ShadowLion Weaves the Strands Together

[ShadowLion]

May 25, 2013

I have been doing a lot of restructuring of my Epic Quest, and have updated it as follows:

Retitled to "ShadowLion Weaves the Strands Together," to reflect the more complete version of my epic quest that has evolved since I started this post. It now includes

more of a life list and various modules for different aspects of my life that will be showing up in challenges as Life Quests.
 

The "ShadowLion Returns to the Fireline" title has a narrower focus than what I currently see as my epic quest. I am now thinking of that as my Main Quest for the 40 week period that begins June 2, 2014 and ends in mid-March 2015, just in time for the Arizona Wildfire Academy. My plan for that portion of my epic quest is outlined in the next post of this thread and will be called "Forty Weeks to Fire Fit," so that I can abbreviate it to 40W2FF.

Writing up this epic quest has been a time of intense and valuable reflection on my values and a realization of my own unique perspective that has grown out of my life experiences and choices to date. Oddly enough, I seem to have come back around full-circle (spiral, maybe?) to a new appreciation of the poem "Ulysses" by Alfred, Lord Tennyson.

 

More than 38 years ago, I hung a poster with the following excerpt on the wall of my dorm room above the head of my bed. I dreamed of what I would do when I was out of school, the places I would travel, the adventures I would have someday, somewhere. Some of those dreams have happened, some have changed, some have been left behind in favor of other dreams...but the same words still inspire and guide me. And, as I write this, a line from a popular rock song of the time is running through my head..."You're still the same old girl you used to be." Yeah, I guess so!

Ulysses (excerpt)

I cannot rest from travel: I will drink
Life to the lees: All times I have enjoy'd
Greatly, have suffer'd greatly, both with those
That loved me, and alone, on shore, and when
Thro' scudding drifts the rainy Hyades
Vext the dim sea: I am become a name;
For always roaming with a hungry heart
Much have I seen and known; cities of men
And manners, climates, councils, governments,
Myself not least, but honour'd of them all;
And drunk delight of battle with my peers,
Far on the ringing plains of windy Troy.
I am a part of all that I have met;
Yet all experience is an arch wherethro'
Gleams that untravell'd world whose margin fades
For ever and forever when I move.
How dull it is to pause, to make an end,
To rust unburnish'd, not to shine in use!
As tho' to breathe were life! Life piled on life
Were all too little, and of one to me
Little remains: but every hour is saved
From that eternal silence, something more,
A bringer of new things; and vile it were
For some three suns to store and hoard myself,
And this gray spirit yearning in desire
To follow knowledge like a sinking star,
Beyond the utmost bound of human thought.

 

As I get older, other parts of the poem take on new meaning, yet this fragment is still a polestar, a wish, a dream, and a reflection…

[ShadowLion]

My Purposes

To explore.

To learn and to give my gifts.

 

My intense desire to explore and my strong curiosity drive me to learn. From that learning comes understanding and, hopefully, wisdom.

I know in the core of my being that we are all connected, and giving of what one has learned is the road to happiness.

I have learned how to teach and communicate, to help and heal, to defend and protect, and to create stories, art, and music. These are the gifts that I share.

 

My Objectives

Live a life of honor and integrity as a warrior of the spirit
Love and care for those who are closest to me
Serve the people of my community with my specialized knowledge, training, and skills - to stand between them and unrestrained fire and train others how to do the same

Bring to life the beauty of the worlds of my imagination, so that others may enjoy and benefit from that vision
Protect, honor, and appreciate the world of nature of which I am a part

 

My Quests

In the fictional world of my writing, many of the characters live by a creed that is exemplified in the study and mastery of one or more of four "arts" or "paths" - warrior, magician, scholar, healer. At the highest levels, these paths are seen to join or "weave" together into a seamless whole, where mastery of one leads to insight and skill in aspects of the others. (Connection, again.) I have used this system to organize and prioritize my quests. My primary path is that of the warrior. Thus, my top priority quests fall under that path and are largely concerned with the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual aspects of that path. Other paths will show up in my Epic Quest and  Six Week Challenges as well, but will tend to be found in the Life Quest or Side Quest categories.

1) Fire Fit in Forty Weeks (Warrior)

Requalify as a wildland firefighter, with all of the attendant fitness, skill, and knowledge requirements

 

2) Become the ShadowLion (Warrior)

Revive my martial arts skills in Tai Chi and Filipino Arnis, plus add in some Krav Maga
Achieve additional fitness skills and goals related to outdoor adventuring (paddling, backpacking, wilderness survival) - Ranger stuff, yeah!
Increase my knowledge and skills in strategy, tactics, and leadership

Grow in the other skills and qualities exemplified by my novel's main character:

Visionary leader and change agent

Meditation practitioner and spiritual adventurer

Innovator, creative thinker and problem solver

Lover of nature and animals

Appreciator and maker of beautiful things - music, art, crafts

 

3) Bringing the books and other ideas that live in my imagination to life (Magician)

Writing, Music, Art, be a modern storyteller --> multimedia, games, interactivity
 

4) Build my cabin in the forest (Healer)

Sustainable design, solar energy, permaculture, garden, country skills, DIY, craft, beauty, nature

 

And, more...

(These will be developed in more detail over time)

Recertify as an EMT

Get strong enough to do structural firefighting again

Help my mother get her business back up and running, profitable

Increase the size, scope and profitability of my current business

Be a citizen of the world - travel, culture, education, informed, aware, activism

[ShadowLion]

I've got a jillion things on my life list and they will all find their way onto this thread in due time. But, for the next year, I have one primary focus:

 

To get fit enough and revive my skills sufficiently to get back out on a fireline by the start of wildland fire season 2015.

 

That will mean an incredible amount of work, determination and grit in the face of an uncertain outcome. I have knowledge, experience and desire. Time will tell if I can leverage that into success given my age, condition, and time away from the job. There is only one way to find out...

 

There are five main components to my plan:

 

Fitness

These are the minimums for qualifying for various positions. I will be shooting for higher levels and supplementing with strenuous hiking, interval runs, heat conditioning, and tool handling/line cutting drills (chain saw, shovel, pulaski, etc.) the closer I get to the beginning of the season. I plan pay particular attention to periodization of training and only increase volume gradually, as injuries have been an issue for me at my age. My muscles tend to

respond faster to training than my connective tissue.

 

Endurance

Work Capacity Test of 45# pack carried 3 miles in under 45 mins @ under 1,000 ft. elevation or time-adjusted equivalent.

Jump rope continuously for more than 3 minutes (5 mins?), cadence to be determined

VO2Max of 42kg/L minimum, 45kg/L better

Run 1.5 mi in < 10:35

 

Strength

5 Pullups in less than one minute

25 Pushups in less than one minute

45 Situps in less than one minute.

1.5x bodyweight benchpress or bodyweight equivalent (one-arm pushup? handstand pushup? weighted pushup?)

 

Durability

Posture work for head, neck and spinal alignment, strength, and to maintain my height at 5 feet 6.5 inches or better. 

Stability and mobility as needed to "prehab" any structural or alignment flaws, and flexibility issues, particular attention to hip flexors, ankle strength, rotator cuffs, injured elbow, knees and hips

 

Nutrition

High-quality, nutrient dense foods with an eye to maintaining endurance and muscle, while trimming off excess weight. I will learn to tailor my macros to the particular phase of training.

 

Body Composition

Bodyweight ~150#, +/-5# as long as body fat % is at 20% or less using the U.S. Navy Body Fat Calculator. This tends to be a little under actual, so a DEXA scan would be even better, acceptable BF% < 24%.

 

Rest, Recovery & Stress Management

Adequate rest will be critical to my success, as will managing stress and providing for relaxation.

 

Skills, Drills, Knowledge & Training

These will supplement and coordinate with my physical training according to my periodization schedule, shifting to more skill based workouts as fire season approaches and spending more time on skill and knowledge review and applications.

 

Attitude

Cultivate the inner strength and resilience I need to face fighting fire and the work demands, and to progress in responsibility and rank.

 

 

The above is planned to culminate in my attendance at the Arizona Wildfire Academy in mid-March of 2015, and to successfully complete the requisite training and testing to obtain my IQS "Red Card" as a firefighter for the 2015 fire season.

 

The specifics of all of the above will be detailed on my Battle Log and broken into specific goals, quests and missions as appropriate to the next 6+ challenges.

 

Longer term goals include:

Become certified as an EMT-B in Arizona again
Renew my HazMat certification and additional certs related to EMS and structural firefighting
Become a company officer, able to assume a leadership role and the responsibilities of incident command again

[ShadowLion]

More Construction...

 

5/24 - To get my life list in shape and lay out my life quests and side quests for the next couple of challenges is  something I will be working on over the next week or so.

 

Life Quest -
Side Quest -

 

Burpee Quest (10% of total score)

Phase 1 - 55 burpees in under 30 minutes

Phase 2 - 55 burpees in under 15 minutes

Phase 3 - 56 burpees in under 9 minutes

 

Other (30% of total score)

SKILLS, PREPARATION, AND KNOWLEDGE (20%)

Warrior Mindset (10%)

Affairs in order - Will made and notarized, kept up-to-date; digital assets accounted for; finances and business in order such that everything could be taken care of appropriately in case of my sudden demise

Effective and efficient systems in place for all aspects of daily life to increase productivity and allow time for my priority activities. Kanban board; Paperless office; Library scanned; converted to ebooks, and archived; computer backed up

Deal with the things I put off - House decluttered and regularly maintained; determine what to do about trailer and get a plan in place; clean out sheds; paint the deck

Outdoor and Emergency Skills, Preparation, and Knowledge (5%)

First Aid & Survival Skills, Disaster Preparedness - Knots, ropes; family disaster plan prepared, reviewed and practiced on regular basis, including animals; evacuation kits and shelter-in-place supplies and kits up-to-date; smoke detector and CO2 detector operational and tested regularly; kits in cars, at home and on person; keep track of weather, signed up for weather and emergency alerts; consider renewing ham license and getting a radio again

Camping and hiking, back-country driving - Tools, basic auto repair supplies, and winter/summer kits in vehicles; go through all camping and outdoor equipment and repair as needed, provide for emergency power needs for cell phones, radio; Hike! Plan some day trips and get out and enjoy the desert and the mountains - do at least three.

Martial Arts (5%)

Tai Chi - Form memorized and practiced on a regular basis

Tai Chi Saber - Exercises and Form memorized and practiced on a regular basis

Filipino Arnis - Stick work and open hand skills, forms memorized and practiced on a regular basis

Bonus - Baqua and/or Krav Maga classes, Tai Chi straight sword study

 

CREATIVITY, IMAGINATION, INTUITION, AND AWARENESS (10%)

Art - Maintain a sketchbook and complete at least three works of art

Music - Rebuild and maintain my performance repertoire for guitar and harp; build violin repertoire and get back to ensemble playing (orchestra or fiddling)

Writing - Finish the first novel of the series

Meditation/Awareness/Intuition - Daily quiet time, maintain personal journal which includes observations, awareness exercises, dreamwork, etc.

 

 

Feed your head - Poetry, Tennyson, Eliot

Food
Fitness
Home
Family
Business
Finances
Career
Travel
Leisure
Creativity
Spirituality


Tasks

Calendar
Schedule

[Thom Stépan]

I love this Shadowlion. 

 

Indeed we are on similar paths, expressed according to our personalities, experiences, dreams and host cultures. Yet I could see myself doing something similar to what you are doing. I have been working on life long goals recently as well. Which I was considering adding to my own Epic Quest. For such things are part and parcel of who we are as a whole being. That is why I am so open with my practices here in NerdFitness. My spirituality has been a driving force for most of my life and continues to do so now.

 

I have an interest in Arnis as well, unfortunately there is nowhere here where I can learn it. Although my main martial arts interest is primarily western focussed. A good friend of mine teaches karate and I am thinking of learning from him when the budget allows it. 

 

I look forward to seeing how your Epic Quest grows and changes over time.

[ShadowLion]

I love this Shadowlion. 

 

Indeed we are on similar paths, expressed according to our personalities, experiences, dreams and host cultures. Yet I could see myself doing something similar to what you are doing. I have been working on life long goals recently as well. Which I was considering adding to my own Epic Quest. For such things are part and parcel of who we are as a whole being. That is why I am so open with my practices here in NerdFitness. My spirituality has been a driving force for most of my life and continues to do so now.

 

I have an interest in Arnis as well, unfortunately there is nowhere here where I can learn it. Although my main martial arts interest is primarily western focussed. A good friend of mine teaches karate and I am thinking of learning from him when the budget allows it. 

 

I look forward to seeing how your Epic Quest grows and changes over time.

 

Hey Thom! Yeah, we pagan-types are often rather invisible. It's actually your example that is encouraging me to come a little further out of thicket. My spirituality plays the same role in my life, but I next to never talk about it except for veiled references through my fiction. I've got some pretty funny stories about my various adventures in learning about other religions (the Fool's journey, so to speak) and becoming more open about my heritage. Might decide to share some here. Not sure. Time to get over the cowardly lion routine? A little bit?

 

Arnis is a blast! I really got interested in it because it was the only thing around at the time (was living in a rural area) that had some of it's origins in European sword techniques. I like the pointy things. Well that, and who doesn't like to bang stuff around with sticks? The partner drills are loads of fun!

 

I don't currently go to classes, but I studied arnis (about 15 years ago) enough that I feel like I can get the basic skills back a bit and then start looking around for good instruction. I'm in the very early stages of this, though, and haven't done much web research. I am sure there is a lot more out there now. I have looked at some Tai Chi and Bagua web-based teaching that looks to be very good. I'll post links if I find some stuff that might be helpful to you.

 

I'm looking forward to seeing how both of our journeys progress. It's been really nice to discover that I'm not the only "heathen" (used in the general sense - lol) out there!

[Elisha]

The nerd in me is tickled that you set up an outline for several missions. I wish I had thought of that and may do it in my battle log so I don't forget something. Great job and fantastic passage from Ulysses. 

[ShadowLion]

While I'm waiting for the forums to go up, I'm going to construct my next challenge here... :-)

Raw Materials from Epic Quest, BATTLE LOG, ETC.
Text Dump
Brain Dump

 

[ShadowLion]

Because otters are cute and they know how to have fun. And my challenges need more fun...

 

 

[ShadowLion]

Collecting stuff for next challenge