand why my friends and family would consider me being obsessed. I’m the kind of guy who doesn’t do anything half assed. When I get into something I really get into it. I used to do remote control helicopters. I was really into that. I learned everything there was to learn about them. I flew them every weekend or every chance I got. It was a great hobby that I have enjoyed a lot. Then somehow I got out of it and haven’t touched a remote control for a long time. Was I obsessed with model helicopters? I didn’t think so.

I used to be a volunteer firefighter for two and a half years in my community. I got state certified by the State Firemen’s and Fire Marshall’s Association and I also completed the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technician’s First Responder training and I am a state certified Emergency Care Attendant. All this while holding down a full time job and trying to raise my son. I was top volunteer responder for two straight years. If there was an emergency I went. I’m surprised I’m still married, my wife hated the whole thing; the half finished family dinners, the fire alarms in the middle of the night, the missed family outings, everything. I was really into it. And I made sure everyone knew about it. I told stories about firefighting and what really happens when you are a volunteer firefighter. Was I obsessed? If you ask my wife you’d get a definite yes. If you ask me I’d say I was just dedicated. But since August, 2008 I’m no longer serving my community as a volunteer firefighter and I haven’t been back to the firehouse since.

When my son was born in 2004, I picked up photography, a long lost hobby. I did take photography classes in college and I was shooting 35mm film but it wasn’t until my son’s birth that I got back into photography seriously. I spent more on camera equipment and accessories than some smaller countries GDP. I really got into it and luckily I have a ton of pictures to show for it. Am I obsessed with photography? If I look at my equipment list and the  time I spent image editing you’d say yes. But I’m just really dedicated. This hobby is still mine, alive and well and I do take photographs of other things besides myself when my time allows.

So how will my lifestyle change and newfound running pan out in the long run (no pun)? Am I obsessed with it? Am I dedicated? Will it be a phase like firefighting or the helicopters or a life long journey like photography? I certainly hope that it’s the latter. I guess you’ll just have to hang in there with me, wait and see .