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Diana Nyad is the first person ever to swim from Cuba to Florida and I don’t care.

She apparently tried and failed several times over some 36 years but finally succeeded this past weekend at the age of 64; don’t care.  Braved jelly fish stings, a lip blistering sun, a swollen tongue and sharks; don’t care.  Swam 50 miles in the merciless ocean and I just don’t care. 

With so many people talking about this “amazing accomplishment,” Brenda Brissette-Mata, thought it would be a lovely topic of discussion on our show today.  When I suggested the whole thing seemed rather pointless, Brenda and most callers disagreed:

‘But it’s about the triumph of the human spirit!’  Sure. ‘It’s about, setting a personal goal and accomplishing it!’  Ok. 

So what!

How is this any different from eating 64 hot dogs in a single sitting?  It takes a world class hot dog eater to cram that many dogs down his gullet without hurling.  He sets a goal that pushes his body to the limit, and accomplishes it.  Plus, a champion hot dog shoveller actually competes against others! 

These obtrusive personal over-achievers make me sick!  You pushed yourself seemingly beyond the physical limits of humanity and nearly killed yourself : Whoop de doo! 

There was a special, might have been on PBS, about a tragic Mt. Everest climbing expedition.  They ran into some trouble, some of the company perished, and one of the rescued adventurers shared his account of the harrowing, self-inflicted ordeal.   He lost his hands, feet, nose and some of his face to severe frost bite.  After several reconstructive surgeries on his face, he refused to have any more so that he would have a reminder of the majesty Mt Everest.  I remember thinking as I watched, “What?…The missing hands and feet aren’t enough of a reminder?”

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