V
07-28-2006, 10:23 AM
The other day I visited a local ski shop to buy a backpack. The owner
of the shop just has hours by appointment as the shop seldom gets any
customers during this hot weather. He told me he was ready for Fall
and counts off each day on his calendar as we approach snow season. He
does not have much to occupy himself during the rest of the year when
there is no snow. He starts counting off the days in March or April. He
is about my age of 52 and I talked with him about getting into
snowboarding to diversify his snow sports interests. And as an off
shoot from snowboards he could make the transition to other board
sports such as carveboards or carvestiks in the summer. (If you wish to
see what a carveboard looks like, they are on the web.) From this he
could also diversify into skateboards and start riding a local bowl at
our skate park. The discussion then turned to mountain boards where he
could hit the slopes again in the hot weather and still ride lifts at
one of the local resorts that caters to mountain boards.I also
mentioned to him to try out mountain biking, as we have a nice local
single track trail close by. He is a great skier, but that is pretty
much about it for his sport activities other than jogging.
As we get older we seem to want to try less and less new things.
Sometimes I get caught up in thoughts of winter and snow myself as I
like to skiboard and snowboard. But as my Buddhist practice recommends,
I work to keep my mind on the present and all that this season offers
such as kayaking, dirt bikes, mountain bikes, scuba diving, the
aforementioned carveboards and carvestiks, inline skating, motoboard,
hiking (even with all the summer bug irritations) and skateboarding. It
is sometimes tough to do with all the heat and humidity as when it is
hot we naturally yearn for some cold relief and when it is freezing we
yearn for warmth. We many times wish to be somewhere else than where we
are at the present. Luckily I have many areas to occupy my body and
mind with irrespective of the season or weather. These various sport
activities helps me stay in the present as they demand attention and
mindfulness otherwise you will get hurt if not mindful. Am I great at
any of these sports? No, I am good at some and just fair at others, but
I can at least 'do them' all so that satisfies me enough 'to do' them.
If I have any claim to greatness at all it is a natural greatness with
diversity, as I like to try all sort of things. Always remember let the
activity tell you and you don't tell it when it comes to whether you
can do something or not. Many people quit in their mind before they
even try something new. (If you missed my earlier post "The Less You Do
~ The Less You Are Able To Do" and want a copy of it write me.)
Developing a list of positive time fillers was a big help with my
addictions. As Thoreau wrote in Walden , "The devil finds work for idle
hands." Before heading in this new direction, most of my time was
occupied by what to buy next, overeating rich foods and getting fat and
when I wanted a break from that I had a picnic basket of other
addictive areas to get drugged up with. Most of my new activities are
sport or movement related as they also serve the purposes of helping
keep me trim and have the added benefit of improved health and don't
produce clutter like some hobbies do. In addition they help with
depression, balance and equilibrium and brain functioning. Now, keeping
busy is not the cure all for addicts, but it is a necessary
foundational pillar. Other areas of importance are those activities
that relax our minds as well as stimulate them for healthy growth
potential. Bottom line: is the activity pleasing to us, healthy,
nurturing and sustainable? Now I have much to look forward to in life
for activities or rewards that are not destructive and are sustainable.
Activities to occupy yourself that don't revolve around spending,
eating, gambling, drugs or alcohol or other addictive areas only go so
far in recovery though. You also have to be careful to take time to
relax and not escape life through activity. Horace wrote, "Caelum non
animum mutant qui trans mare currunt--You can run away as far as you
like but you'll never get away from yourself." Twelve Step addiction
work, reducing stress, repairing the wreckage of the past and living a
balanced life all contribute to heading in the right recovery direction
as well as keeping busy in positive, healthy and sustainable ways.
Good Luck,
V (Male)
For free access to my earlier posts on voluntary simplicity, compulsive
spending, debting, compulsive overeating and clutter write:
vfr44@aol.com. Any opinion expressed here is that of my own and is not
the opinion, recommendation or belief of any group or organization.
of the shop just has hours by appointment as the shop seldom gets any
customers during this hot weather. He told me he was ready for Fall
and counts off each day on his calendar as we approach snow season. He
does not have much to occupy himself during the rest of the year when
there is no snow. He starts counting off the days in March or April. He
is about my age of 52 and I talked with him about getting into
snowboarding to diversify his snow sports interests. And as an off
shoot from snowboards he could make the transition to other board
sports such as carveboards or carvestiks in the summer. (If you wish to
see what a carveboard looks like, they are on the web.) From this he
could also diversify into skateboards and start riding a local bowl at
our skate park. The discussion then turned to mountain boards where he
could hit the slopes again in the hot weather and still ride lifts at
one of the local resorts that caters to mountain boards.I also
mentioned to him to try out mountain biking, as we have a nice local
single track trail close by. He is a great skier, but that is pretty
much about it for his sport activities other than jogging.
As we get older we seem to want to try less and less new things.
Sometimes I get caught up in thoughts of winter and snow myself as I
like to skiboard and snowboard. But as my Buddhist practice recommends,
I work to keep my mind on the present and all that this season offers
such as kayaking, dirt bikes, mountain bikes, scuba diving, the
aforementioned carveboards and carvestiks, inline skating, motoboard,
hiking (even with all the summer bug irritations) and skateboarding. It
is sometimes tough to do with all the heat and humidity as when it is
hot we naturally yearn for some cold relief and when it is freezing we
yearn for warmth. We many times wish to be somewhere else than where we
are at the present. Luckily I have many areas to occupy my body and
mind with irrespective of the season or weather. These various sport
activities helps me stay in the present as they demand attention and
mindfulness otherwise you will get hurt if not mindful. Am I great at
any of these sports? No, I am good at some and just fair at others, but
I can at least 'do them' all so that satisfies me enough 'to do' them.
If I have any claim to greatness at all it is a natural greatness with
diversity, as I like to try all sort of things. Always remember let the
activity tell you and you don't tell it when it comes to whether you
can do something or not. Many people quit in their mind before they
even try something new. (If you missed my earlier post "The Less You Do
~ The Less You Are Able To Do" and want a copy of it write me.)
Developing a list of positive time fillers was a big help with my
addictions. As Thoreau wrote in Walden , "The devil finds work for idle
hands." Before heading in this new direction, most of my time was
occupied by what to buy next, overeating rich foods and getting fat and
when I wanted a break from that I had a picnic basket of other
addictive areas to get drugged up with. Most of my new activities are
sport or movement related as they also serve the purposes of helping
keep me trim and have the added benefit of improved health and don't
produce clutter like some hobbies do. In addition they help with
depression, balance and equilibrium and brain functioning. Now, keeping
busy is not the cure all for addicts, but it is a necessary
foundational pillar. Other areas of importance are those activities
that relax our minds as well as stimulate them for healthy growth
potential. Bottom line: is the activity pleasing to us, healthy,
nurturing and sustainable? Now I have much to look forward to in life
for activities or rewards that are not destructive and are sustainable.
Activities to occupy yourself that don't revolve around spending,
eating, gambling, drugs or alcohol or other addictive areas only go so
far in recovery though. You also have to be careful to take time to
relax and not escape life through activity. Horace wrote, "Caelum non
animum mutant qui trans mare currunt--You can run away as far as you
like but you'll never get away from yourself." Twelve Step addiction
work, reducing stress, repairing the wreckage of the past and living a
balanced life all contribute to heading in the right recovery direction
as well as keeping busy in positive, healthy and sustainable ways.
Good Luck,
V (Male)
For free access to my earlier posts on voluntary simplicity, compulsive
spending, debting, compulsive overeating and clutter write:
vfr44@aol.com. Any opinion expressed here is that of my own and is not
the opinion, recommendation or belief of any group or organization.