Month: August 2017

I often refer to the components of physical fitness—i.e., the health-related components (cardiorespiratory, muscle strength, muscle endurance, flexibility, and body composition) and the motor skill-related components (agility, balance, coordination, reaction time, speed, and power)—and the “principles of adaptation” from exercise science (overload, specificity, progression, reversibility, and individuality).  The novice exerciser might ask: which of these components and principles are most important?  My response is always–all of them!!!  It is important to understand that, no matter what your age or goals, these are all important.  WHY??–because they are.  Physical fitness doesn’t change with the goals, and the same principles apply.

Ideally, we all want to be as fit as possible.  Unfortunately, life happens.  So, we have to consider what is most important.  My students have come to know this as “opportunity cost”.

Opportunity cost is often predicated on time.  Time is a challenge for me, so I presume the reader is likewise challenged.

We don’t have time to waste on exercise that is ineffective or less effective.  It is all about optimization.  Specificity and individuality are our starting point.  Despite a movement toward the practice of a “workout of the day” (WOD), not one of us has the exact same needs, nor do we respond the same to any exercise stimulus.  General fitness programs are fine from a convenience standpoint (and the life of the university strength and conditioning coach would be made more challenging if he/she had to design exercise programs for every individual on top of specifying programs by sport and position in the sport).  It is nonetheless important that the exercise have some level of refinement according to individual goals and fitness levels.  Key here is remembering that our fitness levels and training experience differ from the next guy, as do our genetics.  What works well for one may not work well for the next.

We all start at differing levels of initial fitness—some high and some low (most of us somewhere in-between).  Then, there is the idea of “high responders” and “low responders”.  Unfortunately, for some of us, significant results don’t come as easy as they do for others.  This is okay—unless, of course, you have high aspirations. 

If you are not getting the results you want, there are two options: 1) change your program, or 2) change your goals.  (Quitting exercise or making excuses are not options!)  And just because you are not seeing results (e.g., big muscles, six-pack abs, faster 5-K times, etc.) does not necessarily mean that you are training wrong.  I have tried countless training programs and still don’t look like Greek god.  I am, however, strong (relatively) and healthy.  This matters most.

So, remember that the body makes specific adaptations to the imposed demands and the specificity of the adaptation is limited by individual differences.

So, here are some dos and don’ts of exercise. (Not to be confused with the lists of 3s and 5s you see elsewhere—that I love so much.)

DON’T:

1. give up.
2. compare yourself or your results to another.
3. confuse lack of progress and lack of potential. (A low response may be genetic, but it can also be poor programming. It should not be a reason for #1.)
4. have unrealistic expectations. (In other words, don’t think 30 minutes of exercise 3 times a week is going to have you looking like the fitness models in your magazine. For some, this translates “You aren’t working hard enough to get that big and lean.”  For others, this translates “You aren’t working hard enough to get that big and lean.”  –See where I am going here?)

DO:

1. exercise regularly.
2. set goals according to your desires and personal abilities.
3. use your exercise time wisely. (More to come on this.)
4. be your best today; be better tomorrow.

Carpe momento!

“If there is no struggle, there is no progress.”—Frederick Douglass

We often fear change, but change is inevitable.  Change is necessary.  Change is growth—and it hurts.

If change is not uncomfortable, it is probably not change that is associated with growth.  I often compare exercise and life—because that is what I do.  In exercise, the word “variability” is an often misapplied—and, in my opinion, a false—principle of exercise.  It is the concept from which we get “muscle confusion” or the idea that we have to frequently change things to get growth (of the muscle).  People take this and are constantly changing grips and angles and making slight modifications to the exercises, but neglect one thing—the principle of overload (stressing the muscle a bit more than that to which is accustomed by adding weight).  This change is not really uncomfortable.  It mainly serves to minimize boredom.  Progress, i.e., growth, however, comes when there is struggle.  It requires effort.

Life is no different.  If change does not come with some discomfort it is either not sufficient or it is not really progressive.

Progress (i.e., “progressive”) has a negative connotation for some, as it has become fodder for political debate.  It is often a label used for liberals and one that is held with contempt by some conservatives.  Now, my intent is not to use this as a political platform, so whatever one’s political position might be does not matter.  Progressivism (according to Wikipedia) is “based on the Idea of Progress, which asserts that advancements in science, technology, economic development, and social organization are vital to the improvement of the human condition”.  Certainly, this is open to all sorts of political and social debate (which the reader can partake of in their own time, if so desired), but with regards to the pursuit of “well-centered fitness” progress (growth) is the central goal.  Progress is, indeed, “vital to the improvement of the human condition” Spiritually, Physically, Intellectually, Emotionally, and Socially, and progress, as I have asserted, requires change.

We often allow our political and social views to construct imaginary walls which restrict us.  We sometimes speak of “thinking outside the box” when there is no box.  There is no need to think outside of the box.  What we need is to stop believing there is a box at all.  Walt Disney once told a colleague: “No! Don’t think outside the box. Once you say that, you’ve established that there is a box.”  Of course, his reference was to creativity, but it applies no less to growth.

Religion is very much about the construction of walls to our thinking.  There should, however, be a difference between guiding one’s morality and limiting thought.  Christ, after all, came not to “condemn the world, but to save it” (John 3:17, NIV).  Yes, we Christians like to focus on John 3:16 and, as such, construct a box, but our focus should, nevertheless, be on saving the world—improving the social condition—albeit uncomfortable.

If our efforts to change the world don’t cause us some discomfort, we are probably not acting very effectively.  That is, no pain no gain.

Carpe momento!

“There are no constraints on the human mind, no walls around the human spirit, no barriers to our progress except those we ourselves erect.”—Ronald Reagan

 

My sister shared an article* about West Virginia University wide receiver, David Sills V.  Sills made news 6-1/2 years ago when, at the age of 13 years, he committed to USC to play quarterback.  Coaching staffs changes and by his senior year, he decommitted from USC and went to WVU (my alma mater!).  He did not, however, find himself the starting quarterback for the Mountaineers.  Instead, he was moved to wide receiver—where he excels.  The transition wasn’t easy, and it took a brief juco transfer to get the dream of being a quarterback out of his system.  Nonetheless, Sill has found where he is supposed to be.

The whole story is a great read.  There is a lesson in it for all of us, but especially for young athletes—and, particularly, for their parents.  We all dream, but sometimes it takes the death of a dream to reveal what we are supposed to be doing.

The notion of committing to a University at 13 in any sport and/or–especially–at a specific position is absurd and unfair to the athlete. Yet, it is becoming common place for athletes, at the direction, quite often of coaches (interestingly, often coaches who have a financial interest in the athlete’s specialization, e.g., as a private position coach or owner of a club team), to specialize at a very early age.  Unfortunately, more and more parents are being convinced that this is a necessity, if the athlete is to “make it to the next level”.

At 12-13 years, the athlete has only begun to reach the level physical and emotional maturity where sports specialization has any benefit (if there is such a benefit). Early specialization can also rob the athlete of the opportunity to discover where his or her true talent(s) lay.  There is mounting scientific (and empirical, if one is willing to open one’s eye to it) evidence that early specialization is not helpful and even detrimental to the athlete’s long-term success.  In The Sports Gene, David Epstein suggests that athletic success is a matter of “hardware and software”.  In other words, success requires the genetic predisposition and athleticism, as well as the specific skill development.  Prior to the age of 13-14 years, it is best for the athlete to emphasize athletic development and physical maturation.  At 14 years or so, the athlete can quickly develop the specific neural programming that comes with skill development.  The list of athletes who found their sport “late” is quite long.  The story of David Sills V tells us that an athlete can spend years chasing the wrong dream.  It also shows that athleticism counts first.

What is “athleticism”?  It is a rather ambiguous and intangible word.  What does it mean when someone says, “That kid is athletic”?  Personally, I find it a bit hard to express as a list of bullet points.  I find it something that is more intuitive.  It involves how the athlete moves and the degree to which he or she naturally demonstrates motor skill-related fitness—agility, coordination, balance, reaction time, speed, and power.  You just know it when you see it.  Unfortunately, it reveals itself in some kids earlier or later than it does in other kids.  It is unfortunate because some kids get boxed into a sport and position too early and burn out or wear out before they fully find their path.  Meanwhile, other athletes lose interest because they are sidelined before they have the chance to shine—or they learn that they are not as good at 15 as they were at 9.  The flame of the dream either burns out or never fully catches.  Either way, it is a shame for these kids.

As long as there are parents buying to the myth of sports specialization and club sports continue to grow, there will be a push for join the fallacy.  If, as a parent, you see promise in your child’s athleticism, let your priority be that they have fun and just play.  Allow them the opportunity to develop motor skills, as well as other non-sport-specific talents, and let’s not forget academics.  Teach your prospective athlete, above all else, to be coachable.  If you want to spend money to help the child’s prospects in sport, find a qualified strength and conditioning professional who can help them develop physically (and mentally) and focus on motor skill development and injury prevention.  (The rise in ACL injuries among young female athletes—it is not surprising that this is especially true for sports like volleyball and soccer—should be cause for alarm and a strong argument for sports performance conditioning over private position coaching.)

My son is not a starter on his football team.  Unlike many parents, who might be questioning the coaches, I am grateful.  I am, personally, not interested in having him be a starter.  He has phenomenal coaches across his sports.  The athletes are learning first and foremost to be better people through sports.  They are learning to be coachable—on and off the field.  My son is athletic (I married well).  On any given day, he can be the best on the team in a number of positions.  However, it is not every day.  So, for one, I am thankful that he is being made to learn that effort is rewarded.  He has to work harder, if he wants to start.  That said, I realize that starting may actually work to his detriment.  If he starts, it is likely in one position.  He’ll play that position and get pulled on occasion so that all the kids have a chance to play.  As a promising athlete, he can get more playing time being able to fill a variety of holes on the offense or defense.  It is making him better across the board.  It also carries over to (and from) the other sports he enjoys—wrestling and lacrosse.  There are kids on the team who are more consistently good at certain positions.  My son may be better than them or he may not be.  That is for the coaches to decide.  Ultimately, I want my son to be a team player first.  Contribute where he is needed.  Work hard and be coachable.  He will learn to be consistent, and his role on the team will be revealed.  It is not for me to fuel his dreams.  It is not for me to tell the coaches where he should be (or wants to be) playing.  My role as a parent is to support him and the coaches.

I have no idea where sports will lead (he just turned 12 years).  Sports may ultimately not be his thing.  All I ask of him is that he be his best today and be better tomorrow.  He may play defensive end for WVU or wrestle for Iowa.  He may be a lacrosse goalie or a LSM.  He may change sports completely or shift his interests elsewhere.  He may have an athletic scholarship, an academic scholarship, or we might pay for college out-of-pocket.  He might choose a trade over college.  Who knows?  It is his path.  It is his dream to dream.

Carpe momento!

*https://www.si.com/college-football/2017/08/25/david-sills-v-recruitment-usc-west-virginia

Are you getting better—stronger, faster, better endurance, etc.?  If so then your exercise program is working.  “But, I don’t have six pack abs!”  “But, I don’t look like Dwayne Johnson!” “But,…”  Sorry, but maybe you aren’t meant to—and that’s okay.

There are a few things at work, physiologically.  Some are within one’s control, e.g., your exercise programming, diet, recovery, etc.  Also at work are one’s genetics.  I often share the statement from pioneer physiologist, Per Olof Åstrand, that “if you want to be an Olympic champion, choose your parents wisely.  Now, maybe we don’t get to choose our parents, and our genes are what they are, but genetics are never an excuse—never!

I have been taking a much closer look at genetics and physical performance as I prepare for a course I will be teaching this fall, and it is fascinating stuff.  It is also complicated stuff.  But, we don’t have to stress over the complicated stuff, because the basics are pretty insightful.

The way I see it, we all have some level of genetic potential.  The potential is quite specific according to physiological system—e.g., one is predisposed to a high maximal oxygen consumption (i.e., a potential endurance athlete), to pack on a great deal of muscle mass, or not.  Our genetic potentials are individualized and predictive of our potential success (not of our failure, however, because we can all benefit from exercise in some ways—though we might be non-responders in some areas).  We have to take a close look at what we have been given genetically and have reasonable goals.  For example, if you are 5’6”, your likelihood of making it to the NBA is next to zero, unless you have an extraordinary vertical jump and really long arms (successful basketball players all have much greater than average arm-wing-span-to-height ratios—Nate Robinson was shy of 5’8”, but had an arm wing-span of 6’1” and 5’7” Spud Webb had a phenomenal 44” vertical jump).  Some aspects of performance are trainable, but only within the limits of one’s genes.

So, should you have picked your parents poorly, perhaps you need to reconsider your goals and pursue more suitable opportunities.  I, jokingly, refer to myself as a “wrestler trapped in a basketball player’s body”.  Technically, given my rather normal arm-wing-span-to-height ratio and poor vertical jump (I never learned to jump—that is, never trained to jump), even at 6’5”, I don’t truly have a basketball player’s body.  There were probably much better sports for me to have succeeded in than football and wrestling.  My oxidative capacity if on the higher side.  My long body and chicken leg may have suited me to crew—had there been opportunity (I am much too big for endurance running).  If one is content with one’s goals, by all means, train accordingly.  One’s expectations, however, should be reasonable.

I like to lift weights.  I have lifted fairly consistently since I was a freshman in high school.  Now, my training knowledge has vastly improved over the decades, but my body really hasn’t.  I have accepted the reality that I have to train harder and smarter for gains—and that I have to accept that the gains will not be significant.  I am realistic.  I don’t have the body for powerlifting or bodybuilding.  My greatest hope is to keep building (or at least maintain) strength and “look fit”.  I recognize that, for me, without a tremendous dedication of time and extreme dietary control, having my abdominal muscles show is never going to happen.  (I actually realized this when I was 5% body fat in my mid-20s and still did not have a washboard stomach.  I enjoy food too much and looked too skinny.  I have since also found that I can’t seem to have muscle without some fat.  So, I have chosen to “grow into my fat”.)

So, if you are not where you want to be physically, don’t be so quick to give up, blame your trainer, or switch programs.  If you are seeing gains, your program (and trainer) are probably alright.  Just keep at it and don’t compare yourself to the next guy or gal.  Pursue what you want, but don’t stress over what you can’t have.  Be realistic.  Don’t give up.  (And, certainly, don’t use your genetics as an excuse for not being the best you can be!)

Be your best today; be better tomorrow.

Carpe momento!

Image source: http://mymodernmet.com/howard-schatz-beverly-ornstein-athlete/

“There’s always ways of motivating yourself to higher levels. Write about it, dream about it. But after that, turn it into action. Don’t just dream.”—Dan Gable

We all aspire to be something or someone greater.  We are dreamers.  But successful people don’t only dream, they do!

This is the third in my Gable series, and, honestly, I think I could keep going, but it is, perhaps, symbolic to end with this one (though this won’t be the last time I share the inspiration of Coach Gable).  I can keep sharing great quotes and words of inspiration, but these are only as good as the effort that follows them.  An underlying theme of this blog (and, remember, I am more often than not writing to myself) is the encouragement to “be your best today; be better tomorrow.”  This is a charge to action.  This is not a charge to “just dream”.  “Be” is the operative work. “BE your best today; BE better tomorrow”!  Don’t just think about it—act!!

I feel like I can go on writing here, but it would negate the purpose.  You and I don’t need to keep thinking about what we need to do.  We need to start doing.

Carpe momento!

“I never won anything by myself. I was always strong because of help that gave me extra strength to win.”—Dan Gable

Yesterday, I commented on the roles of technique (knowledge), conditioning (practice), and heart (desire) in success—in wrestling, football, …, and life.  These have one necessity in common—TEAM.  We don’t make it in sports or life alone.  Dan Gable is one of the most successful (if not the most successful) names in wrestling.  With all his successes, has the humility to know that he never won anything by himself.  In our pursuit of success, we need help.  We need the help of family, teammates, coaches, teachers, coworkers, etc. to give us that extra _____ that we need to succeed.

This is most evident in team sports.  In football, for example, 10 guys can execute perfectly, but that one guy who flubs his responsibility can cost the play.  Wrestling is an “individual” sport, however, no one makes it to the top of the podium without support.

I have friends who are going through struggles.  We are all that “friend” at some time or another.  They can’t go through it alone.  We can’t go through it alone.

When people reach out, we tend to be one of three people: 1) the fixer, 2) the naysayer, or 3) the champion.  We only need one—the champion.  We need to be the supporter—the encourager.  We need to be the teammate.

We may have expertise in the area and, thus, try to jump in an offer help (fix).  (I can be guilty of this.)  This is fine when done through the role of champion.  It is not fine from the position of the stands.  There is always some spectator who knows more than the coaches or the players.  No one needs these people!!

The naysayers are equally destructive.  These are the people who are either failures themselves or “successful” people who fear the challenge of competition.  Lend no ear to the naysayers.  (Perhaps this is why so many of the great wrestlers have developed cauliflower ear—from pushing out the sound of negativity and the voices of those who might deny them success?)

Be a champion for others.  Support them in their endeavors.

Great coaches don’t fix or negate the efforts of their athletes.  The great coaches teach, push, and encourage their athletes.

Great teammates don’t fix or negate the efforts of their teammates.  Great teammates help correct technique, give 100%, and cheer for their teammates.  Great teammates know that they only get better when everyone gets better.

I think of the veteran players in football (or any sport).  These athletes are competitive.  They are where they are because they are among the best of the best.  Every season, there are rookies nipping at their heels.  Eventually, they will yield their position as a starter to another and/or retire.  No great athlete wants to be #2.  The veterans push to keep their position, but they also push their backup.  Why?  Because it is a team effort.  Should the veteran get injured, the backup better be prepared to step up.  The veteran knows this.  The rookie (if he is going to be successful) knows this.  One-hundred percent 100% of the time is what makes everyone better.  (The Steelers’ James Harrison comes to mind when I consider this.)

We need people in our lives to coach and support us.  Sometimes these are hard to find.  We need to keep looking—from both sides.  He need to ask for help and support.  We also need to offer to champion others in their pursuits.  I recently shared these words from the legendary coach, Vince Lombardi: “Individual commitment to a group effort–that is what makes a team work, a company work, a society work, a civilization work.”  How true this is!

Be your best today; be better tomorrow—and help others to do the same!

Carpe momento!

Image source: https://i1.wp.com/www.feelingsuccess.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/dan-gable-quotes.jpg?fit=513%2C376&ssl=1

“The 1st period is won by the best technician. The 2nd period is won by the kid in the best shape. The 3rd period is won by the kid with the biggest heart.”—Dan Gable

Brace yourself.  I am going on a Dan Gable kick.  If you don’t know who Dan Gable is (are you kidding me??!!) he is the standard to which all wrestlers aspire.  He epitomizes hard work and determination.  He is also a model for coaches.  I met Dan Gable once at a golf outing to raise money for the wrestling program at Eastern Michigan University.  Coach Gable was the keynote speaker.  He made rounds to every foursome on the course and introduced himself personally.  Now, I am not one to be impressed by celebrities, but meeting Dan Gable was special.  Why? Because he is Dan Gable!  Moreover, it was his presence.  He actually asked me who I was—not just my name, but what I did, etc.  He made conversation.  He didn’t just do the obligatory smile and handshake.  Dan Gable was/is the real deal.  It is no surprise that he has had the success he has had on and off the mat and continues to inspire legions of wrestlers and others.  It is also no surprise that his words often come to mind when I am looking to be inspired or inspire others.

The other day at youth football practice was no different.  The boys had a lackluster practice, and the coaches were delivering their post-practice inspirational speeches.  (I love my son’s coaches—across the sports—for their abilities to inspire my son toward success in life, as well as in sports.)  This particular practice, I could hear echoes of the above Dan Gable quote (one of my favorites) in their words—and no surprise since all of the coaches have a wrestling background.

In life, as in wrestling, there are three major contributors to success: 1) knowledge, 2) practice, and 3) desire.   We have to have all three to succeed.

The wrestling match is three periods.  Three exhausting periods.  What Gable is saying here has implication for all efforts in life, because all of life requires the same three periods (stages).

The first period is getting started.  No one can be successful without the basic knowledge of what to do.  In life, this is education.  In sport, even the most athletic will need to learn the rules, the plays, the skill, etc. of the sport.  A fast kid with great hands will be a lousy wide receiver, if he doesn’t know the pass routes.

My son has a close friend on the team for whom this is his first year playing football.  He is coming into seventh grade football with very little knowledge of the physical aspects of the game.  He asks questions, though.  He pays attention.  He is learning.  He taking care of the first period.

The second period is where fatigue starts to set in.  When I wrestled, I was not the greatest technician, and, as I have mentioned before, I was “a wrestler trapped in a basketball player’s body”; but, boy, was I well-conditioned.  Coach Kling saw to that.  I knew that the longer I survived (i.e., didn’t get pinned) the greater my chances were of winning.  I could outlast most endurance-wise.

In life, sometimes the more hardship we experience, the better conditioned we are to face adversity and challenges as they come.  In life and sport, the more we give 100% effort, the more prepared we are for what is to come.  “Be your best today; be better tomorrow” is the second period.

The third period is heart.  Heart is a certain intangible quality that one either has or one has not.  I can’t say from where heart comes, but I know it when I see it.  Some seem to come by it naturally (but, I suspect, they probably learned it somewhere along the way).  Others, the least successful among us (and I don’t equate success here with money, stature, position, or celebrity), lack heart.  These don’t have the willingness to push though even the slightest pain, adversity, and/or trial (“P.A.T.”, my son’s coach told the boys, “is your friend”).  Heart always wins.  Heart wins because the one with heart strives to learn more than the next, to condition more than the next, and, when the chips are down, will push harder than the next.

How bad do you want the desires of your heart?  Until, you are willing to go the distance and pursue harder than the competition, greater success will always go to the one who wants it more.

Carpe momento!

“There’s nothing like success.”—Dan Gable

Mateus: Hey man, I just want to say sorry about what I said at practice.

Rudy: Don’t be sorry.

Mateus: Do you understand that if you don’t cool it out there you’re going to get yourself killed?

Rudy: If I cool it out there, then I won’t be helping you guys win next week’s game. Got it?

This is one of my favorite exchanges from the movie Rudy.  In the previous scene, Mateus took it easy on Rudy after he thought he might hurt him.  Rudy responded: “What are you doing?  I’m playing defense for Purdue!”  I thought of this during my son’s football practice when the coaches were encouraging the boys to go 100% for all of practice.  The boys were reminded how they are cheating their teammates when they don’t.  I want my son (and his teammates) to learn this.  It is one of the most important lessons our children can take home from sports.  It is an example that I want to practice daily in my own life.

I wholeheartedly believe in the motto: Be your best today; be better tomorrow.  Anything less is cheating at life.

I challenge each of us to pick just one thing to do better today than we did yesterday.  If we are honest with ourselves, I am certain we could come up with an expansive list, but baby steps.  If we just pick one thing at a time and start to consistently do this one thing better, we will very quickly begin to better ourselves and those around us.

We must push ourselves and not be afraid to push those around us.  I hope this for my son in football (as well as wrestling and lacrosse), but also in school and in everything he does.  If we have the attitude of always doing our best, we will continue to improve and improve those around us.  We will undoubtedly fall short quite often, but it is the attitude of self-improvement that is most important.  Some might say “fake it ‘til you make it”.  Believe you can and you will.  If you are not the best (and most of us will never be “the best”), we, nonetheless, owe our best to others.

Carpe momento!

“Individual commitment to a group effort–that is what makes a team work, a company work, a society work, a civilization work.”—Vince Lombardi

Image source: Rudy

“Do not answer a fool according to his folly, or you yourself will be just like him.  Answer a fool according to his folly, or he will be wise in his own eyes.”—Proverbs 26:4-5, NIV

I often turn to the Proverbs for wisdom.  Their utility is not to be underestimated even in these modern times.

Proverbs 26:4-5 comes to mind often—too often, in fact.  While the verses seem contradictory, they are actually quite on point.  If I hadn’t learned it earlier in life, social media has certainly made these verses clear.  There are a lot of fools out there.  (Neither I nor my Facebook friends are included, of course!  *humor*)  These Proverbs tell us there are two types of fools.  There are those who need to be called out, and there are those who need to be ignored.  Wisdom and experience tells us which are which.  Personally, I wish I was more discerning.

I have been compelled lately to write about the disunity and dysfunction that is escalating in our communities.  Some of which calls for a bit of Proverbs 26:4 and some of which calls for a bit of Proverbs 26:5.

I am coming to learn that author of Proverbs led with “do not answer a fool” for good reason.  I find that, in most cases, when I answer a “fool” on social media, I get sucked into to a vortex of fools from which escape is futile.  These are the fools who are so grounded in their irrationality that there is no wisdom that can change them.

There are times, however, when each of us acts the fool (call it “ignorance”).  In such times, it is helpful for us to be answered accordingly.  We can call these “teachable moments”.  And, please, when you catch me in such moments of unawareness, call me on it.

We are seeing the most opinionated and least rational of voices being the most outspoken in our communities.  It is tempting to want to put a sock in it (or perhaps a fist), but these are the Proverb 26:4 fools.  As tempting as violence is, violence only begets more violence.  The best way to deal with these (oh, so many words that I might want to insert here) is to isolate them and ignore them.  They are fewer than we think.  And, if a tree falls in the forest ant there is no one there to listen, does it make a sound??

The rifts in our society are not going to come together by amplifying the babble of fools.  Unity will start from the rational in the middle who seek reasonable solutions.  (Notice, I do not say “compromise”.  While there may be times for compromise, compromise rarely results in growth.)  “Reasonable solutions” require someone to change—to grow.  This is what we mean by the “advancement” of society.  When we recognize our folly, and respond reasonably and with the best interests of all in mind, society changes for the better.

I would argue that the solutions to our world problems are Spiritual.  “Spiritual” in the truest sense.  Spiritual, remember, greater than religious.  While faith can have—and should have—a powerful voice in solving our societal problems, we must be open to the fact that our theology is often limited to smaller worldview.  “Open-minded” should not be threatening.  Open-minded simply means that we are willing to let our worldview be challenged and expanded—where necessary.

The walls that we create, need not be permanent.  As Abraham Lincoln, so aptly stated, “A house divided against itself cannot stand.”

Carpe momento!

A friend posted the questions: “What is your dream vacation?  Have you been yet?”  The question gave me pause.  I suppose a dream vacation might be to visit Scotland—what I consider to be the land of my ancestry.  As I considered the question, it immediately occurred to me that I don’t like vacations—or at least planning vacations (I leave this to my wife).  Now, I like to travel.  That is, I like purposeful travel—e.g., visiting family, conferences, etc.  I struggle with wanting to take a break from doing.

As I pondered my reluctance to vacation, I considered why this is.  I don’t always enjoy where I am working.  So, it is not that I don’t want to break from my work.  I don’t always like where I am living.  So, it isn’t that I don’t want to go somewhere else.  I think, in part, I just like doing.

To me, ‘vacation’ is a distraction from the here and now.  Thus, I struggle to plan vacations, because they remind me that I want to be somewhere other than where I am.  On some level, it is that struggle between “I have to” and “I get to”.

There are positives to both sides of my relationship with vacation.  (No need to dwell on negatives.)  On one hand, I love doing what I am doing and want to be productive—and, hopefully, I am.  One should enjoy what they do.  I have the same struggle with considering retirement.  After all, why would I want to stop doing the things that I am doing, if they are doing good and I enjoy them?  On the other hand, not focusing ahead to a distant vacation keeps me centered on the here-and-now.  Carpe momento, right?

I prefer spontaneity.  Let’s hop in the car and drive.  (I once planned a trip from Long Island to Maryland to visit my oldest sister.  This was before most anyone had cell phones, and I had neither firmed up my plans nor received directions to my sister’s.  So, I made a decision that, if I couldn’t contact my sister by the Pennsylvania Turnpike, I would head west and to West Virginia to surprise my middle sister.  Thus, I made a surprise 13-hour drive to Hurricane, WV.  I don’t think my sister has ever recovered from the shock.)  This is the way I like to roll.  I also like to just go to the movie theater and see a movie—I don’t need to see what is playing or what the show times are.

Our significant others should complement us.  Mine certainly does.  My wife, Pam, is the planner.  I would probably go nowhere different were it not for her.  I tease here about her spreadsheets.  Going to the movies?  Me: What time?  Her: “Such and such gets four stars.  This other movie gets four and a half.  This movie is 98 minutes….” (Get the gist?)  We recently went on a 15-day vacation to the east coast—seven states (we drove through NJ) and the District of Columbia.  Thank God, my wife is a planner.  (True, we had conflict here and there, but….)  It was a great time.  I might also add that I did no work for the 15 days!  I even scheduled my blogs 18 days in advance—because I couldn’t leave that undone, could I?

So, what am I saying here?  (Besides I might need therapy?)  I think there is a few thoughts:

1. Work when you work and play when you play.
2. Don’t stress over the future and don’t stress over the present.
3. Stretch yourself. If you are not a planner, plan something.  If you are not spontaneous, do something spontaneous.
4. Love what you do for a living, but don’t live what you do for a living.
5. Have gratitude for those who complement you (and take time to compliment them).

Carpe momento, but don’t miss the bigger picture.

Image: Gilnockie Tower, an Clan Armstrong castle