Jessebel

It is already the 23rd which is proof that I have no idea how time works. I have been doing well with eating without distractions overall. Sometimes habit takes over, but I am able to stop myself when I notice it occurring. I took the Facebook and Instagram apps off my phone. I can still access them through the websites, but it takes more effort and slows my mindless scrolling roll. I am eating much less fast food although it has not been totally eradicated. I am okay with this. It was less the eating of the fast food that bothered me and more the mindlessly eating the easiest thing out of habit instead of desire. I have been moving most days in large part to the the joy it brings the doggos. It turns out that, no matter how much they love running around the park, they are unable to get there themselves. I've also broken out DDP yoga on rainy days. Work has been going pretty well, I think! I missed a day of work to catch up on sleep, but otherwise, things have gone swimmingly. I hope the trend continues! I will check up on y'all in a bit. I hope you are doing well!

Thanks! Sometimes the things that seem like they should be the most simple end up being the most challenging. That's exciting! Do you practice any of the many ways as part of your training? I had been doing kendo and ceramics, primarily. Updating my challenges isn't my greatest strength. I want to be better. I will put in more effort. The doggos are lovely.

Thanks muchly! That's really cool. I would love to hear more about your work, but I think I have more than a reasonable amount of questions. Today went well. I did eat my meals without distractions and really enjoyed it. I only have dinner remaining which is coming soon to a belly near me. I am going to walk my dogs after dinner and had quite a run around day at work. Work went okay. I saw a good number of people and took a little extra time to get to know the layout of some of the floors I am less familiar with. I think I may look into some continuing education for some of the more common diagnoses I encounter as well. Good times. Onward!

Thanks! How long have you worked in hospitals and what do you do? The hospital is definitely not my natural habitat. Lol. My seizures are actually the result of a motor vehicle accident (hit as a pedestrian) about 10 years ago. Fortunately, I very rarely have seizures now even without medication. Unfortunately, my first seizure in 2 years was status. And definitely the result of sleep deprivation and stress. Thanks for coming by!

Pets and Buddhism are pretty much all I need to sustain me. What type of Buddhism do you practice? I practiced Tibetan Buddhism for about 3 years and have been practicing Rinzai Zen for about the same. Much luck with your wizard's tower! I have been reorganizing things while my lady is away visiting family and it is a beast. Once your tower is in order, however, the real magic can begin. Aloha and good luck!

"Quiet strength of balance" is really poetic. Balance looks like something that is easy to achieve on the surface but is often one of the most challenging things to obtain. You've got this! Much luck to you.

Yessssss! Thank you for the nostalgia and much luck to you!

Zero week. Day one. My last challenge was over a year ago. I was training to prepare for an intense period of zen practice called sesshin. While my training went well, I experienced a brain injury caused by a series of seizures. Since then, I have regained my ability to walk and speak clearly. I started working again in July. My over arching goal is to return to my dojo ready for anything. This challenge will reflect my first steps in preparation for my pilgrimage. Goal #1: Eat without distraction This will encourage mindfulness with eating. I tend to make better choices with nutrition and pay more attention to my level of hunger when I pay attention to what I am doing. In my life, this primarily means avoiding scrolling on my phone and not eating while driving. Goal #2: Move every day I am still overwhelmed with keeping up with domestic tasks and work. Whether I go on a several mile hike or take my dogs on a quick walk, I commit to move each day. I will try to incorporate sword cuts and will go to the ocean or mountains at least once each week. Goal #3: Keep up the good work I have been an occupational therapist for awhile but have always worked in the community or in mental health. I am currently working in a hospital. Interestingly, I find working in the hospital to be a good counterpart to rinzai zen training. I need to be aware of my surroundings and ready to act appropriately at all times. Working with people who have COVID-19 requires compassion and courage. Knowing when to push someone and when to encourage rest requires I practice wisdom. I will be a modern day samurai one day, gosh darn it. Aloha and mahalo for reading.

Things went really well until they didn't anymore. Sesshin was too much for my body to handle. I had a series of seizures that had left me in quite the state until recently. Fortunately, I am working and ready to try again. Before I return to the dojo proper, I am going to prepare at home through the development of discipline and intention. More to come.

Here is my plan of action. Going full blown starting tomorrow. Dojo: -Full day Monday (5:30am-9pm. Includes 45 min and 90 min zazen, 45 min okyo, and lots and lots of work on the grounds) -Morning zazen (5:30am, 45 min. Everyday.) -Okyo (3 days/week) -Evening Zazen (90 minutes at least 3 days a week. 2 days of Okyo include 90 min of zazen first) - Add additional 4-6 hour day at monestary if all is going well Dojo at home: -Morning okyo practice (as much kneeling practice as chanting practice) -Hojo walk/sword cuts with heavy bokken -Finish a task before moving on to the next (dishes and other domestics, especially) -Zazen on evenings I'm not at the dojo (varying lengths) Diet: Eat what my wife, Michelle, eats (she is generally very healthy. May add some meat protein a few times a week as she has recently switched to a vegan diet.) No fast food (which is my primary source of food at this point and the main reason for my larger body, I think. If I follow the first guideline, this is automatic as Michelle has eaten fast food twice in her entire life.) Physical activity: -Continue daily run (Zombies! Run!) -Walk dogs up steep neighborhood hill 2x daily -Strenous activity 3x weekly (more challenging hike, rock climbing, heavy lifting, etc. >90 minutes) -Resume morning/evening stretching routine (taekwondo style) Misc: -Discontinue nicotine habit -Sleep by 10pm -Nightly schedule review and quick journal -Complete all related work tasks to include documentation before moving to next client Easy enough.

I am preparing for the marathon that is sesshin at Chozen-Ji monestary in Honolulu. The monestary was founded by two fellows who felt the training at monestaries in Japan had gotten soft and moved away from experiencing zen through the body. Training at Chozen-Ji takes the form of doing. They offer classes in Kendo, Aikido, Karate, archery, ceramics, calligraphy, tea ceremony, flower arranging, okyo, and more. There is very little didactic study. You train hard and experience what you need to know. From the website, on sesshin: "The schedule at Chozen-ji’s sesshin is very rigorous and not suitable for beginners. Wake up is at 4:30AM and bedtime at midnight. The schedule includes at least eight hours of meditation a day, martial and fine arts, and physical work on the Chozen-ji grounds." Prior to the COVID lockdown, I was spending nearly 30 hours a week training. I have gotten a bit depressed and getting back to a rigorous training schedule has been challenging as a result. One of my teachers brought my relative lack of preparedness and committment to my attention this evening following okyo after mentioning challenges I experienced sitting seiza. Something challenging is coming, and I need to prepare seriously. And so I return to these forums to track my progress. I will be making big changes relatively quickly to prepare for this event at the beginning of July. I understand why this is not typically advisable, but it is what I need to do to prepare. Sesshin is just one step in a larger goal to become a priest of Chozen-Ji and switching careers to become a hospice chaplain. I need to fundamentally change how I live my life to be successful in these pursuits. Wish me luck!

Go, Mike, go!

I'm moving to Albuquerque in the spring and have started an unofficial Nerd Fitness New Mexico group. If you are interested in posting or attending local nerd and/or fitness events, feel free to join! https://www.facebook.com/groups/1836292103155169/

If this is a book recommendation, I am strongly seconding it. If it is not a recommendation, I am recommending it. And congrats with you goal getting. And thank you for your interesting and entertaining posts.

Thank you for the music recommendations. I am a lurker, but everything I have listened to has been solid so far. Wonderful video of your kitty. I am sorry for your loss.

Late to the game, but hi. Commenting on the very, very first post: I think it is pretty common for those who set big goals and then actually reach them to feel a bit lost. You set a finish line and reached it so... now what? Something that worked for me the first time I met that particular cliff was to set new long term goals. I think short term goals are always important to keep things interesting and to prevent feeling of stagnancy, but coming up with new long term goals helps with focus. If you are replacing getting out of debt, losing (and maintaining) weight, and reaching shodan, smaller goals will not fill the void. Think big. And then bigger. You have already accomplished so much, but this is the end and not the beginning. Congratulations on all of your successes and good luck moving forward!

Sorry for the intense chest tightness. I was hopeful after reading about the good day. And sorry about the folks. I am wired like them and have parents who are wired like you. They've already asked me my plans for Thanksgiving which makes no sense to me whatsoever. How could I possibly know what I will be doing in November? Hopefully the pollen count is lower in the province you will be visiting. In other news, I feel like your goals for this challenge summarize my ideal adulting scenario. Much luck to you.

Thanks! I'll update with interview results next week. I'm really enjoying taekwondo and look forward to practicing for the foreseeable future. Thanks for the welcome and the luck! Muchly appreciated.

I don't love talking about mental health, but I will mention that I have been very depressed the past week. I nearly missed my interview because of it but made it. I'm not really sure how I did, but I will know by midweek of next week. I missed work, but I let people know that I would be out (something that I have failed to do in the past). I only went to one tkd class this week and got my yellow belt today in a ceremony. Even in typical mode, I wasn't looking forward to the awards ceremony, but I am glad I went as the main theme of the event was perseverance which was something I needed to be reminded of. I shouldn't beat myself up for failing. I should celebrate trying again. Anyway, this morning started out as what I believed would be the worst day, but it ended up being a turning point for me. Told a friend that I was feeling depressed and then read some notes past post-depression self wrote to hypothetical future depressed selves which offered some useful advice. Still depressed but made it out of the house for the belt ceremony, and I will be working out with tkd people outside tomorrow. Looking up, I think. My goals this week were not met at all. I ate fast food. After tomorrow, I will have only made two tkd classes. I missed several visits with clients and haven't completed the documentation for those I have seen (at least there is less documentation to catch up on). I am pretty certain that next week will be better.

Greetings! I am back for another attempt at maintaining a public challenge log! I just completed my first belt testing. I was well prepared and passed even though I did not perform as well as I would have liked. It was the most nerve racking 90 seconds of my 30s. I do not get my belt until next week at an awards ceremony, but I was not asked to repeat anything which means I did well enough. I have another testing of sorts coming up this week. I have applied for a post-professional fellowship at the VA hospital in my city and have an interview on Wednesday. This is my third attempt at such fellowships and the interview is only supposed to last 4 hours which is greatly preferred to the 8 hour interviews at the other sites. Obtaining a fellowship is not required in my profession (occupational therapy), but I am really hopeful. This will be my final attempt at such a fellowship before I apply for the public health service corps. My goals for this period: - Work: Complete documentation without 48 hours of seeing clients -TKD: 3 classes per week, minimum -Diet: No fast food I will continue with my prior goals of sleeping and exercising and reading and meditating. Those are all going very well. Good luck to everyone this cycle!

Look forward to seeing what you come up with. Good work and good luck!

I am a fan of steamed cabbage myself. I like it a lot with some vinegar added and cooked with a flavorful (typically meat based) protein like chunks of smoked turkey sausage.

Taekwondo is going well. I had three classes during weeks one and two. I had four classes during week three. I've gotten my four advancement stripes and am able to test for yellow belt during testing in the first week of June. While I'm excited to advance, I am enjoying being a white belt. Everything is so new and exciting. Progress is fast and satisfying. I feel fortunate to have this opportunity. I know that martial arts take work, but I really believe that achieving the rank of white belt may prove to be the most challenging advancement. It has been a long time coming. I've wanted to start for thirty years. Now that I have started, I am glad to be where I am. My other goals are not going quite as well. There has been a lot going on as of late and those things have moved down the priority list. I may be repeating May rules in June, but that's okay. I'll get them. April's rules are still going well. Thanks for your support and have a lovely day.

Taekwondo is going well. I had three classes during weeks one and two. I had four classes during week three. I've gotten my four advancement stripes and am able to test for yellow belt during testing in the first week of June. While I'm excited to advance, I am enjoying being a white belt. Everything is so new and exciting. Progress is fast and satisfying. I feel fortunate to have this opportunity. I know that martial arts take work, but I really believe that achieving the rank of white belt may prove to be the most challenging advancement. It has been a long time coming. I've wanted to start for thirty years. Now that I have started, I am glad to be where I am. My other goals are not going quite as well. There has been a lot going on as of late and those things have moved down the priority list. I may be repeating May rules in June, but that's okay. I'll get them. April's rules are still going well. Thanks for your support and have a lovely day.

Thanks! I think that you are right. It is sometimes a challenging thing to pinpoint. I think it is primarily the convenience as I drive a great deal for work. Driving is certainly a trigger as I do not eat fast food at all on the weekends (when I don't drive), and I will eat fast food at times that don't make a lot of sense to me (to or from hiking/ rock climbing/ tkd/ the grocery store). When I am not driving, I do not crave fast food, so I do not think it is the taste. I will think about this more. Thank you. Thank you! I will check it out. I enjoy eating pretty much everything and do not have any dietary restrictions. While I like cooking elaborate things, I do best with very simple recipes (few ingredients, short prep time) that keep well in the refrigerator or freezer for consistency and waste reduction. We make a lot of stir fry, curry, and soups in my house. My lady friend makes a lot of Vietnamese soups too. I have a history of making my own sashimi and eating that with a broth soup. I also like sandwiches.