Bon Courage
Posted: August 29, 2013 Filed under: Random Workout | Tags: blogging, compassion, exercise, family, fitness, friends, happiness, health, hope, jogging, kindness, life, love, lululemon, marathon, meditation, motivation, musings, natural, nature, Omaha, paleo, passion, perspective, pilates, Poem, Poetry, Prose, running, trail running, walking, whole foods, WOD, writting, yoga 5 Comments…
Why are the woods so alluring? A forest appears
to a young girl one morning as she combs
the dreams out of her hair. The trees rustle
and whisper, shimmer and hiss. The forest
opens and closes, a door loose on its hinges,
banging in a strong wind. Everything in the dim
kitchen: the basin, the jug, the skillet, the churn,
snickers scornfully. In this way a maiden
is driven toward the dangers of a forest,
but the forest is our subject, not this young girl.
She’s glad to lie down with trees towering all around.
A certain euphoria sets in. She feels molecular,
bedeviled, senses someone gently pulling her hair,
tingles with kisses she won’t receive for years.
Three felled trees, a sort of chorus, narrate
her thoughts, or rather channel theirs through her,
or rather subject her to their peculiar verbal
restlessness … our deepening need for non-being intones
the largest and most decayed tree, mid-sentence.
I’m not one of you squeaks the shattered sapling,
blackened by lightning. Their words become metallic
spangles shivering the air. Will I forget the way home?
the third blurts. Why do I feel like I’m hiding in a giant’s nostril?
the oldest prone pine wants to know. Are we being freed
from matter? the sapling asks. Insects are well-intentioned,
offers the third tree, by way of consolation. Will it grow
impossible to think a thought through to its end? gasps the sapling,
adding in a panicky voice, I’m becoming spongy! The girl
feels her hands attach to some distant body. She rises
to leave, relieved these trees are not talking about her.
Una Pizca de Perspectiva
Posted: August 27, 2013 Filed under: Random Workout | Tags: blogging, compassion, exercise, family, fitness, gluten free, health, hope, kettlebell, kindness, life, love, marathon, meditation, motivation, musings, natural, nature, Omaha, paleo, passion, perspective, philosophy, pilates, running, simplicity, trail running, walking, whole foods, WOD, writing, yoga 3 CommentsA good question is never answered. It is not a bolt to be tightened into place, but a seed to be planted so it may bear more seed toward the hope of greening the landscape of ideas-
Imagine if you will, that you are riding along a country road and your full attention is focused on the movements of your body, position of your hands on the bars, each up and down stroke of the pedals, the air flowing past your ears and the countryside rushing by. There is no room out here in your “awareness” for errors or contradictions; most of us know that a distracting thought or emotion might get us buried face down in a hedge, conveniently packed with stinging nettles for our future enjoyment.
If cycling on gravel roads during extreme heat does not resonate with you this morning, the complete immersion in an experience could occur while you are patiently waiting in line for a latte, practicing yoga, picking your nose, or reading an old issue of Good House Keeping magazine. If your passion is running (injury free mind you), it could happen during the descent of a tricky trail course or even two miles out from finishing your first 10k.
Notice that moments such as these provide flashes of intense – vibrant living against the dull, mundane events of everyday life.
Vibrant living, rather than happiness, makes for enjoyable experience(s) in this thing called life. We can be happy experiencing the passive pleasure of lying on the couch watching the Red Zone Channel, trudging along head down, ear buds in, tuning out the world around us. Although this kind of happiness is dependent on favorable events beyond our control: Mainly the wife or husband letting you veg on the couch all day and the weather outside dictating your daily activities.
Notes:
The happiness that we surrender to, the happiness of our own making, what truly makes us happy without any outside factors? Opens many doors to personal growth, without ever counting miles, cadence, split times or reps …
e(Tude)
Posted: August 16, 2013 Filed under: Random Workout | Tags: blogging, compassion, exercise, family, fitness, freshly pressed, friends, gluten free, happiness, health, hipster, hope, kindness, life, love, lululemon, marathon, meditation, motivation, musings, natural, nature, Omaha, paleo, passion, running, walking, WOD, yoga 9 CommentsWrite it. Shoot it. Publish it. Crochet it, Sauté it, whatever. MAKE-
Best of luck to those of you participating in these awesome events this weekend!
Omaha Corporate Cycling Challenge
Are there times during the day when you wish you could tap into your creative side? What does creativity mean anyway(s)? Is creativity “something” through which you express yourself during yoga class or while enjoying an evening ride, or is creativity “something” that keeps you feeling connected to the earth and those around you?
During a few periods downtime today and throughout the weekend, brushing and flossing your pearly whites or taking a walk in the local market, explore the opportunity to tap into many of the great ideas we have that often get overlooked during the rush of the day. Consider brushing your teeth with your opposite hand … There is “something” happening in these special moments too, which are equally significant in our lives, if we pause and listen.
Notes:
The creativity many of us search endlessly for, is already there … Maybe we need to learn how to sit back, feet up, relaxed – chill and allow “things” to happen?
Have a brilliant weekend and please be well!
Still (Time)
Posted: August 9, 2013 Filed under: Random Workout | Tags: Bliss, blogging, compassion, family, fitness, free range, freshly pressed, gluten free, happiness, harmony, health, hipster, hope, kindness, life, love, lululemon, marathon, meditation, motivation, musings, natural, nature, Omaha, paleo, passion, trail running, walking, whole foods, yoga 22 CommentsFreeing yourself was one thing, claiming ownership of that freed self was another-
Where self-criticism leaves us powerless and distraught, self-compassion and following our true passion in life is at the root of empowerment, learning, and inner strength.
It’s safe to say that common knowledge favors passion, right?!? “Follow your passion” random bloggers urge. “Give all your heart” reads another witty blog post title. Can we all agree that passion is pretty cool and a useful endeavor? Sprinkled kindly and with care, passion on top of passion, and everything else in life that follows will be pure bliss. So why not marinate yourself with passion and savor this “sauce of life?“
Ladies? Dudes? Come a little closer so know one will hear what you are about to admit … How many movies starring Hugh Grant have you watched with plots that center on this very question: Will J-LO (some woman) run away and madly fall in love with Hugh, choosing the frenzied, passionate hunk for a life filled with unpredictability and passion, or will she choose the man whose love is firm and deep, a man who is predictable and well … steady, loving?
Notes:
Passion can be tricky, really tricky and nasty at times. Passion is pure joy, when carried away by romance, or in the flow of yoga class, out on the trail, passion makes us feel vibrantly alive. Like the essence of a perfumed wind, delicious, delightful, not to be missed…and fleeting like an ephemeral flower in spring.
Be well and take care this weekend!
Mind(Full)
Posted: August 6, 2013 Filed under: Random Workout | Tags: blogging, Earth, family, fitness, freshly pressed, friends, gluten free, happiness, health, hipster, hope, kindness, Kissing, life, love, lululemon, marathon, meditation, motivation, musings, nature, Omaha, paleo, passion, running, Truth, whole foods, WOD, yoga 9 CommentsWalk as if you are kissing the Earth with your feet-
Where is your mind when you’re “working out – running- cycling – racing“? Is your mind busy planning tomorrow’s running route as a bottomless ravine moves closer and closer towards your aching feet? Is your mind still wrapped up in some excitement from earlier in the morning, replaying a conversation over and over again as you put another ice pack on your sore knee(s)?
When we are looking forward to the future or back into the past, then by definition we cannot be in the present moment.
Walking, slowing down the pace of life, mindfulness, turning off the phone, yoga and many other cool “things” provide us a wonderful opportunity to be present, mindful and aware, as opposed to being distracted, stressed and overwhelmed. Presence, mindfulness and awareness provide us an opportunity to train our mind and spirit, to understand what it means to be in the here and now, with a healthy sense of appreciation, patience, and a non-judgmental attitude. It’s also a fantastic opportunity to get back in touch with the world, the world in which you live in.
Notes:
*Read below
CultFit 