Creaky & Cranky

I had some friends when I woke up this morning, creaky & cranky. My body did not want to do anything I was making it do. It's normal when your eyes sleepy, but it's another thing when your limbs are sleepy. That is a strange sensation. It's almost like what I wrote about yesterday was prophetic. My mind must have seen the crash coming. It's a good that I gave myself a reminder or I don't think that I would have done anything at all today.

Momentum & Integration

I was thinking about how it is important to continually practice. Even if I don't have any sort of realization during my practice. Even if I am just going through the motions sometimes this will eventually allow me to reach a greater understanding. It's like adding a grain of sand to the ground each time I practice. Soon enough it will become a mound, then a hill, then a dune, then a beach. Gaining momentum is the hard part, maintaining it is easy.

I read the following in a book by Deng Ming-Dao called 365 Tao. The subject is about integration and I wanted to relay what it said here.

--
Be still to know the absolute.
Be active to know the outer.
The two spring from the same source,
All of life is one whole.

In stillness, one seeks the absolute Tao. There is neither beauty nor ugliness in it. Because it has no opposites, it called absolute . By contrast , nothing in this world is absolute, because all things we experience are relative.

Seeking the absolute may be among the greatest goals, but you cannot remain on your meditation cushion forever. You must go out and explore life as well. This is the investigation of the outer Tao that flows through all existence. You must not fail to explore anything that interests you. Any skill you want to master should be learned. Any subject that arouses curiosity should be examined. Every question should be answered. If you do not do this, then you cannot freely flow with the outer Tao: Every one of your uncertainties will be an obstacle.

Initially, it will seem as if there is no connection between your time meditating and the outer things in your life. After all, the masters constantly stress the difference between the spiritual and the social. But eventually, you will reach a point where the quiescence of contemplation and the activeness of living are integrated. Then there is no anxiety about whether one is living a spiritual life or not. You realize that it is all part of the same seamless whole.
--

Wow, I really like this. It so nicely sums up so many of the thoughts I've had floating around in my head awhile. I think this can be translated nicely into so many different aspects of life. I think we all would be better off if we tried to integrate this mode of thought into our lives.

Day 3 the Three-ening

So, I am going to try an experiment. I am going to find as many silly training ideas from Kung Fu movies and do them. Yeah, I am going to fill a bucket with water using a teeny tiny tea cup while hanging on a pole. Then I will empty the said bucket I just filled into another bucket. Oh, snap! Pure genius..... This is what I do to keep my sanity. I am convinced that I suffer from crippling A.D.D.....ooooooooOOOOooooo shiny.

Well, the getting up early thing is going well, for me that is. Ha ha my husband, the one who mocked me, seems to be the one that is suffering from the 5:30 wake up.

Stay tuned for some pictures....

A good Start

I actually managed to wake up at 5:30 this morning. This is a miracle since I didn't fall asleep until about 1:30 am. I went through all of the forms I know 3 times Siu Lim Tao (Little Idea Form), Chum Kiu (Seeking the Bridge), Biu Gee (Thrusting Fingers), Mook Yan Jong (The Wooden Dummy) and what I know of the Look Dim Boon Kwan (6.5 Point Pole). After that I did some Yoga and then went for a mile run. This all took about 2 hrs. It was a great start to my day.

I completely and utterly passed out around 1:30 today and  didn't wake up until 4:30. I am wondering how this is going to work out during the work week. I think it my go a little like this; "Thank you for calling zzzzzzz snort ahzoooo."

My basic workout during the week will be cut down to 1 of each of the forms. With some cross training thrown in.

In addition to exercising I am being a lot more conscious of what I eat. I had some really healthy yummy food today, banana oatmeal in the morning, a chicken and roast beef sandwich with spinach, cucumbers, tomatoes and a wee bit o' cheese for lunch and lowfat cottage cheese with peaches for a snack and for dinner crackers with tuna and plenty of water throughout the day.

My starting weight is 132 with a Body Fat Percentage of 26%......this is sad. I have become squishy and weak. I guess I am not to surprised since I have been sitting at a desk all day for 2 yrs now. It's been 3 years since I had my daughter and I think it's time to get off my butt and stop eating cheezy poofs.

This should be a test of my willpower. One day is easy but 1yr. is going to be quite the challenge.