#75
Each mistake teaches us something.
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
gardening
Small garden this year, but a garden nonetheless. It's hard to do without power equipment. As rewarding as it is for me to make recipes from scratch, it will be even more so when I grow the veggies too.
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
A potential purpose for vacations
This one's for all of us contemplating some time off from everything ...
"Now and again, it is necessary to seclude yourself among deep mountains and hidden valleys to restore your link to the source of life. Breathe in and let yourself soar to the ends of the universe; breathe out and bring the cosmos back inside. Next, breathe up all fecundity and vibrancy of the earth. Finally, blend the breath of heaven and the breath of earth with your own, becoming the Breath of Life itself."
Art of Peace #9 http://www.jinshinkan.searaven.org/
"Now and again, it is necessary to seclude yourself among deep mountains and hidden valleys to restore your link to the source of life. Breathe in and let yourself soar to the ends of the universe; breathe out and bring the cosmos back inside. Next, breathe up all fecundity and vibrancy of the earth. Finally, blend the breath of heaven and the breath of earth with your own, becoming the Breath of Life itself."
Art of Peace #9 http://www.jinshinkan.searaven.org/
Monday, May 11, 2009
Lake
to get in our mileage we(that's me and Eli)decided to kayak on the flooded lake. It's 10.8 feet above the norm. And so we were in the creek well creek is not big enough...river that's it so any way we were up the creek with our paddles. When i got snagged on a bramble and I went over with no skirt and for you non kayaking types a skirt is something that covers the hole that you sit in so I'm in the water kicking and flailing and then...i could touch. And Eli comes back cuz he was in front and so i got on his kayak and we locamotived back half of the way back. By the way we had all of our dogs with us and to those who don't know it thats three dogs and two kids and we were dragging a swamped kayak i was kicking and Eli was paddling. So half way back we over balanced we went "splash" so i came up first and then Eli and we looked around two sec. later Roger! one of our dog's was still under the kayak!!! but before i could blink Eli had gotten roger out. He is never coming on water again but still we had two swamped kayaks and two kids of course we swim back to the docks.
Sunday, May 10, 2009
The Art of Peace
"The Art of Peace begins with you. Work on yourself and your appointed task in the Art of Peace. Everyone has a spirit that can be refined, a body that can be trained in some manner, a suitable path to follow. You are here for no other purpose than to realize your inner divinity and manifest your innate enlightenment. Foster peace in your own life and then apply the Art to all that you encounter." From The Art of Peace, by Morihei Ueshiba. http://www.jinshinkan.searaven.org/
This quote is the first one in this recommended text from a Tom Callos email. I thought it matched well with the acceptance theme from Dean's previous blog. Further, the martial art represented by Ueshiba is Aikido, which really interests me since it emphasizes flowing with your opponent rather than clashing. That's something Steven keeps trying to teach me ...
Thinking about reaching this long term goal of flowing, not fighting, reminds me of a couple of years ago (was it that long?) when I was trying to learn a roundhouse kick from Tammy in the adult MMA Tues/Thurs program. I would watch Tammy, listen, and try it. There was no snap, no power. I could hit harder with my fists than with my stronger legs. I was frustrated. Steven walked by, corrected a few things, and emphasized practice and patience. He said I'd feel the difference when I got it right, and then, though I might feel it once, it may be a while before it would happen again, and would be longer still before it would happen reliably. I have touched that difference several times since then and know that it comes from really deep within on a subconscious level. When I get my mind out of the way (which is too full of fears, tension, and even hope), then my body can do its work. I don't mind the wait now, and I'm building the patience with practice so that the difference may come more often.
This quote is the first one in this recommended text from a Tom Callos email. I thought it matched well with the acceptance theme from Dean's previous blog. Further, the martial art represented by Ueshiba is Aikido, which really interests me since it emphasizes flowing with your opponent rather than clashing. That's something Steven keeps trying to teach me ...
Thinking about reaching this long term goal of flowing, not fighting, reminds me of a couple of years ago (was it that long?) when I was trying to learn a roundhouse kick from Tammy in the adult MMA Tues/Thurs program. I would watch Tammy, listen, and try it. There was no snap, no power. I could hit harder with my fists than with my stronger legs. I was frustrated. Steven walked by, corrected a few things, and emphasized practice and patience. He said I'd feel the difference when I got it right, and then, though I might feel it once, it may be a while before it would happen again, and would be longer still before it would happen reliably. I have touched that difference several times since then and know that it comes from really deep within on a subconscious level. When I get my mind out of the way (which is too full of fears, tension, and even hope), then my body can do its work. I don't mind the wait now, and I'm building the patience with practice so that the difference may come more often.
Friday, May 8, 2009
61
I reached a goal.
60 pushups in sixty seconds.
Then one more for good measure before the clock ran out.
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Acceptance Training
Steven, I wanted to say thanks for the talk we had about acceptance. I told you tonight at the kwoon how I did acceptance training while stuck in stooped interstate traffic. It was actually amazing that at the exact time I accepted the fact that I was not going to be on time for class and possibly not be there at all, my attitude, my mood, even my whole perspective of the situation changed.
I am really glad that I recalled our talk at that particular time. I was frustrated with the distance I had to travel, with the other drivers, with the whole situation. I finally accepted the fact that I would be extremely late at the least, there was nothing I could do about it, and that was that. Then I looked at myself. How many times have I said I wish I had more time for self reflection, to think, or even to think of nothing and watch the grass grow. Here I was, wasting a golden opportunity for the very things I wanted more time to do! From that point on, I had a smile on my face, I understood that the other drivers were stuck in the same situation as me, and the likely cause of the traffic jam that was merely a frustration to the hundreds of vehicles stuck in it was most likely a tragedy for someone else. When I considered the situation in that light, I was ashamed of myself for complaining in the first place.
I think acceptance is something I need to start training for on a daily basis. To make it a part of my workout and daily routine. Acceptance leads to good things. I can't recall a time when I spent such a long drive without the worries and hectic scheduling occupying most of my thoughts. I actually enjoyed the drive despite missing class! Thanks again for the lesson.
I am really glad that I recalled our talk at that particular time. I was frustrated with the distance I had to travel, with the other drivers, with the whole situation. I finally accepted the fact that I would be extremely late at the least, there was nothing I could do about it, and that was that. Then I looked at myself. How many times have I said I wish I had more time for self reflection, to think, or even to think of nothing and watch the grass grow. Here I was, wasting a golden opportunity for the very things I wanted more time to do! From that point on, I had a smile on my face, I understood that the other drivers were stuck in the same situation as me, and the likely cause of the traffic jam that was merely a frustration to the hundreds of vehicles stuck in it was most likely a tragedy for someone else. When I considered the situation in that light, I was ashamed of myself for complaining in the first place.
I think acceptance is something I need to start training for on a daily basis. To make it a part of my workout and daily routine. Acceptance leads to good things. I can't recall a time when I spent such a long drive without the worries and hectic scheduling occupying most of my thoughts. I actually enjoyed the drive despite missing class! Thanks again for the lesson.
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