Pretty good reading: The Underdog

"You do not become the first family of sauna by farting your way to the top." (p. 173)

Fortunately, they did not resort to such low-ball tactics, but you'll understand that even if they were to ignored the high road (as if refraining from farting in a wooden box heated to 210 F can be considered that), they'd never have won the The World Sauna Championship. Yes, such contest exists... and so do events such as the Golden Shrimp (a 2 mile race where the contestants run backwards -- and the coveted price is a piece of Parma ham) and US Sumo Open ("... part of sumo's growing appeal is that it gives overweight people a sport to call their own"), among countless other obscure contests that Joshua Davis enters in pursuit to be good at something. More amazing than the quixotic premise behind the book and the profoundly absurd story of the man who seriously applied himself these pursuits with (what seems to be) senseless vigor, is the incredible camaraderie he finds in people whose passions draw their lives in a path that intersects the author's in his journey. This shared passion becomes the key that unlocks the straightest path into people's hearts; Joshua Davis is welcomed into their lives with open heart and overwhelming pouring of passion. He befriends the likes of Maru (one of the most revered grandmasters of Japanese sumo wrestling), Markku (a Finn who owns four saunas in his home) and Veerabadran -- a career clerk in Channai, India -- who, at age 40, set the world record for the most miles covered running in 24 hours: 85 miles!

This was another recommendation by my friend, Marc. It was deep into the story, beyond the cheesy cover, the okay writing and the lotr comical antics, that I realized the true story behind The Underdog as I finally reached the epilogue where Joshua Davis catalogs the latest adventures his friends are tackling... these people never stop seeking new challenges to plunge head-first with heart full of passion. We might call them crazy -- but then again, we're the ones preoccuping too much of our very limited time in our prime years with things too close to matras of 'minimize risk' and 'maximize power of compounding interest' and 'spend less (for others), hoard more (for me)' so that we can pamper ourselves the rest of our lives idly on cruise boats and summer homes, the long years only interrupted by the occasional visits by our children and grand children.

I wonder if we're not spending our every day thoroughly engrossed in something we can pour our utmost passion into, perhaps we're the crazy ones to not notice that there's got to be something more to life than solid retirement plans and strong investment portfolio.

This book is a breezy read -- I read through it in about two hours. Give it a try... at the very least, you'll come away with some good stories to tell your friends.