Self : Portrait :
Posted: November 24, 2014 Filed under: Kindness, Meditation, Yoga | Tags: biking, blogging, compassion, Cranksgiving, cycling, Giving, gratitude, kindness, love, Omaha, passion, Thanksgiving 10 CommentsYour own Self-Realization is the greatest service you can render the world-
It’s nearly Thanksgiving once again, a time of year to pause, to reflect and connect with loved ones, new friends (or anyone else …) who share a significant role in our lives.
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This morning I am writing to include everyone. Something truly magical has happened since I started blogging four years ago: I have moved closer to feeling more a part of this beautiful world through other lives that touch mine, whether they be family, friends … A random person before yoga class or a bike race here in the Midwest and many other kind, passionate folks who care for my body and spirit. It’s a fleeting conversation with a compassionate barista early one cold morning, the kindness of strangers that continually influence me, fellow bloggers whose words affect me deeply, the bountiful wonders that nature graciously offers us every day. All these “things“, that I once took for granted, fill me with the gratitude of being alive and part of something much larger than myself.
Speaking of which, Cranksgiving this past Saturday was simply awesome! One hundred plus pounds of goods were gathered up and donated to our local food bank, all on bike!
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Daily Meditation:
Be kind to yourself friends … And be kind to someone else each and every day.
: Cranks : Giving
Posted: November 21, 2014 Filed under: Kindness, Meditation, Yoga | Tags: Cranksgiving, cycling, Food Bank for the Heartland, Giving, Gratefulness, holidays, kindness, Omaha, Omaha Bicycle Co., Thanksgiving, yoga 11 CommentsYou can give without loving, but you cannot love without giving-
Please join me tomorrow – November 22nd – at 11a.m. @ Omaha Bike Co. for Cranksgiving!!! What in the world is Cranksgiving?!? Its one part bike ride, part scavenger hunt, and most importantly – part food drive. You’ll need to dust off your bike, gather up a few bags, a bike lock and about $15-$20 to buy the food, which in turn goes to the Food Bank for the Heartland. A classic win-win situation if you ask me!
Not in our fair city, Omaha, Nebraska this Saturday?!? No problem! There may be a Cranksgiving in your neck of the woods!
Come on out and remember – First cup of coffee – tea – whatever is on me!
Daily Meditation:
Just in time for the Holidays – Limited Edition :CultFit: Holiday Tops!
These shirts are pretty cool and will come in handy when its time to stuff a few stockings, wiping down your yoga mat after class or cleaning up around the house. No matter how you choose to “use” them – All proceeds will be delivered by yours truly, to the Food Bank for the Heartland.
Saturday at the Canal
Posted: November 20, 2014 Filed under: Kindness, Meditation, Yoga | Tags: blogging, Gary Soto, Poem, Poetry, Saturday, Saturday at the Canal, weekend, writing 3 Comments…
I was hoping to be happy by seventeen.
School was a sharp check mark in the roll book,
An obnoxious tuba playing at noon because our team
Was going to win at night. The teachers were
Too close to dying to understand. The hallways
Stank of poor grades and unwashed hair. Thus,
A friend and I sat watching the water on Saturday,
Neither of us talking much, just warming ourselves
By hurling large rocks at the dusty ground
And feeling awful because San Francisco was a postcard
On a bedroom wall. We wanted to go there,
Hitchhike under the last migrating birds
And be with people who knew more than three chords
On a guitar. We didn’t drink or smoke,
But our hair was shoulder length, wild when
The wind picked up and the shadows of
This loneliness gripped loose dirt. By bus or car,
By the sway of train over a long bridge,
We wanted to get out. The years froze
As we sat on the bank. Our eyes followed the water,
White -tipped but dark underneath, racing out of town.
Best for : You :
Posted: November 18, 2014 Filed under: Kindness, Meditation, Yoga | Tags: Bliss, blogging, Body Image, coffee, compassion, Conversation, cycling, exercise, family, fitness, free range, freshly pressed, gluten free, happiness, healing, health, hipster, hope, kindness, life, love, lululemon, marathon, meditation, Mornings, motivation, musings, natural, nature, nebraska, Omaha, paleo, passion, pilates, running, whole foods, yoga 16 CommentsThe battle you are going through is not fueled by the words or actions of others; it is fueled by the mind that gives it importance-
I was speaking with a close friend this past weekend and he asked me – quite bluntly like most dudes do, what change(s) since I ended the “reign of terror” on my body had the greatest impact on my being able to “compete” again? <– whatever this means. He waited patiently for me to share my “bad-ass” – “hardcore” training plan with him as we sipped our coffee during a frigid mid ride stop … The answer he eagerly awaited never arrived. As many of my longtime readers may know, the change(s) I made in my life were due in part to neglecting and abusing my body for many years. Moving on, after a long awkward pause I finally answered his question: I get up at 4 a.m. – Every single day. His response, in typical dude fashion was: “Why?!?” – Why wake at four in the morning?
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I simply, love waking up early. I get to be myself before the little one wakes up for the day. It’s peaceful early in the morning, and the world awakening around me feels calm and serene. The subtle gift of time speaks to my soul. You have to meet yourself there, early one morning to experience it – Dude.
Daily Meditation:
We fail to realize the rejuvenate energy given to us in the morning as we rush straight through it – Rushing to the gym to count reps mindlessly, updating our social status to let the world know we attended a 5:30 am yoga class. Such is the ebb and flow of life …
Dancing : In : the Moonlight
Posted: November 14, 2014 Filed under: Kindness, Meditation, Yoga | Tags: blogging, compassion, cycling, Cyclocross, exercise, free range, freshly pressed, happiness, health, hope, Intention, Iowa, Iowa City, Jingle Cross, kindness, life, love, marathon, meditation, motivation, musings, natural, nature, Omaha, Omaha Bike Co, passion, perspective, pilates, running, trail running, weekend, writing, yoga 7 CommentsIt is more Important to be of pure intention than of perfect action-
Its moments before the gentle warmth of the Sun breaks the horizon on a chilly Friday morning in eastern Nebraska. With a 90% chance of snow tomorrow and a daytime high of 20 expected this Sunday in Iowa City, IA. Perfect racing conditions for Jingle Cross if you ask me. Although, its only Friday … Why are our minds racing towards the weekend?
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Raising my chapped hand awkwardly in the air – I fully admit that daydreaming about the weekend is a supernatural delight, constantly peering off into the future to escape events that happened in the past. I’m feeling warm and bright right now thinking about racing in freshly fallen snow this coming Sunday. Pausing mid sip to reflect … I spent the past few days lamenting about my lack of “training” last weekend and the last couple of days endlessly checking the weather for the upcoming weekend. Simply put (because I’m a simple dude): I actively sacrificed being this week to fleeting memories, events that have already happened, and fantasies of how “things” might unfold three days and three hours away in Iowa.
Daily Meditation:
The most memorable races, the most memorable “things” in life, are rarely those that have been planned in advance. They are usually formulated over a few adult beverages with close friends late one evening in August, where we meet the moment without any preconditions or expectations and simply surrender to being. Savoring each and every moment that comes our way.
Take care this morning and please be well!
*Big Thank You to the fine folks at Omaha Bicycle Co. and Endless Bike Company for keeping me prepared this late into the cycling season – Thank you!*
CultFit 