: Sunshine : On a Cloudy Day

I think the only way to get through this life is laughing hard and constantly, mostly at myself-

A dear friend of mine passed away yesterday. At the age of 12 I was introduced to Tom Magliozzi and the popular NPR show “Car Talk” In my fathers garage every Saturday morning. Work in my Fathers garage was hard at times, and one thing that always brought an air of levity to the moment was Tom’s laugh. It didn’t matter what we were doing at the time, Tom’s iconic laugh was always the perfect cure, and it still is. Over the years I tuned in and out of Car Talk, never straying very far from I have grown to love and cherish. I’m glowing, and crying right now recalling a few moments in my life listening to Car Talk Listening to the podcast with my Son growing up in England. Working on our own vehicles mils away from home, not knowing what the hell I was doing but having fun and laughing at the same time! The best part, is that my Son and I still listen to Tom and Ray each Saturday morning at 9 am. This Saturday though, in Tom’s honor and at Tom and Ray’s mothers displeasure  I’ll be lighting up a Cuban cigar in your honor dear friend, may you rest in peace.

To read a wonderful article about Tom please click HERE

Tom

photo courtesy of Car Talk


: The Night Has a Thousand Eyes :

We all die. The goal isn’t to live forever, the goal is to create something that will-

This evening when we find ourselves handing out treats to all the little ghouls and turds that inhabit our neighborhood – Pause for a moment, and gently turn your gaze away from the harsh glow of the warm gadget in your hand (Halloween Instagram pics can wait ). What is the reality that you see unfolding around you? Can you describe the nuance in each costume that knocks at your door? Their color, the story behind each superhero costume? Are the kids smiling and excited, or are they still with nervous anticipation of scoring a large amount candy?

This reality that we are witnessing first hand is the world as it is right here, right now. It may seem that we live life outside of “reality“, warm gadget in hand and simply observing the bundled up joy standing right in front of us as we snap a series of pics. The “reality” we capture on our gadgets only exists in our mind(s) eye, and we view it through our own unique magenta or black and white lens, filtered outside of our senses.

Daily Meditation:

After we finish dinner tonight and ready the goodies to hand out, imagine for a second that you are a different person, a different ghoul. Set down your gadget, choosing to capture life from a new perspective instead. Life is not a series of pictures we share on the inter-webz. Life is a series of remarkable photos occurring right before our eyes.

CultFit Turd


Moon

The day lengthens,
the old earth tips its hat
to the moon.

The changeful moon
goes through many phases,
even in a single night,

though it is the same
moon as ever, we know this.
We are the changes.

Frederick Smock

CultFit Moon


: Higher & Higher :

You are — your life, and nothing else-

A little over two years ago I stopped planting myself on the couch and turning the TV on for no good reason. Very seldom do I pay attention to the pathetic, dreadful “news”. I am picky with whom I choose to spend time with. Something happened in my life that I fail to put a finger on, and even now its hard to put into words to share with you. I realized there was a deep-rooted issue with my soul, my true-self. It was as if my soul, was raw, torn, ripped wide open. As if my true-self needed a “special” kind of time. We often think of time as a linear aspect of our lives … 0400 in the morning – Time to rise and eat breakfast , 0900 – Second breakfast, 1200 – Workout over lunch … As the cadence of time marches on, we fall prey to time – Time truly dictates our life.

Bringing balance to body, mind, and spirit has never been more important to me. With this intention, I packed my bags last Tuesday and set off for a long weekend of cyclocross racing in Winnipeg – A beautiful city nestled near the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers. Winnipeg is an idyllic oasis on the eastern edge of the Canadian Prairies, the spirit of Winnipeg perfectly aligns with its inspiring surroundings. A city, simply being

This exhilarating excursion nine hours north of Omaha, NE included boundless adventure at every turn. Between the company of close friend(s), practicing at Public Yoga, an endless amount of delicious food, the support of a large, cheerful crowd, laid back fellow competitors and the great outdoors; only served to deepen my connection to simply being. My weekend transformed into an eye-opening experience that both heartened and challenged me.

Do you recall when you last fell prey to marching in step with time? Maybe it’s when you stopped looking at your iThingy every fifteen seconds, or better yet, when you fully surrender to a state of flow during your morning yoga practice or whilst training for your next big event? A moment in which you stop counting breaths and checking Strava for a little bit as you exercised your creative muscle(s) – that “thing” between your ears.

This is when time stops pedantically chugging along,  and being begins. May you take a moment to bathe in the beauty of simply being this morning.

Daily Meditation:

This beautiful “thing” called life presents to us the opportunity to slow down and savor the concept of being. Even when counting the miles away driving from Omaha to Winnipeg (642 … ).

CultFit Fall


When will then be now?

The present moment is filled with joy and happiness. If you are attentive, you will see it-

Our lives are saturated with technology – from email to texting, FaceTube to Insta-Look at me, Linked-Out to streaming media of various flavors online. Living in a digital world, our attention is almost always focused on something outside of our physical body. Either playing a game online with a friend or surfing aimlessly – Always doing something! We treat our own unfocused minds like parents on a cross-country road trip: Turning on the in-vehicle entertainment system and watching “Up” for the millionth time until the little ones pass out.

Are we there yet?!?

My mind needs periods during the day, just like children do at school Time to run and play, jump from hither and yon, with little care in the world. My mind needs to be able to flow freely from thought to thought, or simply rest in no thought at all. The spaces between tasks, between thoughts, between breaths, between all the objects of my attention—are deeply important to our true selves. When I miss the opportunity to live in these gaps, I become a minion to my mind, and subsequently anxious of any moment when my mind is not occupied – Gotta check my fantasy team and Ebay!!!

Daily Meditation:

A deep and lasting confidence arises when we can enjoy the open spaces in life. Our culture has placed a value on action, information, and entertainment, and we are encouraged to keep the mind busy at all times. If we want to create down time, to make space, we have to actively do so.

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