At Dawn They Sleep

Listen, you guys in the front here? Keep an eye on each other alright. If you see somebody going down, help him out alright. That’s what your here to do, help each other out. This is a song called…. WAR ENSEMBLE-

RIP Jeff


Prosa before Plantear

The young student sits with his head bent over his books, and his mind straying in youth’s dreamland; where prose is prowling on the desk and poetry hiding in the heart-

Never in a million years would I have envisioned that poetry and prose would be at the forefront of helping me heal: Knee surgery, back surgery, fractured neck, shattered orbital bone and too many other injuries to bore you with before the weekend begins. Although, injuries and rehabilitation are places where the human spirit is most vulnerable. It’s within these planes of vulnerability that literature and the arts have the greatest resonance.

Everyone reading today, is at some point touched ever so gently by an injury, either personally or through the experiences of a close friend or family member. None of us, NONE of us, are immune to the frailties and limitations of the human body. The burgeoning of the Inter-Webz, FaceTube and YouBook has shoved down our throat a wealth of information. However, the excessive amounts of “facts” at our disposal do not necessarily make it easier to cope with the fears and unknowns of illness, injury and loss. This, I believe, is where the Arts and Humanities fit in. *Long time readers have noticed the changes around here.*

When I started this blog over two years ago, I had no idea that my life would veer toward literature and the healing arts. Poetry, prose, the arts have reminded me that healing is a multi-dimensional process, being spiritually healthy is far more important to me now.

Notes:

The arts and the humanities are critical elements in our life, and I am truly grateful that they have a home here at CultFit, with you, and our friends. One last thing before you download another running-app … Click on over to the Poetry Foundation and consider downloading their Poetry App. Immerse yourself in new poetry after a cool down run or workout, maybe?

Pie in Omaha?!? Did someone say “Pie in Omaha?!?” Take care and have a beautiful weekend!

CultFit Bear Shark


I paid the taxi driver

got out with my suitcase, surveyed my surroundings, and just as I was turning to ask the driver something or get back into the taxi and return forthwith to Chillán and then to Santiago, it sped off without warning, as if the somewhat ominous solitude of the place had unleashed atavistic fears in the driver’s mind. For a moment I too was afraid. I must have been a sorry sight standing there helplessly with my suitcase from the seminary, holding a copy of Farewell’s Anthology in one hand. Some birds flew out from behind a clump of trees. They seemed to be screaming the name of that forsaken village, Querquén, but they also seemed to be enquiring who: quién, quién, quién. I said a hasty prayer and headed for a wooden bench, there to recover a composure more in keeping with what I was, or what at the time I considered myself to be. Our Lady, do not abandon your servant, I murmured, while the black birds, about twenty-five centimetres in length, cried quién, quién, quién. Our Lady of Lourdes, do not abandon your poor priest, I murmured, while other birds, about ten centimetres long, brown in colour, or brownish, rather, with white breasts, called out, but not as loudly, quién, quién, quién, Our Lady of Suffering, Our Lady of Insight, Our Lady of Poetry, do not leave your devoted subject at the mercy of the elements, I murmured, while several tiny birds, magenta, black, fuchsia, yellow and blue in colour, wailed quién, quién, quién, at which point a cold wind sprang up suddenly, chilling me to the bone.
Roberto Bolaño – By Night in Chile

Notes:

Be well today.

CultFit Trail


Loving You Live

And then there are the times when the wolves are silent and the moon is howling-

We can learn so much by looking up at the sky, with wide eyes, in wonder. We can feel deeply when sitting beneath a tree, in stillness after practicing yoga with some close friends. We can experience every sense nature presents to us while lying down in dewy grass after finishing a race. Nature is here to remind us and allow us to become curious about the great mystery of balance, harmony and life.

One of the Gifts that can arise from a recent bout of injuries, the inevitable surgeries, and rehab is a gift that can also be reaped from reading cheeky a poem by Shel Silverstein: Slowing Our Pace In Life.  In the time it takes you to recover from injury so many clouds will gently float past you, you’ll start to take notice of the flowers growing diligently in a nearby field. The words filling the page will take on completely new meaning, depth. This simple act of just “being will ignite a new understanding of yourself, forgiving you for all the abuse you have subjected yourself to.

Notes:

Because of our mind numbing daily pace, we all forget, that sometimes, we are an integral part of nature. Be well today and take care.

CultFit Roots


Take You Higher

Many people don’t realize the connection between music and literature and I’m here to tell them that it does exist-

**The healing arts, for the purpose of a simple, down to earth classification (I’m a simple dude), consist of three critical parts: Energetic Healing, Physical Healing, and Spiritual Healing. Even though the classifications are necessary for a systematic(this blog-o-thing is anything but systematic) investigation, each healing tradition interweaves and interacts with the other three parts. Purpose of this preface: The healing arts are not an isolated act in our lives. Some would go on to say they are the pure interactions between people, the earth and spirit.**

While some of us are still recovering from a recent yoga class, marathon or triathlon. Many more of us are wounded from life, a lost loved one and the Red Wings making the playoffs. These difficult experiences develop our unique preferences and deeply connect us to other beautiful people (all of you reading today) exuding a common struggle, a sense of hope amongst us. One profound and really cool aspect is that we do not need any particular musical or artistic ability to benefit from the healing arts.

Let’s get a little personal for a bit, we’re all adults here …

Our spiritual healing requires harmonizing a few of the aspects of being “human”: Each one of us has been gifted with the ability to experience and create whatever we like. The arts help us to channel our personal exploration through self-expression or delving into one’s spiritual agony with listening and seeing. Many of you may not truly understand how powerful your written word is! Self-expression scratches beneath the surface, revealing the sources of our personal struggles and hardship. It’s through this process of examining who or what situations spark spiritual discomfort. We discover the hindrances of wellness (think about this thought …). The arts provide a vital resource to avoid or manage such triggers in the very near future.

Creating a new masterpiece transforms your inner pain, awkwardness, into something tangible. Something you can physically separate from your mind and sink your teeth into. Everyday hopes and fears can be transcribed to the world … Feelings we shouldn’t be ashamed of and suffocated as we awaken today.

Notes:

Celebrate you, through your creativity today. What better way to start the healing process?!?

CultFit Elements