It Has Been A Week Of College Graduations... Travel... and Joy!

What a wonderful week it has been! My youngest son, Brian, graduated from Northern Arizona University and my beautiful stepdaughter, Hannah, graduated from Indiana University. Kelley and I have been so blessed this week!

After flying to Arizona, Kelley and I enjoyed some time at the Grand Canyon and then drove to Flagstaff for Brian's graduation. We had beautiful weather for our entire trip and Brian is so happy to be done and can now focus on the next step of life's path. We are proud of his perseverance in achieving this milestone.

Hannah wrapped up her B.A. degree here in Indiana, is working full time and enjoying her apartment life. She had achieved her Associates degree while in high school, so she only had two years at IU to wrap up her Bachelor's degree. We are so proud of her!

It has been such a wonderful week of college graduations and travels. Now it's time to roll up my sleeves and get ready for directing Vacation Bible School in June. God is good... all the time!

Gotta Roll,

Paul J. Staso

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Visit my YouTube channel -- https://www.youtube.com/user/pacetrek

Click on any of the links below to see some of my adventure photos:

• United States in 2006 (3,260 miles solo in 108 days at age 41)
• Montana in 2008 (620 miles solo in 20 days at age 43)
• Alaska in 2009 (500 miles solo in 18 days at age 44)
• Germany in 2010 (500 miles solo in 21 days at age 45)
• The Mojave Desert in 2011 (506 miles solo in 17 days at age 46)
• Various Photos From Mileposts Gone By
• Students Worldwide Who Ran With Me Virtually
• Roadside Sights From My Running Adventures
• Some Cycling Moments From The Past

My Annual Blood Panel Results Are In! Overall, Very Good For Age 60.

I turned 60 years of age earlier this month and last week I had an annual blood panel, as well as a colorectal screening (which was negative). I'm pleased to report that all is good! Although I don't typically share details of my annual results, this year I decided to include those (see below). I'm 5'9" and weigh 158. In the past, I've written in this blog about how I don't drink alcohol and I don't smoke -- and never have. I've never taken recreational drugs and have never had a prescription drug. I don't drink coffee and I stay away from fatty foods. I have practically eliminated soda from my diet, having it only occasionally. I get at least 8 hours of sleep each night, love being married... being a father of 8... and being a grandfather of 5, and I enjoy my ministry in the church. I stay active and am aiming to be on this earth to the age of 100 (in the year 2065). By then, my eldest daughter will be 72. God has blessed me in countless ways, including my health, and I am incredibly grateful for the life I have.

Gotta Roll,

Paul J. Staso

_______________________________________

Visit my YouTube channel -- https://www.youtube.com/user/pacetrek

Click on any of the links below to see some of my adventure photos:

• United States in 2006 (3,260 miles solo in 108 days at age 41)
• Montana in 2008 (620 miles solo in 20 days at age 43)
• Alaska in 2009 (500 miles solo in 18 days at age 44)
• Germany in 2010 (500 miles solo in 21 days at age 45)
• The Mojave Desert in 2011 (506 miles solo in 17 days at age 46)
• Various Photos From Mileposts Gone By
• Students Worldwide Who Ran With Me Virtually
• Roadside Sights From My Running Adventures
• Some Cycling Moments From The Past

My Youngest Son Completes His First IRONMAN Half Triathlon

My youngest son, Brian, recently completed his first IRONMAN Half Triathlon in Oceanside, California. Competing in the 25-29 age division, Brian did quite well considering the fact that he dealt with some bike issues during the race, as well as the discomfort of an iliotibial band inflammation in the weeks leading up to the race. Brian covered the 70.3-mile course in a time of 8:11:32 (which is a 10:57 per mile average). The number of participants was over 3,600 -- so it was a big race along the Pacific Ocean! I'm incredibly proud of Brian and told him that anytime that he wants to borrow my well-used "BOB" stroller and do a run across a state or country, he certainly can. So far, however, he seems to prefer the swim/bike/run combination -- which is great. He's being active and fit in his 20's and that's so important. Congratulations Brian!

Gotta Roll,

Paul J. Staso

_______________________________________

Visit my YouTube channel -- https://www.youtube.com/user/pacetrek

Click on any of the links below to see some of my adventure photos:

• United States in 2006 (3,260 miles solo in 108 days at age 41)
• Montana in 2008 (620 miles solo in 20 days at age 43)
• Alaska in 2009 (500 miles solo in 18 days at age 44)
• Germany in 2010 (500 miles solo in 21 days at age 45)
• The Mojave Desert in 2011 (506 miles solo in 17 days at age 46)
• Various Photos From Mileposts Gone By
• Students Worldwide Who Ran With Me Virtually
• Roadside Sights From My Running Adventures
• Some Cycling Moments From The Past

60 Laps Around The Sun... and Countless Blessings to Recall

It's official. Today, I'm 60 years old. It's a milestone that has certainly captured my attention. Most birthdays just pass by hardly noticed. However, this birthday has me pausing briefly to think about my 60 laps around the sun.

Sure, there have been some incredibly difficult moments during the past 21,900 days on earth. However, those are far outweighed by the countless blessings that have come my way. I am blessed beyond measure to be married to Kelley, to be a father of four, to be a stepdad to four, and to be a grandfather of five. I've accomplished far more in running than I ever imagined I could, and I've had a professional career that has used my abilities in a positive way -- most assuredly my current (and last) position as Director of Religious Education at a Catholic parish. My wife and I own a beautiful home and are blessed with very good health. God has indeed been good to me... despite the many times I've fallen short of what He, or others, would expect or desire from me. He is the ultimate Forgiving Father and it seems that I've been his Prodigal Son on more than one occasion.

Although I'm still on this journey of life (hopefully for many years to come), I'll pass along some thoughts and/or perspectives to ponder:

• Faith, Family and Fitness need to be well in focus -- and in that order.
• The "right job" is the job you love some days and can tolerate most days, and pays the bills. Hardly anyone has a job that they love every day.
• Don’t fall into the credit trap. Live within your means.
• Take care of your health. Start eating better and exercising regularly. If you put on weight now, it will be much harder to loose it later.
• Don't put off until tomorrow what you can do today. Those weeds in your flower bed? Pull them out now, or in a few months there will be ten times as many of them and they’ll be five times as tall.
• Don't stop reading and learning -- especially the Bible. There's so much to know, and when we stop stimulating our minds, we become disengaged and stagnant.
• The most important person in your life is the person who agreed to share their life with you. Treat them as such.
• Children grow up way too fast. Make the most of the time you have with them.
• A friend will come running if you call them in the middle of the night; everyone else is an acquaintance.
• Your job provides the means to do what’s really important in life, nothing more. Do the job but live for your family.
• Savor every moment with grandchildren. Like children, they grow way too fast. Make sure you're available to them so that they know their grandparents.
• Don't marry too young. Learn to take care of yourself before you take on the responsibility of carrying for others.
• Go places. Do things. Pack a bag and go wherever you can afford to go. While you have no dependents, don’t buy a bunch of 'stuff.' Instead, see the world.
• If you have a dream of doing something that seems impossible, go for it anyway. It will only become more impossible as you age and become responsible for other people.
• We have an unknown amount of time on this earth. Don’t wake up and realize that you're 60 years old and haven’t done the things you dreamed about.
• When you meet someone for the first time, realize that you don't know anything about them. You see race, gender, age, clothes. Learn to look beyond those things. Biased assumptions that come into your head because of the way your brain categorizes people can limit your life, and others’ lives.
• Appreciate the small things and be present in the moment. Put the phone down at the table, at concerts, when talking with someone. Call more instead of texting. Regain true personal communication. Be present and give undivided attention.
• Marriage is not 50:50. It is 100:100. Remember that when you wake up and when you go to bed. Every day.
• Keep your word. At the end of the day, all we truly have is our faith and our integrity.
• Be kind, generous and forgiving. It will come back around to you.
• Nobody ever dies wishing they had worked more. However, too many die wishing they had spent more time with family.
• Take care of yourself, but don’t make it an obsession. Focus on your kids, but leave room in your life for yourself. Save enough money so that you’ll have enough for the future and for emergencies, but spend enough now to avoid looking back with regret.
• Collect experiences more than things.
• Remember, tomorrow is not guaranteed. All we really have is today, so we need to make the most of it.

Gotta Roll,

Paul J. Staso

_______________________________________

Visit my YouTube channel -- https://www.youtube.com/user/pacetrek

Click on any of the links below to see some of my adventure photos:

• United States in 2006 (3,260 miles solo in 108 days at age 41)
• Montana in 2008 (620 miles solo in 20 days at age 43)
• Alaska in 2009 (500 miles solo in 18 days at age 44)
• Germany in 2010 (500 miles solo in 21 days at age 45)
• The Mojave Desert in 2011 (506 miles solo in 17 days at age 46)
• Various Photos From Mileposts Gone By
• Students Worldwide Who Ran With Me Virtually
• Roadside Sights From My Running Adventures
• Some Cycling Moments From The Past

Easter: The "Feast of Feasts" and "Solemnity of Solemnities"

Easter is one month from today! As I pray and prepare lessons in my office at St. Charles Church, I am reminded of what the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) states at paragraph 1169:

“Easter is not simply one feast among others, but the “Feast of feasts,” the “Solemnity of solemnities,” just as the Eucharist is the “Sacrament of sacraments” (the Great Sacrament).” 

While indeed Easter is the “Feast of feasts” and the “Solemnity of solemnities” — and therefore deserves the emphasis which it is given, we should remember to carry this same devotion for the liturgy throughout the year.

There are those who can testify that it is easy to slip into a habit of routine commitment. In doing so, we lose sight of the significance of this liturgical season, which is highlighted each time the Mass is celebrated. We can forget the intrinsic beauty and transcendent worth gifted to each of us every time we enter into the celebration of the Mass and receive the body, blood, soul and divinity of Christ in the Eucharist.

Take just a moment to contemplate the overwhelming reality which the Mass offers us — an opportunity that we can, if so desired, partake in on a daily basis. It is a gift above all other gifts! The more that we come to understand what the Mass is, the more we will grow in this innate desire to participate in it.

The Mass gives us the opportunity to remember and appreciate what it means to be Catholic. It is truly filled with an abundance of spiritual symbolism, church tradition and supernatural meaning. Each time we are drawn into a commemoration of the “Passion, Resurrection, and the glory of the Lord Jesus” (CCC 1167), we are reminded of the fundamental elements of our faith and, at the core, the center and pinnacle of each Mass, we are given the most beautiful, life-giving gift through the reception of the Holy Eucharist.

St. John Paul II writes is his encyclical, Ecclesia De Eucharisti, that it is from the Eucharist that “the Church draws her life” and “her nourishment.” How profoundly blessed are we to be given such an incredible gift?! For in the Eucharist is “contained the whole spiritual good of the Church” (CCC 1324) — Christ himself, fully and truly present.

May the remainder of your Lenten season — and the upcoming joy of Easter — be a time of spiritual renewal as you draw closer to our Lord and Savior.

Gotta Roll,

Paul J. Staso

_______________________________________

Visit my YouTube channel -- https://www.youtube.com/user/pacetrek

Click on any of the links below to see some of my adventure photos:

• United States in 2006 (3,260 miles solo in 108 days at age 41)
• Montana in 2008 (620 miles solo in 20 days at age 43)
• Alaska in 2009 (500 miles solo in 18 days at age 44)
• Germany in 2010 (500 miles solo in 21 days at age 45)
• The Mojave Desert in 2011 (506 miles solo in 17 days at age 46)
• Various Photos From Mileposts Gone By
• Students Worldwide Who Ran With Me Virtually
• Roadside Sights From My Running Adventures
• Some Cycling Moments From The Past