Jail : Sentence :
Posted: February 10, 2015 Filed under: Kindness, Meditation, Yoga | Tags: beauty, blogging, Consumerism, cycling, gratitude, Identity, kindness, love, Mindfulness, Omaha, passion, Prison, social media, writing, yoga 14 CommentsIf I spent ten years in prison, I’d probably come to value the small things in life. Things like good food, a comfy bed, and a toothbrush sharpened into a shank-
How can we spring ourselves from this “social media” jail sentence we conveniently lump on our weary souls? For me personally, capturing and restoring a sense of gratitude is the ideal antidote for the nauseating cycle of egotism we confront on a daily basis.
Propping the world on my shoulders, believing and behaving as though I am the center of your attention when I put forth a self-serving blog post. And you know what? Being the center of attention is both exhausting and futile.
I challenge you to reexamine the meaning of gratitude and kindness – Taking to heart the profound impact and value they impart on our lives. Without them, we will struggle to get over our preening, look-at-me sense of self-importance.
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As the seasons gently begin to change, I start to look within and begin to write about the “things” for which I am truly grateful – Your continued support, Family and Friends, Yoga, Cycling and maybe a few other “things” as well. I ask of you – your patience, as I try to move past the obvious and explore deeper the gifts I may have overlooked in the past; becoming aware of how many people made this possible through their hard work. As well as paying deeper attention to nature’s boundless wonders, beauty and mysteries as I once did as a child and have awakened once again as an adult <— Used loosely.
Daily Meditation:
When we learn to forget ourselves – We can enjoy our lives, fully, in this inspiring moment.
: Real Eyes :
Posted: February 6, 2015 Filed under: Kindness, Meditation, Yoga | Tags: beauty, Body Image, cycling, gratitude, kindness, life, love, meditation, Mindfulness, Omaha, passion, pilates, Reality, running, trail running, yoga 9 CommentsLife is a series of natural and spontaneous changes. Don’t resist them; that only creates sorrow. Let reality be reality. Let things flow naturally forward in whatever way they like-
Have you ever noticed that when someone does “something” to upset you – walks across your yoga mat before class, takes your line during a trail run, leans hard on you during the last corner of a local Saturday night crit race? The tendency may be to belittle them in our minds? Our inner critic and dialog begins to spool up, lamenting the “things” we would like to say to them in the moment. Or, as we so often like to do – Lump all the rude and inconsiderate people in the world together into one group.
What am I trying to convey on this beautiful Friday morning: Other people’s actions can often set off a series of reaction(s) within our hearts. Where we ruminate to ourselves, nauseously, over and over again about being done-did-bad, and there is nothing worse than being in down dog – glancing at your hands, and seeing someones foot print staring back at you!
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The amount of time we spend in our mind (instead of our hearts), talking and thinking about how insufferable other people are – Is precious time spent creating hate and discord. Eventually, theses feelings will manifest themselves in other ways …
Daily Meditation:
Start each day anew my friends and be sure to have a wonderful weekend!
Weather
Posted: February 5, 2015 Filed under: Kindness, Meditation, Yoga | Tags: beauty, Fathers, George Bilgere-, gratitude, kindness, life, love, Mindfulness, nature, Omaha, passion, Poetry, weather, yoga 10 Comments…
My father would lift me
to the ceiling in his big hands
and ask, How’s the weather up there?
And it was good, the weather
of being in his hands, his breath
of scotch and cigarettes, his face
smiling from the world below.
O daddy, was the lullaby I sang
back down to him as he stood on earth,
my great, white-shirted father, home
from work, his gold wristwatch
and wedding band gleaming
as he held me above him
for as long as he could,
before his strength failed
down there in the world I find myself
standing in tonight, my little boy
looking down from his flight
below the ceiling, cradled in my hands,
his eyes wide and already staring
into the distance beyond the man
asking him again and again,
How’s the weather up there?
One : Heart :
Posted: February 3, 2015 Filed under: Kindness, Meditation, Yoga | Tags: beauty, Body Image, compassion, cycling, faith, Identity, kindness, love, meditation, Mindfulness, Omaha, passion, religion, Spirituality, writing, yoga, Zen 7 CommentsOne love, one heart, one destiny-
True personal awareness arises from embracing our true spirit and taking ownership of the power within. That’s my personal fitness, 30 day yoga challenge, marathon training, “whatever” plan for you! Seriously, that’s all you need. Although, we happen to live in a time and place, when people do not know, let alone nurture, their spiritual life, let alone remain conscious of their soul or acknowledge its existence. Many kind and passionate folks who may not know their true-spirit, may be absorbed by “other” pursuits, their social life or basic everyday survival. These less nuanced areas of our lives, important as they are, simply fail to sustain our delicate hearts and nurture our souls.
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I get a fair amount of “odd” looks of disbelief when asked – “What brought you into our new studio?” or “You had a great race today! What does your training plan consist of mate?”
My humble answer: Humility, Courage and Love.
A deep-rooted sense of humility to recognize that I am merely a visitor in this inspiring life, blessed with the opportunity to enjoy the gifts that surround me. Love has gifted me a profound perspective, that fills me with joy and peace – even during the most trying moments of life. Courage provides me the strength and confidence to say “no.” Courage allows me to define myself in the face of the moment or setting, not being tempted to compromise my true inner spirit.
Daily Meditation:
Our true inner spirit enables us to surrender to inner peace, pure love, and real meaning in this thing called life.
A Hundred Years from Now
Posted: January 29, 2015 Filed under: Kindness, Meditation, Yoga | Tags: A Hundred Years from Now, beauty, David Shumate, gratitude, kindness, life, love, meditation, Omaha, passion, Poetry, Prose, writing, yoga 5 Comments…
I’m sorry I won’t be around a hundred years from now. I’d like to
see how it all turns out. What language most of you are speaking.
What country is swaggering across the globe. I’m curious to know
if your medicines cure what ails us now. And how intelligent your
children are as they parachute down through the womb. Have
you invented new vegetables? Have you trained spiders to do your
bidding? Have baseball and opera merged into one melodic sport?
A hundred years….My grandfather lived almost that long. The
doctor who came to the farmhouse to deliver him arrived in a
horse-drawn carriage. Do you still have horses?
CultFit 