Seventy Five

The older we get the more aware we become of time passing. I think that awareness becomes even more acute the second a person realizes they have lived more days than they have remaining. I feel I have lived a full life but I am acutely aware that there is not enough time in a single lifetime to accomplish everything that I want to accomplish. There is always more work to be done. That awareness is a major motivator for me. I waste time, everybody wastes time, but it can be difficult to maintain the proper perspective so that I understand that time is being wasted.

I typically divide my time between productive time and down time. It has taken me most of my life but I now realize that 99% of my wasted time resides in the productive time category. Working extra hours to make a few extra dollars to acquire a non-necessity is probably the biggest time waster in my life. I’ve been conditioned to think that more is better when it comes to money. In reality, enough is better than not enough. Once ‘more’ enters the equation, priorities become clouded and the time wasting begins. I’ve been working on reducing my possessions to one hundred. Progression on that goal is aided by regular re-grounding of my perspective on wasted time.

Whenever I visit my grandmother’s grave, I try to make time to visit the infant section of the graveyard. There are several children buried there that were born on the same day as I was born. All my worry about money, the car I drive, the health of my lawn, the clothes I wear — gets exposed for the narcism it is when I consider those in the graves before me. Time is precious. At the end of my life I will value what I accomplished more than what I owned.

Probably the biggest clarity boost to my perspective came on Friday this week. Bruce Lee was born on November 27, 1940. He would have been 75 on Friday. I do not think there is another person in history who has inspired more martial artists than Bruce Lee. His skill was unmatched and his accomplishments were many. Growing up he was my hero. To this day he still is. Bruce Lee inspires me to push myself harder, to care deeper, and to make darn sure that I am a different person when I go to bed at night than I was when I woke up in the morning. This man inspired me and millions of others to believe in the power of discipline, to go further, and to do more. Bruce Lee died at the age of 32.

“If you always put limit on everything you do, physical or anything else. It will spread into your work and into your life. There are no limits. There are only plateaus, and you must not stay there, you must go beyond them.” - Bruce Lee (1940 - 1973)

Another Year

Another year is almost behind me. Taking stock of things, I haven’t had many years quite like this last one for significant life events. While change is never without stress, sometimes a person inflicts even more stress upon themselves by holding on to a familiar stressful situation out of fear of the unknown. The devil you know …

It is true that change is inevitable. There was no lack of change for me this year. I didn’t avoid it, in fact I embraced it. I’ve faced the unknown and I’m excited about the possibilities. I’ve experienced significant personal and professional growth because I have pushed myself beyond my comfort zone. My goal everyday is to recognize that at the end of every day, I am not the same person I was when I woke up that morning. Since change is inevitable, it is important that I am mindful of the person I am becoming.

“People have a hard time letting go of their suffering. Out of her of the unknown, they prefer suffering that is familiar.” - Thich Nhat Hanh (b. 1926)

Paris

So many died in Beirut and Paris last week and many more in Syria and Iraq. Let’s all keep a clear head. Now is not the time to let fear and hate dictate actions. It is important that any action taken to ‘fight terrorism’ does not become the foundation upon which future attacks are based. Hate begets hate. Violence begets violence. So many have died for inherited hatred. How long should someone have to pay for the sins of their father? So many have died, more death is not the answer.

The people caught in the current refugee crisis have gone from secure comfort to running for their lives in a very short period of time. I can’t help but think about what it must feel like to have to flee your own country because you are caught in the middle of an ideological war, only to be rejected and persecuted by the very countries whose bombs destroyed your home and who you have turned to in your time of need. Extremism is not a new phenomena, nor is it unique to a specific ideology. We all have the capability of extreme acts if the right buttons are pushed and alternatively, we have the capability of extraordinary compassion. Let’s stop the cycle of hate.

“For things to reveal themselves to us, we need to be ready to abandon our views about them.” - Thich Nhat Hanh (b. 1926)

Savour

I have been a vegetarian for most of my adult life. It has not always been easy. The cravings for meat are not something that someone who grew up as a carnivore can easily manage. It shouldn’t be too difficult for anyone to empathize with how much discipline it takes to stay the course when confronted with the aromas of BBQ season. It was not until I had applied mindful eating that the effort required to stay a vegetarian become effortless.

Mindful eating is a practice that changes the way you look at food and it changes the way you approach life. When I eat an apple I can feel the sun that nurtured it, the rain the nourished it, the farmer who harvested it, the trucker who transported it, and the grocer who sold it to me. It is not always easy to consume my food with that level of mindfulness, especially when the stress of the day is weighing upon me, but that is why it is called a practice. I cultivate my mindfulness with every meal I consume. Some days I am more successful, some days not so much.

With mindfulness my food’s taste reflects how it came to be upon my plate. For that reason I have become sensitive to the mood of the person who prepared my food. I find it more difficult to consume processed food. I can taste the difference between most organic and non-organic food. Knowing a sentient, living being has to unnecessarily die for my meal has made meat inedible in most circumstances. In mindful eating I value quality over convenience while my taste is more attuned to pureness and not chemical trickery.

I have travelled all over Canada, the US, and some of Europe. While there was good food everywhere I have been, I couldn’t say the food anywhere was better than I am used to at home. Then I went to California. The produce in California is like nothing I have tasted before. The vibrancy of the flavour of Californian produce surpasses anything I have experienced or even imagined possible. There is a lot to be said for locally grown and consumed food. I can’t imagine anyone’s food value system not changing after experiencing fresh, quality produce.

“At its most essential, the apple you hold is a manifestation of the wonderful presence of life. It is interconnected with all that is. It contains the whole universe; it is an ambassador of the cosmos coming to nourish our existence. It feeds our body, and if we eat it mindfully, it also feeds our soul and recharges our spirit.” - Thich Nhat Hanh (b. 1926)

Oh The Places You Will Go

I write this from California, watching hummingbirds feed and Teddy the Corgi frolic in the yard. It has been a productive weekend consisting of a Zen retreat followed by networking with some of my martial arts mentors and heroes.

 I can't begin to describe the immense gratitude I have for the people that kung fu has brought into my life. The paths we choose . . .

 "I truly believe that everything that we do and everyone that we meet is put in our path for a purpose. There are no accidents; we're all teachers - if we're willing to pay attention to the lessons we learn, trust our positive instincts and not be afraid to take risks or wait for some miracle to come knocking at our door." - Marla Gibbs (b. 1931)