A Hint of Spring
Posted: May 15, 2014 Filed under: Meditation, Yoga | Tags: blogging, compassion, family, free range, freshly pressed, friends, happiness, health, James Whitcomb Riley, life, love, lululemon, may, meditation, musings, natural, nature, Omaha, passion, perspective, Poetry, simplicity, Spring, Zen 3 Comments…
‘Twas but a hint of Spring—for
still
The atmosphere was sharp and chill
Save where the genial sunshine smote
The shoulders of my overcoat,
And o’er the snow beneath my feet
Laid spectral fences down the street.
My shadow, even, seemed to be
Elate with some new buoyancy,
And bowed and bobbed in my advance
With trippingest extravagance,
And, when the birds chirpt out some-
where,
It seemed to wheel with me and stare.
Above I heard a rasping stir—
And on a roof the carpenter
Was perched, and prodding rusty
leaves
From out the choked and dripping
eaves—
And some one, hammering about,
Was taking all the windows out.
Old scraps of shingles fell before
The noisy mansion’s open door;
And wrangling children raked the yard,
And labored much, and laughed as
hard,
And fired the burning trash I smelt
And sniffed again—so good I felt!
Midnight : Flight :
Posted: May 14, 2014 Filed under: Meditation, Yoga | Tags: biking, blogging, Commuting, compassion, cycling, exercise, family, fear, fitness, free range, freshly pressed, friends, gluten free, happiness, health, kindness, life, love, lululemon, marathon, meditation, motivation, musings, natural, nature, nebraska, NHL, Omaha, paleo, passion, perspective, pilates, Playoffs, running, simplicity, trail running, Yeti, yoga, Zen 6 CommentsWe can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark; the real tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the light–
These early morning cycling commutes have me thinking about fear, a lot …
Maybe I’m out of touch this morning, although I don’t think anyone in their right mind wishes to walk this beautiful path in life completely fearless. At least after the rush of a close encounter, we can appreciate that our internal warning “thing” is aligned with the red traffic light up ahead, preventing us from crossing the intersection and becoming tasty roadkill for the turkey vultures circling above (I miss roundabouts). Thinking about this for a moment, I don’t think I know anyone who appreciates being afraid for no good reason, or even just being anxious about future events; which just so happens to be my definition of being a “worry wort.“
Once I start worrying above and beyond what is needed for the most basic survival (food – water – family – bikes – fantasy hockey …), worry builds upon worry, and my thoughts spin out of control. The question is what to do about worrying when it makes no sense?!?
: Take a deep breath and return to the present moment :
Daily Meditation:
Our “worried” minds are accustomed to seeing only the negative in life, ignoring the awe-inspiring spectacle of beauty, love, and boundless opportunity that awaits us. Instead of “worrying” about these threats – Red Lights – Road Kill – Turkey Vultures … Maybe we can hone in on what is right in our life, the “little” things, such as the beautiful sky above, dew on a blade of grass and the Pittsburgh Penguins being eliminated from the NHL playoffs.
Secret : Energy :
Posted: May 7, 2014 Filed under: Meditation, Yoga | Tags: Bellevue, blogging, Breakfast, Commuting, compassion, cycling, exercise, family, fear, fitness, For the Love of Food Truck, free range, freshly pressed, friends, health, kindness, life, love, meditation, motivation, musings, nature, nebraska, passion, perspective, social media, writing, yoga, Zen 8 CommentsDo not be afraid; our fate
Cannot be taken from us; it is a gift–
“What would you do if fear was removed the equation?”
A close friend once asked me the very same question I am asking you this beautiful morning, and I’m here to tell you, this simple little question changed my life. Well, that and the best breakfast burritos in Nebraska did …
This seemingly simply question helped me to pause, to listen, in order to break decisions down to their very essence. What I realized was that I was not living each day to the fullest because I was desperately afraid of getting hit by a car, letting my family down, even of success – Tasty success that is!
Pondering this question allowed me to separate my fear, from my dream of breakfast burritos, and in doing so, I realized that I really wanted to hit the road a bit earlier, stay alert early in the morning, in spite of the fear of getting crunched by a Prius.
My friends question helped me to identify my fears and determine whether they deserved as much power as I was giving them.
Daily Meditation:
Often at times I have those dark nights of the soul at 4am, when I’m overcome with fear. Do I let these thoughts rule my choices anymore? Damn right I don’t!
I would like to thank Moisés and Jacklyn Salgado, purveyors of the – For the Love of Food Truck – For helping me to overcome my fear of commuting in the insane, reckless morning traffic in Bellevue, Nebraska. Yes! Their breakfast burritos are totally worth it!!!
When you have a moment today, head on over to their Facebook page and give ’em a big “Like” (or whatever the kids call it) from CultFit!
Comfort : Zone :
Posted: May 2, 2014 Filed under: Meditation, Yoga | Tags: blogging, Commuting, compassion, cycling, exercise, family, fitness, free range, freshly pressed, friends, gluten free, happiness, health, hipster, hope, kettlebell, kindness, life, love, lululemon, marathon, meditation, motivation, musings, natural, nature, NBA, NHL, Omaha, paleo, passion, perspective, pilates, running, trail running, walking, writing, yoga, Zen 13 CommentsA good traveller is one who knows how to travel with the mind–
What a jerk! I know, I just know that he cut me off in the pace line, on purpose none the less! Here I am, falling off the back of the pack … The race is over 20km in! Or is it?!?
Like you, I am an expert in regards to mind-reading. I used to walk through life ass-uming that if another person’s behavior caused me distress in any way, they must have intended to make me feel this way. Those filthy bastards!
…
I was addicted to attributing my negative motives and thoughts to someone else and their behavior. Why not – their actions did sting a little bit and they kinda pissed me off. My subjective (and biased) interpretation of other folks, rather than their behavior, finally made me lose my, cool.
…
Then something truly cool started to happen. It started with a deep breath, and then gently changing my inner dialog, slowly, patiently – I subdued the thoughts of starting a confrontation, replacing them with – “I won’t assume anything; These thoughts will pass” … “No mind-reading today, not now.”
Daily Meditation:
Tuning into myself, rather than magnifying the stress when I was beginning to get upset, needing to address the other person, eyebrows furled, sweaty fists clenched … “It’s Saturday afternoon dude, the NHL and NBA playoffs are on, the sun is up! We’ll get ’em next time around!”
Have a beautiful weekend friends and please take care!
Hard to : Resit :
Posted: April 30, 2014 Filed under: Meditation, Yoga | Tags: blogging, change, compassion, crossfit, cycling, exercise, family, fitness, free range, freshly pressed, friends, gluten free, health, hipster, kettlebell, kindness, life, love, lululemon, marathon, meditation, motivation, National Bike Challenge, natural, nature, Omaha, Omaha Commuter Challenge, passion, pilates, Power Yoga, running, trail running, yoga 6 CommentsEveryone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself-
A quick show of hands: Have you ever held onto the belief that you could change someone else’s behavior, if you were persistent and dedicated enough?
I witness this quite often with friends going to yoga class, working out together and the awesome folks I help out. Sadly, I have arrived at the conclusion that people only change when it’s rewarding for them to do so, and when they’re capable of it.
Rewarding and Capable – Interesting.
…
Daily Meditation:
I have lived many years shrouded in the fallacy that “peer” pressure, being a “caring” friend pressure, will make those close to me change. I’m writing this morning to share with you these following thoughts – People only change when they’re ready to. If I want my friend to change, I have to figure out how they would be motivated to change, how change would benefit them.
On the subject of motivation and change – I offer up to you these two links. Have a beautiful day, and please take care!
CultFit 