27 miles of July in FL

 

     Taking on challenges is exciting, but we usually have time to prepare for them. Many people know what it is like to train or prepare for some thing in the future that will result mostly in a day of pure victory, and it feels good. How often do we put to test what we are currently capable of?
      Earlier this year I had the idea of doing a day on foot from sunrise to sunset as a new birthday tradition. I brushed it off this year as I am preparing for Colorado in a few weeks and coming from a long hip injury. The night before I thought about what am I capable of in a days notice? With that in mind I started preparing for the next morning, executing this idea at sunrise. Picking out a route that included ways to refill my 3L camel back, use a toilet, and had good scenery. I used high calorie food that was easy to carry. I had some expectations of how the day would go, and had broke it into sections with landmarks. It took awhile to fall asleep as my mind processed different outlooks resulting in the fact I have no idea what it will be like, how I will feel, and what the weather will actually be doing. The not knowing what is next is what makes an adventure.
    I woke up with 4 hours of sleep, but felt ready to go. Arriving on the beach at 6:18 to commence with my personal adventure starting traditions and set off with my official start time of 6:25. The scenery started off like a high class display of amazing and made the first few hours easy as the sun rose from the horizon of the ocean. I had broken the first part of the day into three sections: roughly 10 miles of beach, a 1 mile pavement connection to 6.8 miles of trails, then back to the second 10 miles on the sand again to the vehicle. Approxiamate route .
    Arriving at the first ten mile mark, the Fort Clinch fishing Pier, I was happy to have felt no fatigue only a slight tenderness from my feet. I slowed down and took a few pictures and headed toward the trails that would offer the landscape of a variety of ecosystems. This is when there was a team of thoughts in my head that named themselves 'discomfort and friends" and they started a relay of discomfort for the rest of the day. Striking first and lasting was the blisters that are very rare for me, and dramatically slowing down my pace. The team relay continued with a heat rash, as well as a severe lighting storm that had heavy rain for about an hour.
 As I stood at the pier looking back down the shoreline as I had a meeting with reality, we looked at the facts, and it was clear the last 10 miles is going to be sponsored by "discomfort and friends".  Each step was a reminder of the condition of pure discomfort as well as the option to view this as a lesson how perspective can change how to deal with unwanted stresses.
  I learned that if you say out loud to yourself  , "I am an American and would like to file a formal complaint about an afternoon  in which not every thing went the way I wanted" that you will stop complaining even to yourself.
   Will I do this kind of day again? I would like to do something big with a `12 hour notice a few times a year. It is certainly a day of adventure, and being outside is always good. Getting to new places on foot, or bike as long as I can for a day.
    Who else will challenge them selves with a 1 day notice? Find out what you really have now. Here are some other 1 day ideas. I am gonna write down many of these and later pull out a random idea and do the next day. Think about what would be dreadful to do in a day, and do just that.  You can get creative and move your furniture around for function training.
   
   Some other 1 day goals,
     cycle all day
     On foot including many breaks of body weight exercises
     20 miles of any varied combo of surface area as fast as possible
     am/pm long runs

 

   
   
    

Daily Practices that will change your life

  Implementing a new daily practice is simple procedure laced with some need of self discipline, yet has a powerful effect on how we live and view things. What we practice is what we master, for the good or bad. Many of us, myself included, have become masters of bad habits and know how repetition leads to acts becoming second nature.
  I would like to introduce a few new daily practices that I encourage and invite you to take on to change your life. Some people may start with one a week, depending on how much work you think it will take. How ever you decide to use these is up to you, but the goal is to eventually include all of these as a daily practice.

 1. Gratitude Awakening.   Start each day while still laying peacefully in bed thinking of things you are grateful for. Such as people in your life, good health, food, clean water, electricity, shelter.

 2. Make it rain. A slang term that implies throwing money in the air. Instead of money hand out some honest compliments each day. If a stranger handed you $20 or said some thing really great to you, which has the longer lasting value? People are bombarded with judgement, criticism, bad news, and negative thoughts on a regular basis are are very rarely given more than some positive quotes on a shared facebook photo. Can you remember the last time some one gave you a real compliment and how it made you feel?

3. Unplug/ relax/escape. This is probably the most challenging task to do for most, but it can be a gradual process. Just set a goal of time, I would suggest starting with 10 minutes. At the end of the day disconnect from all forms of technology, and sit quietly in a relaxed place. Close your eyes and imagine a place you have been or would like to be, such as a beach or in the mountains. Take a few deep breathes, and focus on what you see, smell, hear, and feel. If you are picturing a beach think of the smell of salt, the sounds of ocean waves, the way your feet feel in the sand as well as an ocean breeze. Focus on where you are, and all the sensations associated with it. It won't be long before you want to spend more than 10 minutes in that place.

  

Stangers are hidden gems of wisdom

  All of us love a good story of some one overcoming a battle, hearing a unique experience, or learning a great life lesson. Think of how you feel just prior to encountering any one of those things; a renewed sense of hope in humanity, a different outlook, an answer to questions you have searched for, motivation, and an eagerness to apply new ideas to our lives. These are often turning points, personal references, and can be life changing information. Gems of wisdom are not what the media is pumping out on a regular basis, so we need to go out and find it.
  The gems of this kind of wisdom are all around us, every stranger we meet has some thing to share with that same kind of potential. Every day people have the most extraordinary lessons. Unfortunately we often limit who we will consider listening to due to prejudices, fixed perspectives, or some type of cynical road blocks we have set out through life. If you hear that the greatest life lesson to a man in his 50's was that serving people is the source of happiness, what image comes to mind of that person? Most of us would then value other things this person has to say about things, but would be surprised to find out this is the answer a home less man gave me. The reality is there are amazing people with extraordinary stories all around us.
  Listening to a person talk about over coming a hard time allows them to relive that victory. Allowing some one to share an experience is building a platform of dignity for that person, and applying a lesson learned from some one else is a gift for both parties.
  I will be continuing this blog to bring you those gems, and encourage you to spend 3 mins talking to a stranger about what is meaningful to them vs 3 hours talking about sports with friends and see what you learn.
 
 
 
 
 
 
   
 

 More than a year has gone by since I have completed any more interactions with homeless. I decided to go out today again with a bag lunch and meet some one. Hoping to make some ones day and provide a need that most of us have on a daily basis with out much though. I like to learn from others, and find it interesting to talk with a variety of people.
  I started and was finding myself immediately taken away by my own needs. I have a foot injury that is making walking painful, and the effects of a whole pot of coffee. I was glad to find some one with out walking too far.
  I approached a man who was clearly a man who would be glad for some food, and some one to want to talk to him. The man was in his late 50's, and hard to follow along due to a heavy accent. He stated he was from Bosnia, and made several references to a refugee program in regards to how he arrived in America. He seemed a bit out of touch with reality, and didn't complete sentences.
  Each person in life has a value, most of us don't value any thing that does not directly benefit us. We invest time, energy, emotion, and money into the things we value. We are also responsible to maintain the things we care about.
  Practice putting ourselves aside and invest in some one we have no prior connection with. Bring happiness to some ones life, and thankful you are in a position to help some one. It is an opportunity, and every one involved benefits.
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Homeless By Choice

Homeless By Choice

I found this very interesting, and noticed I think this project is taking a specific direction to this subject.

Week one

 My first experience with this project was completed today. I have thought about different kinds of people I may meet, yet each time will hold the suspense at an equal level.
 I set out with a sandwich and piece of fruit and just happened to have those old school brown paper bags. Usually the only time some thing you want some thing from a brown paper bag is when you are hungry.
  I started driving towards a park, and was prompted to go some where else. Just as I park behind the Riverside YMCA I see a man picking through the trash.I immediately introduce myself as I offer him this food. Just on the Riverwalk he has some benches with his things. Tyrone and I sat with many people running, walking, and biking past us. He is 56, and a Jacksonville native. He has been staying outside for about 3 years now. He decided to have a simple life and really liked the outdoors any way. He is able to run some extension cords out to a shed at a shop that he helps clean. He told me he has a TV, DVD player, little frig, and an air mattress. He has to wait till night to go.He spends time cleaning and helping at the shop as well as most of his time along the river walk. He goes to the Salvation Army for breakfast on Sundays, and has a method and schedule of hook up spots to stock up on food. He says he has all he needs in life.
  He stays to himself and away from the larger crowd which stays around the Landing more, he says most are drunks and there are also many cops. About 2 years ago they cracked down and will take people to jail for "camping". I often thought it I was home less I would want to go to jail to have food and shelter. He said it is bad because it is so cold and you are stuck with criminals. He simply choices to live a life with less over head. He stated he doesn't have the head aches and stress that so many others do. He is some one who has chosen this life because it is relaxing to him.
 He has family here, but doesn't see them much out of choice as well. His brother does come to see him and bring him bootleg DVD's. He refer often to how much he enjoyed watching movies, and didn't like sports at all. He was completely sober, and doesn't like being around people who drink all the time. Any one can live out doors if they are able to find organize things. He says most people waste so much, and with that all of his needs are met.
  When I asked him about the lesson in life he has found much value from he told me it was to treat others the way you would want to be treated, always be ready to help others. He also stated that is why he has never been with out.
  Upon leaving he repeatedly thanked me for the food and the talk and let me know that he was in the same spot a lot.
  I felt good, and was thankful to have a conversation with some one able to carry one out.
  I look forward to next week.

Lunch with a stranger

   I do have a vision to travel to each state and feed a homeless person lunch, among other things for each state. I thought about how so many people miss things in their own back yard. Well I don't have any homeless people living in my back yard, but I know they are around.
   I will set out starting next friday to meet and take a homeless person, or a troubled person to lunch and listen to their story. I am looking for input of good questions to ask. My goal is to offer hope of mankind to those in trouble. Most people are living for self interest, but there are still those who really care and each of us are either part of the problem or solution.