Please...

There need to be exactly zero more Go-pro mtb/ski/surf videos made. None of them are interesting. The only people excited are the people who sell Go-pro.  No matter the music, no matter the cute narration, no matter the preservation of precious memories, Go-pro is a gimmick and the world needs no more videos in this genre. 

Please stop. 

I wanna be a robot

If I was a robot I could go for a loaded dog walk, take a bike ride, clean the house, lift weights and take the longboard out for a slide session( although its raining and it looks like a Sunday for movies !)  without ever being tired, needing rest or having to eat or drink, and still be psyched for band practice.

Go positive

Instead of seeking to eliminate bad habits, seek to cultivate positive ones. 

Wow

My cycling neighbor came back for round two stating, "dude, I had no idea my  movement patterns had become so compromised. I love to ride but I want to be able to do other stuff. I'm tired of getting worn out when I do yard work. I can ride a century but if I spend an afternoon moving firewood I'm wrecked. I was being kind of a dick the other day. I guess I didn't like meeting my limitations so quickly. Long term how strong and mobile I am is way more critical than how I can ride. "

He worked at learning  deadlift form and kettlebell swings today. 

When humans confront their edges and work to broaden their experience it's thrilling.  I'm convinced too many wear their limitations and weaknesses like a badge.  Think about the obese guy that makes joke about their weight or the super skinny, oh so weak, endurance athlete who finds it amusing they can do a marathon but can't do a pull-up or pick their body weight off the ground.  Humor can be used as a defense mechanism to avoid the  hard work of facing reality. 

What is avoided can define a person as vividly as what they embrace. 

Another athlete fail

Yesterday I had a neighbor come over to get some workout pointers. He is according to his own description " a serious cyclist".  During the course of doing a movement screening I discovered he can't balance on one leg, his knees knock together when doing air squats, he can't get off the ground without using his hands, he can do one push-up with good form the rest look like a spastic worm, he can't do a single pull-up and he can barely move a sandbag with 1/3 his bodyweight. 

After we finished I gave him the lowdown and suggested a course of action. His response was, "I don't need to be able to squat, do push-ups  or pull-ups I just want to be stronger for riding. "

Based on my experience with other cyclists I am beginning to wonder if  cyclists are the most uninformed of all wanna be athletes?   Sitting in a bike and pedaling, especially if tucked into a group, is not going to preserve muscle mass, build strength or enhance mobility. What good does pedaling 100 miles do for creating a stronger, more agile mammal? Almost nothing. In fact, those I've known who only cycled- no weights, no sprints, no walking, no mobility/ yoga- have been brittle, weak and plagued with repetitive motion injuries. Strangely, their mental/emotional constitution is a mirror of their physical abilities.  It's almost like their lack of curiosity in maintaining their body extended into their personality. Each of them had a a very definite idea of " who they were".  Their lives were meager and dry lacking  joi de vive. To observe their physique it was hard to see the difference between them and a  desk jockey. 

As much as I love to ride I wonder why so many cyclists dwell in this area of over specialization, particularly since their specialization does little other than allow them to ride in groups while sporting logo laden kits? Why spend three hours on a bike if two pull-ups is a challenge and a decent body weight squat is unattainable ? 

It's perplexing. 

Words

"Not giving a fuck isn’t about not giving a fuck. It’s about fully embracing your natural capability to effortlessly weather any amount of suffering, loss, or change. In essence, it’s about pleasantly floating while the whole world franticly swims. And, if you’re good, it’s about teaching others to float with you. After all, life is better with company."

Found on various blogs. Source unknown.

Shame

This weekend I had a huge wall of shame crash upon me after viewing an "interview" with a person I abandoned as a friend.  In the interview this person did what I had seen them do many times, overstate their qualifications and ability to such a degree that it bordered on lying, although misrepresentation would be more accurate. 

The shame welled up because I am embarrassed to the point of mortification that I ever tried to encourage or support this person.  Times of stress and change reveal a person's  character and this fellow revealed himself to be lazy, full of shit, manipulative and creepy.  Rather than face change and challenge he sunk into being a parody of  who he thinks he is. 

As much as I'd like to say more he's the kind of twat who would say he's going to sue for libel if I mentioned his name or trade. 

I am stricken with shame because I ignored all the signs and vainly believed my influence on him could make him confront his lacksidaisical, depressive mentality.  Man, I was full of myself and operating under the mistaken notion that people actually will embrace transformation. What I've learned is that the only people who ever stay current and embrace change are the people who never talk about it.  Individuals who talk about change rarely do.

After witnessing a full grown man show the true nature of his fear, lack of knowledge and willingness to  misrepresent himself I am mortified that I ever allowed myself to recommend him to others.  

What I have learned is this...due to my own dysfunction I have often befriended people I  don't respect, and in fact pity,  because it allowed me to feel magnanimous and compassionate.  Man, that's messed up.  And yet, when I'd realize this I'd often double down on "helping" which results in even more frustration. It's almost as silly as if I threw seeds on concrete and then watered them profusely. The entire effort was a waste!

Still, I've learned something- I sold myself short in friendship throughout my life. Because of my own failings and familial patterns I allowed myself to be friends with people who didn't challenge or inspire me. It's almost like I set myself up to fail in intimate friendships by selecting those who were unable to participate in a reciprocal relationship. 

When I broke contact with my family I also began letting go of dysfunctional friendships. Once I heard the person who inspired this lesson say that he preferred to "hang out with people who didn't really know him."  I never understood. Now I do. In relationships that lack true intimacy and reciprocity it is possible to present oneself as more competent than one truly is. A person who is kept at a distance never sees the truth, the pain, the struggle, the real beauty of a person existing in dialectical tension. 

This shame has been useful. I can let it go without having to lash out. I brought it on. Now I see why. Time to move on and keep growing.

"He not busy being born is busy dying." bob Dylan