Daryl of the Pines

Yep, I guess that is what I'll be doing. I think I'll give this challenge a little refurbishment for the next go-around. Despite losing a lot of steam at the end, I think it was still a well-crafted plan.

Is this the end of the challenge already? Damn it.

The family and I are down sick, so not a lot going on at the moment. I take that back. All things considered, I guess I'm still doing alright with the challenge. I'm still meditating daily, using and studying the Mayan calendar each day. I've pretty much dropped the yoga habit, but recently taken up some basic bodyweight exercises (mainly just squats and push ups, but done in a circuit format).

Ouch. No yoga at all this week. Plus a sh**-load of extra stress-inducing events. At least I did a lot of walking and deep breathing practice. And my meditation. I never miss that.

Is anyone enjoying autumn walks as much as I am? (I am enjoying them very, very much, just to be clear)

So I'm really dropping the ball in week 3 as far as the yoga. I haven't done a single yoga workout, and it's now Thursday evening. But I'm not down about it. Maybe it was a necessary break. The day of the scheduled yoga class, I just couldn't stand the idea of being in a gymnasium full of people I don't know during my off time. So I didn't. In general, I don't do so well with scheduled classes/ events as recreation these days. I much prefer to do my own thing, in my own way, on my own time. At work my supervisor pointed out that this could be because in the last 11 months I've taken on a caseload that is extremely deadline driven, and that the last thing I need during my "me time" is another deadline, expectation, or structured event. Yeah, seems to make sense. The the class was still worth a try. There are still two more sessions left. So long as I get to at least one of them, I feel it will have been worth my time, money, and effort. One thing I have done a lot more of this week is walking. I went for a long walk around a nearby park and football field on Monday, and just got back from a long walk in the woods this evening (and this was after I took my blowgun to the archery range for some target practice...I'm loving that thing). Walking is good for me. Good for the body, and for the soul.

I got my 3rd yoga workout of the week done this evening. So that completes the week's health goals (assuming I do my meditation tomorrow, which I will). Aside from finishing that war club project, I haven't made a dent in the other "productive" goals. I will have to pay them more attention in the coming week. As far as the Mayan calendar thing, that feels like it is moving along well. I have my one e-book, and my phone app to follow the days. I also got the extra incense I wanted, and have in mind to get some candles ordered in the coming weeks. These are little extras in the grand scheme of things, but I find I rather like having incense and a proper candle when I do my meditation. I'm not much of a believer in anything, when it comes to matters of pure faith, but I do recognize the benefit...or need...for ritual. And as a side note, I had a little fun today playing with the blowgun and tomahawks. I have a pretty decent setup in my backyard, with a foam "black hole" archery target for my blowgun darts, and a couple logs on a target stand for throwing my tomahawk. It's not directly a part of this challenge, but I have put these kinds of things in my challenges in the past. It's a fun little diversion. It's something I can safely (and legally) do in my backyard, no loud bangs, expenses are very modest, and it's just a cool skill to develop.

I went for a walk in the woods this evening, during dusk. Scared up a few whitetail deer on the way. I tend to find them (or they find me) anytime I go for a walk in the woods. I also did my meditation while on my walk, just downstream of the hydro-electric dam. So it was far from quiet, with all the water rushing by, but it was a good kind of noise. A natural energy. I'm glad the end of the week is finally coming up. I've been busying my ass at work, and can use the R&R.

I love this! Yes! Narrow the goals, don't cast such a wide net, determine what the priorities really are (I'm not typing this as instructions/ directives, but as a revisiting of reminders I try to tell myself every day, which it seems you have implemented well). As much as it may hurt to not meet goals, I think there is a much worse feeling out there, that of feeling you are no longer in the driver's seat, that you can no longer keep your hands on the wheel. This is a good way to combat that.

I wrapped up the day with a home yoga workout, followed by my usual meditation. That's two yoga workouts down for this week, just one more to go. Friday should be a good day for that. Overall, the challenge is going well. I meditate daily, usually for at least 10 minutes, but sometimes more. There is the occasional day where I can only manage 4 - 5 minutes, but something is better than nothing. It gets me through. I'm also getting well into the Mayan calendar, following along with the number and glyph for each day, and using that as something to meditate on. My warclub project is pretty much done. The stain is dry, and I applied a little linseed oil today. Once that cures, I think it will be good as done. So that's one project I can check off the list. I've also gotten more into using the blowgun in the backyard, it being one of my many archaic "toys" that I find so enjoyable. I've been doing more target shooting lately, as well as the other purpose I use it for. Yes, I do use it to hunt small game, or in this case, certain vermin/ pests. I won't go into details on that aspect of it, as I know not everyone is into that sort of thing and some may be bothered by it. I'll just say that I like building skills with archaic devices, especially ones that I can acquire for minimal cost or manufacture on my own (I'm not into firearms, as they are expensive, ammunition is expensive, and other more significant reasons). And as I've been reading up on Maya history and culture, due to my interest in the tzolkin calendar, I've come to realize that the blowgun ties in well with that pursuit. Apparently the Maya were, and still are, well known blowgun users. There are references to it in their mythology (Heroic Twins come to mind), mention of its use all through pre-Columbian and colonial times, all the way up to modern people across the Guatemalan highlands. Apparently they are known to use clay pellets as their projectiles. I'm very interested in this, and wonder if it might not be something I can craft on my own (cheap, disposable ammunition...win!).

The yoga class yesterday was pretty good. A lot less intense than some of the past classes I've tried at the YMCA. But I think that's ok, that's what I need to get back into the swing of things.

I did it, I got in my 3 yoga sessions for the week, making week 1 a success! And I'm exhausted. I also worked a ton on my war club project. It involved a lot of hand sanding so I'm feeling a little be achy now. But the results are well worth it. I got the two clubs I was working on to a point where I could apply the stain, so they can dry overnight. One club for me (red oak, very solid), and one for my little dragon (pine, light enough for 8 year old arms, and hopefully light enough to not do any unintended damage). And now I've signed up for a yoga class through community education, which starts tomorrow. No rest. Gotta keep going.

Difficult decisions, but it looks like you are kicking ass at it.

Tonight I got about 15 - 16 minutes of yoga in, followed by meditation. Doing well on that front. I just need to get one more yoga workout in over the weekend. I spent a little more money and bought a kindle book on the Mayan calendar to compliment the phone app. I've done a little light reading on it, and it seems to be making a bit more sense to me now. I also found some candles on amazon that might be ideal for my meditation purposes. But I will probably wait until payday for that.

I know it's cliche, but the one-foot-in-front-of-the-other thing has power to it. Just commit to 5 minutes of work. Then do another 5 minutes. And then another 5 minutes. Now you've done 15 minutes, and you will want to do another 15. Even if for no other reason than to tidy up the loose ends from the first 15, out of spite. This is something my wife taught me. Spite can be powerful. Use it as an outlet to produce good things. She calls it her spite-let (spite + outlet).

Looks like you are feeling some success, and some well-deserved pride. I certainly won't be the one doing any bubble-bursting. We like bubbles here.

I've never really been particularly good at it either. It's a grand experiment for me. So far I've downloaded a Mayan calendar phone app. It's a minimal investment ($3) and a way to start, I guess. Last night I did 20 minutes of yoga. This was the first proper yoga I've done in quite some time. Yeah, I realized real quick how much tension my body has been holding, and how important it is to make this a routine. Tonight I went for a nice walk, acquired an incense box and some incense, as well as a candle that isn't ideal, but it will suffice. The incense that came with the box isn't so great, but the other stuff I bought with it will do nicely.

I like it. FB from a fixed location is one thing, but a handheld FB in your pocket is a psy-vampire, time-sucker, and overall negativity nexus point.

Yes, yes I do. I'm in the same boat. Nice to meet you.

I'm finding it hard to come up with some grand plan for this challenge, other than just knowing I want to get back into regular NF posting. So I'm not going to fret about it, not worry about it being some "grand design" of fitness or wellness. I'm just going to get on with some sh**. Some productive sh**. In the end, hopefully it will end up being a grand plan after all, in a sort of organic, wandering way. Part I: The healthy sh**. 1. Continue to maintain daily meditation habit. 2. Do some yoga/ stretching at least three times per week, for 15 - 20 minutes minimum. Part II: The productive sh**. I have a number of small projects I mean to accomplish that I keep sidelining, or simply forgetting about. I'm simply going to list a few that I aim to complete over the course of this challenge. 1. Dig the drainage small trench along the side of the house (so the water doesn't pool up against the house). 2. Make the fire-starters I intended, for fall camping and wintertime bonfire use (wood shavings w/ paraffin wax, in some form of burnable container). 3. Cut lumber to size for the next garden raised bed (just cut the lumber, assembly can be in another challenge). 4. Finish the current war club replica I am working on (I have a peculiar interest in such things: tomahawks, war clubs, slings, blowguns, bows, and other archaic weapons). Part III: The slightly spiritual/ spooky sh**. 1. I've taken a recent interest into Mayan Calendars (tzolk'in). I don't know if it's for me, but I'll never know unless I put in some time and effort into researching and practicing it. This task is to simply do some research. Google, borrow, check out, if necessary buy some reading material on the subject, and find it what it takes to put it into practice. 2. Be on the lookout for/ acquire some candles and incense for meditation rituals. Let's get on with this sh**!

Autumn is in the air in Central Minnesota today. With a high in the low 60's, it feels just right. And with that amazing full moon...nuts to that Friday the 13th superstition! I declare it a most auspicious day! I've been absent from NF for many months, and am doing thinking of getting back into the swing of things. I still have a number of good habits going, even with out the NF participation, but it's always nice to be able to share with a community.

Still hanging in there. I managed to go for a short walk to the library (and the liquor store...shhh) despite the ridiculous, polar-vortex cold outside. And I'm still keeping up on my daily qigong. But again, I didn't get to the YMCA for my usual Thursday sauna time. I can't really call it "usual" anymore, as I realize I've missed this 3 out of 4 times this challenge. Funny how making it part of the challenge has decreased my success rate. Causation? Or just correlation? Anyway, I feel like I've learned a lot that past few weeks about motivation, or rather my lack of motivation, and maybe a few ideas on how to rekindle it. But most importantly, I think I have been successful in reinforcing my believe that even when motivation is lacking, when you can't bring yourself to do something amazing, at least something good...or good enough. The worst you can do is nothing. So even when everything else sucks...my health, negative thoughts, the f&#%-off cold, at least do something. Go for a walk. Do qigong. Drink so tea. It's all good. I suspect that once this challenge wraps up, I will most likely recreate the challenge again the next time around, perhaps with a few minor tweaks. My daughter and I have been talking about making Wednesday night our weekly climbing wall night at the YMCA, so that might be a newest addition to the routine. It would also be something brand new for me, so that's exciting. And because I'm strange and enjoy archaic weapons, or perhaps for no other reason than "it's cool," I maybe have to pick up one of these...

Actually, karate is more likely. I have much more experience and knowledge there, so I'm capable of decent self-training. And I can do much of it in my own home. You don't really need that much space, when you think about it.

So I was thinking of some new ideas, maybe something I can do indoors (as well as outdoors). Maybe boxing? Punching is fun.