With the sound of my alarm at 5 am this morning, the dog days of training officially arrived.
At least I recognized that they had arrived, in reflection they were creeping in this week. They are not unexpected and I have decided to welcome them and will fixate myself on them for a while because they are an opportunity to learn.
I took the opportunity to push hard during the pre training run as if to laugh in the dog days face and as we were pushed, yet again, through multiple burpees I focused on the burpee I was doing rather than the ones I had done and the ones that were yet to come. Oh sure I struggled at parts and had to put a knee down on occasion, only this time it became a part of it not a frustration in it.
When people ask me about the training and the length to which we engage in training for our black belts they always are very surprised. Having been around for a while I never really put a thought to it and while Kaelan was going through it I never really thought of the length but often reflected on the challenge and difficulty. Now that the dog days are here I am in the camp of...REALLY? THAT LONG? AM I NUTS?
There are 3 more months until we test and lets call it 4 before we get our belts, should I be successful. As I wrote the last sentance, I thought "I cannot fathom not getting my belt after putting so much effort in" but that is possible. Worse yet get injured close to testing and not being able to test. I would drink for months on end, okay I am probably going to do that even if I am successful, so I will have to think of something else with dramatic effect.
The dog days are about motivation or lack of, that is. They are about doubts, fears and just wanting to sleep. They are not about ability, they are not about desire, they are not about being rational. That is why I have chosen to embrace them. These are my opportunity to glimpse at the insanity that invades the human mind in spite of what is rational, good and proven by others.
In the midst of all of this today I am carrying a heavy and worried heart. Nelson Mandella is sick and while home after 2 days in hospital his respiratory infection is still being treated. I pray that we can have him a while longer but fear at 92 we may not.
I leave you with a quote from Madiba
"No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin, or his background, or his religion. People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite."
At least I recognized that they had arrived, in reflection they were creeping in this week. They are not unexpected and I have decided to welcome them and will fixate myself on them for a while because they are an opportunity to learn.
I took the opportunity to push hard during the pre training run as if to laugh in the dog days face and as we were pushed, yet again, through multiple burpees I focused on the burpee I was doing rather than the ones I had done and the ones that were yet to come. Oh sure I struggled at parts and had to put a knee down on occasion, only this time it became a part of it not a frustration in it.
When people ask me about the training and the length to which we engage in training for our black belts they always are very surprised. Having been around for a while I never really put a thought to it and while Kaelan was going through it I never really thought of the length but often reflected on the challenge and difficulty. Now that the dog days are here I am in the camp of...REALLY? THAT LONG? AM I NUTS?
There are 3 more months until we test and lets call it 4 before we get our belts, should I be successful. As I wrote the last sentance, I thought "I cannot fathom not getting my belt after putting so much effort in" but that is possible. Worse yet get injured close to testing and not being able to test. I would drink for months on end, okay I am probably going to do that even if I am successful, so I will have to think of something else with dramatic effect.
The dog days are about motivation or lack of, that is. They are about doubts, fears and just wanting to sleep. They are not about ability, they are not about desire, they are not about being rational. That is why I have chosen to embrace them. These are my opportunity to glimpse at the insanity that invades the human mind in spite of what is rational, good and proven by others.
In the midst of all of this today I am carrying a heavy and worried heart. Nelson Mandella is sick and while home after 2 days in hospital his respiratory infection is still being treated. I pray that we can have him a while longer but fear at 92 we may not.
I leave you with a quote from Madiba
"No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin, or his background, or his religion. People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite."
I found a quote for you from the Upanishads (actually it's from my one a day Zen calendar, but they say it comes from the Upanishads). I think its appropriate to your current mindset:
ReplyDelete"God made the senses turn outwards, man therefore looks outwards, not into himself. But occasionally a daring soul, desiring immortality, has looked back and found himself..."
and another, (this one is my favorite so far) from Borges:
ReplyDelete"Only in the present do things happen"