The muse of the Woods
In light of Prettyarbritrary 's comments, I have made the decision to make my blog postings more substantive in nature. I have envied her enlightening and thought provoking posts and for that reason, I need to follow suit to at least some extent.
It is clear by now that I have been attempting to write my own independent roleplaying game by the title of "Spark". There tend to be three different roadblocks preventing my progress. First among these is a general lack of time, thanks to my somewhat rewarding and very demanding day job. Second among these is a persistent lack of energy and general exhaustion which I take as a sign that I need to sleep properly. The third and most frustrating of these roadblocks is one that I might very well have conquered. The third roadblock is what I refer to as brain fuzz; that useless state where one's higher brain functions abscond with your linguistic skills and you are reduced to playing a hack and slash video game to keep yourself occupied.
I felt the tide of brain fuzz coming at around noon today and took a preemptive strike to defend myself. Tossed on a pair of sandals and my Jo staff and sauntered on down to a small copse of woods near my apartment. Shucking off the footwear, I ran through the standard sequence of basic "Kihon" (techniques) as if I was beginning a class at the dojo. The forested surroundings and ambient peace was refreshing to say the least. The feel of soft, damp and somewhat slippery earth under my bare feet and the sporadic bird song of red eyed vireos brought a smile to my eyes at least. The Kihon started my heart pumping and I focused my mind on the precise and accurate strikes to the air before me. The relatively variable footing also provided me with another good challenge to overcome. Perhaps twenty minutes later, I stashed my few possessions and began the second step of my treatment.
Trail running. It sounds so attractive, doesn't it. I have been probing the a few minimalism blogs of late and found a great article on trail running as well as the advantages of barefoot running. I tried the experiment, starting at a slow jog and accelerating until I reached a healthy pace. By Darwin's mighty beard, that was astounding. The typical analogies to deer seem appropriate even if I most likely had the elegance of a warthog. On a worn dirt path I was able to get a progressive and appropriate pace which was tolerable on my tender feet. I followed the helpful advice I had read and looked 5-10 feet in front of me all the while. It took the first circuit before I clued in that I could go at a faster pace on the smooth sections and I could allow myself to slow down on the rocky stretches. While I decided to stop after the second circuit, I was neither exhausted nor unhappy by my experience. I felt energized by running rather then drained and I knew that my brain was now clear from the fuzz.
I must return to those woods for practice later on. I must also do more barefoot trail running. It really opens your mind and gets you in sync with your own body when you try a task like that. As a corollary, I am back into a good place mentally and have written a thing or two since then. I recommend this for any others who read my journal as an excellent way to restore one's mind after a long day of mind-numbing circumstance.
It is clear by now that I have been attempting to write my own independent roleplaying game by the title of "Spark". There tend to be three different roadblocks preventing my progress. First among these is a general lack of time, thanks to my somewhat rewarding and very demanding day job. Second among these is a persistent lack of energy and general exhaustion which I take as a sign that I need to sleep properly. The third and most frustrating of these roadblocks is one that I might very well have conquered. The third roadblock is what I refer to as brain fuzz; that useless state where one's higher brain functions abscond with your linguistic skills and you are reduced to playing a hack and slash video game to keep yourself occupied.
I felt the tide of brain fuzz coming at around noon today and took a preemptive strike to defend myself. Tossed on a pair of sandals and my Jo staff and sauntered on down to a small copse of woods near my apartment. Shucking off the footwear, I ran through the standard sequence of basic "Kihon" (techniques) as if I was beginning a class at the dojo. The forested surroundings and ambient peace was refreshing to say the least. The feel of soft, damp and somewhat slippery earth under my bare feet and the sporadic bird song of red eyed vireos brought a smile to my eyes at least. The Kihon started my heart pumping and I focused my mind on the precise and accurate strikes to the air before me. The relatively variable footing also provided me with another good challenge to overcome. Perhaps twenty minutes later, I stashed my few possessions and began the second step of my treatment.
Trail running. It sounds so attractive, doesn't it. I have been probing the a few minimalism blogs of late and found a great article on trail running as well as the advantages of barefoot running. I tried the experiment, starting at a slow jog and accelerating until I reached a healthy pace. By Darwin's mighty beard, that was astounding. The typical analogies to deer seem appropriate even if I most likely had the elegance of a warthog. On a worn dirt path I was able to get a progressive and appropriate pace which was tolerable on my tender feet. I followed the helpful advice I had read and looked 5-10 feet in front of me all the while. It took the first circuit before I clued in that I could go at a faster pace on the smooth sections and I could allow myself to slow down on the rocky stretches. While I decided to stop after the second circuit, I was neither exhausted nor unhappy by my experience. I felt energized by running rather then drained and I knew that my brain was now clear from the fuzz.
I must return to those woods for practice later on. I must also do more barefoot trail running. It really opens your mind and gets you in sync with your own body when you try a task like that. As a corollary, I am back into a good place mentally and have written a thing or two since then. I recommend this for any others who read my journal as an excellent way to restore one's mind after a long day of mind-numbing circumstance.