Delay

Apologies for the delay in adding new posts. As we all get caught up in the global festive season, I am occupied with seeing family, buying gifts, working out dishes to contribute and aiming to stay sane, so heaps of swimming and hiking.

I take this opportunity to wish you all a very safe, prosperous and happy festive season. Many people love this time of the year and others may find all the old wounds from yesteryear become inflamed, turn red and angry as past hurts and, unresolved emotions surface at this festive time but for many it can be a lonely, stressful and very volatile period.

I'd like to raise a cyber glass and toast to all experiencing overwhelming emotions, saddness, anger or grief - I toast to your wellbeing, to you staying safe and to you taking some joy from somewhere at this time of the year.

May you all prosper in 2014, enjoy great success and achieve goals - small goals are great, for me, it's been to clean out the fridge and clean the oven. Tiny, achievable goals are great, sometimes even to roll out of bed is a goal.

A great start, a great way to build on bigger goals and to always claim you place - we are truly all citizens of the universe.

Stay sane, have fun and stay tuned, more posts helping you to be the best you can be.


cheers

The Boardslide

This short story is about an Australian boy Lloch who loves skateboarding. It is about loss, friendship and determination.

The Boardslide

I remember good ol' Ben; the earliest memory of him is still fresh in my mind. I'd call him Benny; he'd call me Lloch (short for Llochlan). We used to hang out at the skato, we'd ride our boards right through the night at our beloved skatepark, learning new tricks and building our ambitions of goin' pro.

Mum wouldn't let me out at the skato late so I usually had to sneak out. Benny didn't speak much of his folks, he just hated goin' home. Almost every night we'd meet up at the skato so Benny could get away. Me? I didn't like home much either, mum always fightin' with her boyfriends and the place was always noisy.

It wasn't always easy sneaking out; I had to be real quiet. Mum would stay up late sortin' out bills, sometimes she would sob. I didn't care much about mum, always bringin' strange men home. I wasn't sure, but Benny had a worse home life, sometimes he'd come to the skato with big bruises on his arms. Knowin' Benny he denied the very existence of them.

I wonder what Benny is up to now.

Skatepark - 1 am

"Oi Benny, check out my boardslide," I said. Ben replied, "You won't do it mate, if I can't you sure as hell couldn't." I yelled, "Awh, yeah, watch this."

I set my board up on coping of the quarter pipe and dropped in. I was coming up to the down rail and went for a big ollie. While I was in mid air I could feel the exhilaration. My board hit the rail, it felt good. I could feel the friction of wood against metal, I was intoxicated, but then I blanked. Next thing I know I wake up to the yelling of Benny's ocker accent.

"Mate, get up! I told you that you weren't good enough." "Oi bro I got closer than you would have," I said.

Benny took that as a challenge.

"Watch this." He said.

Benny prepared for the drop in, he went down it like I did, he ollied his board, hit the rail smack bang in the middle. It was perfect; the clang of the metal was music. He landed and rolled off, like it was nothing.

"That was fuckin' good, how'd you do it," I said. "It was easy, you just gotta not be a pussy, hahaha," replied Benny. I said in reply, "It's a shame your parents don't give a shit about your skating. You're good." "Hey! Don't fucking mention my parents, I hate 'em." said Benny.

I noticed Benny had a bruise on his arm. I wouldn't dare mention it as he seemed mad enough. I guess that's why he was pissed off that day. He isn't usually angry. He always seemed to get really defensive when I asked him about home. Guess I can't blame him; the way he would do whatever he could to stay away.

The next day I stayed home. Mum wouldn't let me out because she caught me sneaking back in early next morning. It wasn't all bad; my mum's boyfriend was away.

I stayed in bed. I envisioned the board slide I attempted the day before. I tried to re-live the adrenaline which intoxicated me. It was very vague in my memory. It was ecstasy. It was a feeling I was determined to experience again.

My mum's boyfriend came back the next day with all the arguments between my younger siblings and my mum and her boyfriend. It didn't seem fair that I had to put up with such shit.

Next opportunity, I sneaked out and went to the skato. It was the middle of the night, a bit foggy but I didn't mind. I thought Benny might be there. I decided it would be better if he wasn't so I could practise. When I arrived it was empty. All you could hear was the sound of the ocean. It was good. I got my board ready on the coping, dropped in and went for the ollie just like last time. Before I hit the rail I kicked my board away out of fear, somehow after the last time I tried to boardslide the rail it made me scared and I couldn't do it. I felt bad because of what Benny said to me - "It was easy, you just gotta not be a pussy, hahaha."

It echoed within me because I looked up to Benny. He was my best pal. I then realised I wouldn't experience that "feeling" again unless I did the boardslide. I continued to skate about the park.

A car filled with people pulled up. Three people got out and started walking towards me. I didn't know what to expect. They asked me politely if I would give them my skateboard and money. I said no and ran. Well they chased me, beat me up, took my board and drove off. It was the worst experience of my life. I ran back home in fear and anger. I didn't bother sneaking in because I was hysterical. I just walked in and went to bed. My determination to do the boardslide had faded. I felt like Benny would be really disappointed in me and I couldn't stop myself from sulking as I went to sleep.

I didn't leave the house for weeks. I hadn't even thought of Benny in months and one day he showed up to my house asking for me to go to the skatepark with him. I told him my experience of getting bashed but he told me to come anyway. I couldn't say no. I hadn't seen him in months.

We both talked about what we had been doing the past few months. Benny hadn't been so good. His parents didn't hit him anymore but they didn't even acknowledge his existence. I wasn't afraid of the skatepark anymore but my skateboard was taken so I couldn't skate.

Over the next few weeks I went to the skatepark more often just to hang out with Benny. Suddenly Benny stopped going. One day a woman came to the skatepark holding Ben's board.

The women said, "Are you Llochlan, Ben's friend?" "Yes I am. Why do you have his board?" I replied. "I'm Ben's sister. Ben has committed suicide and left you his board. Sorry." **she walks off**

I was distraught. I couldn't believe it. I was angry, angry at him for leaving me, my only friend and angry at his family for treating him badly.  I just couldn't believe it.

The next night I was full of emotions. I wasn't afraid of anything. I stormed out and walked to the skatepark. I looked at the rail and was determined to do the boardslide. I fiercely put my board on the end of the coping and went for the drop in. The anger was rushing through me as I did an ollie up onto the big rail. While I was in mid air I slammed my board directly in the middle of the rail, the clang of the metal was like music, just like when Benny did it.

At this point I was intoxicated; the extreme exhilaration ran through me, an ecstatic feeling. The board was grinding against the metal as I swiftly flung the board off the end of the rail and landed on top of it and rode away. I felt total serenity, like never before. I felt like I did Benny proud. I could feel his presence as he watched me and I thought "I wonder what Benny is up to."

Note: The author wrote the story Ben committed suicide because he feels it ought to be dealt with better. The author has seen many people around him deal with great loss as people they love have committed suicide. He feels it is an issue a teenager, or anyone ought not to have to deal with and that it is handled poorly.

The author feels intoxicated and exhilarated in the middle of a trick, like nothing can stop him. He based the story around skateboarding because he could identify with the characters. It reminded the author of the time when he got into drugs, trouble and struggled at school and it made him feel bad. He was a good skateboarder and this boosted his confidence. 

Boot Camp Yes!!

There are many ways to exercise as there are people in the world - one way is no better or worse than the other, it just depends on you. It depends on how you exercise, what is sustainable and what you get out of it.

Exercise has been part of our lives, since primitive nomadic times. It was a necessary part of life due to the hunter/gatherer tribal lifestyles. Humans went out, hunted and found water two and three days at a time. Being fit defined human life where celebrations and visiting villages meant walking as much as 20 kms to celebrate with friends and family.

As we progressed, the agricultural revolution evolved and hunter/gatherer tribes stayed in the one area due to the developments of farming and the domestication of animals. Lifestyles became more sedentary. While many hardships were alleviated, daily exercise decreased.

As the world's population expanded across Asia, Buddhist and Hindu priests focused on nurturing the spiritual needs of people and physical exercise was not encouraged. Over time, however daily exercises of gymnastics and yoga which conformed to religious beliefs developed.

Hindu principles of connecting mind, body and spirit meant priests, who lived a simple life, (where discipline and meditation were the main focus) began to observe and copy animal movements through postures and breathing. The ancient philosophers sought to gain the same balance animals displayed with nature and yoga was born.

Translated, yoga means 'union' so a union of body, mind and spirit evolved during this period - 2500-250 BC. It is known as Hatah Yoga.

Today Hatah Yoga is practised in western countries in the same way, it was practised 2 and 4,000 years ago through postures and breathing. The health benefits purported by the ancient philosophers are still current today where 12 million Americans alone practise yoga regularly, with claims it encourages good organ function and holistic wellbeing.

Fast forward through pivotal years in human history, to the Middle Eastern influences where political leaders focused on building military strength and where fitness was highly valued.

Of course, the era most famous for health and fitness was the Greek civilization, the home of the Olympic Games. In contrast the Roman civilization easily fell to Barbarian tribes from northern Europe. Its decadent lifestyle and physical decay of its people meant for an easy conquest.

After this time during the dark and middle ages, fitness experienced a cultural reawakening. Barbarian tribes were culturally similar to nomads, hunting and gathering. So despite the stalling of cultural developments after the fall of the Roman Empire, fitness experienced a rebirth.

The Renaissance (1400-1600) saw a renewed interest in the human body. Influences from the culturally rich periods of the ancient Greek and Roman empires, saw leaders during The Renaissance, such as Martin Luther (religious leader) claiming high levels of fitness enhanced intellectual learning.

During the 18th and 19th centuries in Europe, Scandinavia and the United States of America, fitness was connected with military force and strength. Leaders encouraged its people to participate in programs, building strength and power.

One single critical event from the 19th century which impacted on the lives of humans and exercise was the Industrial Revolution. This shift from rural to urban lifestyles and the change in working habits saw less physical movement and an explosion in diseases such as diabetes, obesity and the development of unhealthy eating patterns.

The lifestyle improvements from the Industrial Revolution had the disadvantage of creating alarming and unwanted costs to health.

During the mid-20th century (1940's) after WW 1 data from the US military revealed most soldiers were unfit for combat and those drafted were highly unfit prior to joining the army.

As a result wide-spread fitness programs were launched across the country, including mandatory physical education classes at schools.

Progress in this area was short lived however when the collapse of economies globally resulted in the Great Depression. Fitness and physical programs plunged as poor economies could not support wide-spread funded programs in America. Gains from earlier years were diminished.

During the latter half of the 20th century exercise gurus emerged reaching millions of viewers on TV. The era of 'go for the burn' and sales of lycra skyrocketed as people 'got physical' with a combination of music and exercise. 

Gyms and equipment tantalise us and at the same time repel us usually after we have spent  time and money realising the commitment is untenable due to our busy sometimes unpredictable lives. Many of us are vulnerable to clever marketing campaigns riding on the back of the health industry and playing to our fears.

This century as our love affair and access to technology continues, it presents us with many challenges. Historically it appears wealth, prosperity and indulgence may decrease a nation's fitness levels. So as to not repeat the patterns in history we ought to argue fitness, pleasure and prosperity can go together, it must not be one or nothing. We can enjoy ourselves while being fit and healthy.

Don't wait for leaders to show you how, don't be duped into parting with your money on unsustainable programs and activities. Do it yourself, get up and move, be physical, walk in nature, it's all healthy and it's free.

Note: Group exercise is dynamic, inspiring, helps you reach your goals and is fun. Thoughtful spending on structured exercise models weaved into lifestyles will yield sustainable, healthy permanent changes.

Boot Camp - Not!!

I am perennially in training, in training for life, to live life and to deal with life. Sometimes it means sacrifices, not having that glass of wine at night or going to bed by 11 pm so I get enough sleep to deal with the activities of the next day.


Sometimes training means being physical, hiking on the reserve, packing a towel and goggles and swimming at the pool even when I'd rather vege on the lounge. Now that summer is here, this is an option. The water is invigorating and when I go during the day, the sun's rays warm my body and sparkle over the water, inviting me to dive and push against its force, the controlled environment comforting yet stifling as I leverage my body into a pencil-shaped position.

Against the wall at the deep end, I push down easily touching the bottom of the pool with my feet, only to spring upwards quickly. I angle my head so my face is the first part of my body to break through the water. My hair gets plastered to my head, not only away from my face and out of my eyes but also because this action makes me feel confident, it makes me feel confident and in control, knowing my hair is plastered in an orderly way. In this second, I embrace the sensuous interaction with the water as it meets my face and I break through its barrier and its droplets fall away and I open my eyes and feel alive.

I tread water and position my body behind the diving block so as to take advantage of the sunlight coming through a single portion of the glassed ceiling. A cloud moves away and the sun shines brightly. From my view, it is in an otherwise cloudless, blue sky. I lift my face and close my eyes soaking up the tingling, warm sensation of the sun's rays; light feathery movements dance across my skin. In that brief moment I am motionless and weightless, making gentle ripples across the water with my hand maintaining balance and buoyancy.

I am nowhere except in that moment, in that space behind the diving block, in public, yet in solitude. I hear nothing except the slapping of the water on my skin and I drink in the moment with only my breathing to remind me of my existence.

Time presses me and I reluctantly shake my head and open my eyes before pushing out from the wall breaking into a survival back stroke swim, with a kicking action like a frog on its back. I swim enjoying the steady rhythm as my arms push under the water like paddles, in sync with the outward movements of my legs and head to the shallow end of the pool, conscious of the time, commitments and responsibilities, giving order to my day.

Hey Tonight

I find music to be a wonderful outlet and depending on my mood can really lift me out of a hole - rocky music such as Creedence Clearwater really boosts my mood.

I love the song Hey Tonight  and love nothing better than any excuse to get into the car, crank up the stereo and drive. In fact, I find excuses to go out driving just so I can play music.

A favourite pastime for me is to travel to the coast, a two hour drive away. This journey has multiple benefits because I:

    love getting behind the wheel
    get to indulge in one of my favourite activities (escapism on the open road while listening to music)
    swim in the ocean
    see my 90 year old Dad!!
    release my wild inner child.

 Music is a wonderful and therapeutic activity to help heal emotional injuries and can take you to a very calm and soothing place.

Mind you it is important to select and listen to the right music depending on your mood. So, perhaps I wouldn't listen to really emotionally sad music, if I was feeling overwhelmed like some of Jim Croce's tunes, such as 'Time in a Bottle' - a beautiful song but very hauntingly sad. For those of you who don't know, Jim Croce was well-known between 1966 and 1973.

 As it turned out, he was tragically killed,1973 in a twin engine Beechcraft E18S aircraft which crashed while taking off. The plane hit a tree and the pilot was suffering from cardiac arrest and reduced visibility due to fog so had difficulty seeing the lone tree at the end of the runway:(

Jim Croce left a wonderful legacy in his music, which thankfully I was introduced to by my sister when I was a teenager in the late 70s. He gained a lot of popularity after his death, although I never hear his music played on Classic Hits Music Mixes on commercial radio stations these days.

Thanks Jim.

Here is the song Hey Tonight, via the below YouTube video sung by the lead singer of Creedence Clearwater - John Fogerty. I think contemporary songwriters are modern day poets who have the advantage of putting their poetry to music in this pop culture era.

I am completely and utterly an appreciator of music and not a musician, although I would have loved to have learnt a musical instrument in my childhood, like the guitar or played the piano.

I'm not too worried now as I am having a lot of fun just keeping up and enjoying all the latest music - it seems nearly every few weeks there is a new song on the airwaves to appreciate and enjoy.

Have a great night!!