Week 6 - The Sequel

So I thought I would post a follow up on the swimming front. Bought a bunch of my gear and my scuba course yesterday. Went for my swim, figured I would try out the prescription goggles (which are awesome) and the diving booties. I didn't want to use the fins yet, because I thought I should get used to a few pieces at a time, and I knew the fins would make the swim easier by a large margin. So on went the booties. Holy Crapolie I thought I was gonna drown! Those boots weigh nothing when dry and are so comfy you forget you are wearing them. But get em wet, and you might as well try to tow a car engine across the pool. Pretty sure I looked like an Orca with a back problem, flopping around and puffing away. Special thanks to Mr. Sollinger for not falling over laughing (he subbed in for Sifu Beckett because she couldn't make our swim appointment). Aside from looking like a drowning fool, it cut my swim in half. I only completed 12 lengths as apposed to the 20 I have worked to build up to. Each length is 25m so 20 lengths is 500m or a half km, and I was rather proud of my progress. Add the booties, and wham! down to a quarter km and legs feeling like they went 10 times that far. So what is the moral of this story, well I'll be wearing booties and working my way back up. I was still able to complete the required 250m for the course wearing the booties, and the course is in June, so I have time to build up the strength. Not a lot of time, but still time to work on it.

Week 6

I have a few minutes so I thought I would post early this week. This is sort of a shout out as much as a blog post. Part of my year of the dog journey is involving getting my Scuba Diving license. Part of that is becoming a better swimmer. Since we have to walk, run, bike or swim 1000 miles anyway, I am trying to kill 2 birds as it were. I'm up to swimming .5km 3 times a week and working toward getting up to a full Km 3 times per week (hopefully by the end of April). Its a bit slow, but Ive always liked swimming so not a big deal. My other milage is coming along nicely between walking and biking. But I digress. So I've spoken a couple people about the swimming and thought I would put it out there for the ICH should they decide to join us. I swim Tuesday night after the 2nd degree class (9pm - 10pm), Friday after my guitar lesson (@ 6pm - 7pm) and Saturday after open training (time depending on if I am locking up for the day and if there is a team meeting). So those are the tentative times and so forth. If anyone wants to get some time in the water, you are welcome to join us. If not, well that's good too.

Week 5

This week went terminally slow and incredibly fast all at the same time. Talk about your time paradox. Perhaps a resolution can be found by someone more clever than I. I'm not here to talk about temporal and spacial displacement... at least not today. My conundrum, query, postulation if you will, for the week is the line between disbelief and full on jaded skepticism. The difference between, Am I buying what your selling? and Don't even unpack the crapola, I'm not interested in hearing it. Where is that line, and how does one get to that point? For example. Historically I work with some people who have what we lovingly refer to as the "Klinger Files". For those unversed in the M*A*S*H television series Klinger was a corporal who would stop at nothing to get out of the Korean War, Army and any duties there in. One of the more entertaining episodes is when during a reprimand of his lates ploys, he tried to convince his CO he needs a hardship discharge because both of his brothers were killed. Col. Blake turns around and pulls out a file, confirming with Klinger that his issue was deceased brothers. Upon opening the file, he flips through several identical letters with various people dying and others pregnant. The crowing jewel was the letter detailing that half the family was dying and the other half was pregnant. Hence the origin of the "Klinger Files". So back to reality. I work with people who have their own version of the Klinger File. It's sad, but true. Some of the numbers and "reasons" for their lack of attendance/engagement would make your head spin. I'm amazed any number of the leadership team have not gone bald for ripping out their hair. Enter the paradox. Each person needs to be treated as an individual, and you cannot judge one persons actions or needs by experiences you have had with others. Unfortunately you can't ignore life experience and common behaviours either. Do not sit in judgement, but Do not go blindly. So where exactly is that line. Thing is, I have a person in my sphere that has been here for around 2 weeks. I don't know this person, and I have no idea if I am getting legit reasons or Klinger File fodder for their lack of attendance/engagement. I try not to (and should not) judge them by the history of others as those histories are solely the property of those creating them. But I'm not just off the truck either. Said person has provided only their word for justification of their actions. And though I feel a great swell of empathy for the reason they give, I also have a great deal of doubt and no point of reference or evidence that their reason is true. Is this person going through a tragedy or are they full of it? I have no way of knowing for sure short of demanding proof, and is that really something one should do right out of the gate. Should this person not be given the benefit of the doubt. I guess that depends on who is benefiting. So there it is. I have no doubt I am jaded toward being fed a line of creative facts and I have no doubt how I came to this place of narrowed perspective. The question is, am I being played, or am I judging someone for someone else's sins. Time will tell.

Week 4

I had many topics to blog this week, but it's been such a cluster of a week that everything seems muddled. Hence the Saturday blog. You see there is a method to the madness for blogging on Friday. For this such occasion I still have a day's grace to get a blog up and running. And I do mean running. My brain is like a hamster on a wheel and there is a very read danger of that fat lil bugger flying across the room. So then what to blog about. Well for starters we are 4 weeks in. Not sure if anyone else is feeling the crunch but man that went fast. It's shard to believe we are past the half way mark in March. Seriously, where has the time gone. 2 more weeks and we will be a 1/4 way through this year. dun dun daaaa. So I sit her blogging, between throwing a ball for the most spoiled puppy in the farm's history, and think if only I had it that good. Her biggest stresses are going to the dog wash and not having a designated human for ball throwing purposes. Must be nice. I suppose I should have a moral to the blog, every great blog has one... hahahaha, almost got that out with a straight face. So remember that as long has you have a warm place to sleep, enough food, and family who cares about you, everything else is a 1st world problem. Keep that in perspective and you have it made.

Week 3

The idea of the blogging is to share the journey. To document it, to publicly be accountable for it. This is a lofty goal, but what exactly does that mean. Does that mean I admit to picking up my guitar only to have my brain fall out? Or to put ticks in a ledger for how much physical activity one does. Granted those are all part of it, but it gives me cause to wonder if there isn't more. "More? What are you a nut?" you say. Well probably but hear me out. I was overthinking again and I wondered how fast some of the requirements could come off the list. It's a big list, and I'm all about getting anything I can off my plate. If I worked really hard, could I record 100 acts of kindness a week? Doing them is no issue, I must hold a door or elevator for someone 10 times a day or more. Writing it down accurately is the issue. That's not to say once the letter of the task is complete that it loses it's importance. Continuing to be mindful and kind is not something that has an expiration date or quota. At least I don't think they should. So ya, 1000 acts of kindness in 10 weeks, that was my private personal goal. Am I on track, sort of. I'm in the high 280's in 3 weeks, so it's coming along. The issue again is the recording. I've done the background think, the check list if you will. Always keep a book and pen with me, always write them down right away, etc. Truth is, I still find myself at the end of the day (or few days) scrambling to get it all down. That begets the questions did I get them all, am I just revving the engine counting the same act for different people...sounds good but doesn't get you anywhere. I like the idea of being mindful and remembering our manners, but when it comes down to the secretarial end of it, it's less fun then a smashed finger. It also puts some harsh realizations about yourself right in your face. For example, I am very boring. I go to work, I be nice (usually), I go to class, I practice, I go home, I be nice, I sleep, repeat. Not going to win any awards for being creative or spontaneous with that. But then, all things in time.

Week 2

Lately I've had several conversations with Sifu Hayes about how our thought patterns change as you age. Some pretty cool stuff, he's an intelligent guy. One such topic regarded how your brain changes how it processes information around every 10 years or so. Thinking back on the time, I have to admit I do see some fundamental perception shifts every decade or so. I remember looking back at 30 something and thinking "was I ever that young" while listening to the 20 somethings around me. At Christmas my sister and I were in the kitchen listening to our teenage nephews challenge each other about having life figured out and all we could do was chuckle together and enjoy how the kids were in a rush to sound grown up. Silly kids. The thing is I didn't expect this "aging brain" to affect how I learn. I've always been a huge advocate of continueing learning, asking the questions, and working to find ways to make the knowledge stick. I've never had a problem learning new things and my learning curve has always been super fast. So maybe that is why I feel taken aback that I'm no longer able to keep up to my old self. Something about old dogs if I remember correctly. Maybe I have gotten so entrenched in my comfort zone that I didn't realize I wasn't challenging myself hard enough. I think back to "but I learned to do this and it wasn't an issue" only to remember that was how many years ago? Surfing 2000, Skydiving 2006, Scuba diving 2010. But it seams like yesterday. Don't get me wrong, I haven't been stagnating. I've just started thinking about why I am feeling like I'm struggling with my lofty new goals. Why I feel like I'm not progressing with my forms, weapon and guitar as quickly as I would have "once upon a time". Thing is I'm getting positive feedback, and I believe and value that feedback. I just seem to remember learning was so much easier in the past. Granted we're all our own worst critic, and I've always had a harder line with myself than is probably healthy. I guess this situation took me by surprise. I've always practiced new things, I've just never worried about being able to retain them before. Sounds arrogant. Really arrogant. But that's not my intention. This isn't a cry for help, nor is it intended to lament the passage of time. I just find it curious that I am perceiving such a dramatic change in my definition of normal progression. I feel a bit like I'm in uncharted waters. Which doesn't bother me per say, it's just different. When I travel, I rarely know where I am going. I get in my vehicle, point it a random direction and watch for shiny things along the way. Its more irritating than worrisome. The bottom line is this team, this journey we are taking in the Year of the Dog, comes down to recognizing where we are, being honest and not sugar coating the truth. I find myself thinking about why the body and mind work the way they do and not just taking for granted that they do. Something to mull over perhaps. Not to worry though. My mid life crisis was last year, and I have the motorcycle to prove it.