#365Gratitude Day 180: Finding time

So I'm on my new schedule for work. That means I have the time in the mornings to go running.  It's a big gift really.  I'm sitting on my front steps right now, resting after a 45 minute walk.

"Kids only. No grownups. TIME MACHINE." 

It's daunting to be getting started again, I'll admit that. But I feel so fortunate to be able to do so. I saw something this morning that struck me funny as I was walking.

It was a box that some kids had been playing with. Their mom or dad threw it out, and it is now filled of garbage. But for a little while it was some kid's Time Machine. 

I'm glad I ran into it. In a way my morning workout is kind of like my own time machine. 

#365Gratitude Day 179: Falling in love with the Universe

Specifically I mean Steven Universe, the cartoon by Rebecca Sugar.

Steven is a young half-human boy.  He's part "Crystal Gem", a species of people from another world based on geological objects  He's sort of part super hero and part little kid.  He's funny, sweet, kind, moderately obnoxious in a charming way.  He makes up songs about things.  He loves people.

He reminds me so damn much of little mako, the other guy I carry around in my head.  I just binge watched 14 episodes of the darn thing, and am utterly and completely in love with it.  It's funny, wise, and a tiny bit transgressive.  It pokes fun at social norms.  Steven is something of an unwitting gender and culture outlaw.  He doesn't act the way he does to spite social norms - he's just sort of immune to them.

It's brilliant.  I'm glad it's around.

Check it out.  I bet you will fall in love with it too.

#365Gratitude Day 178: Words aren't necessary

#dailyThink: Certain limitations

Saw a really smart tweet this morning.

@AliceDreger said "One of my best profs said to me once: "If you haven't changed your mind lately, how do you know it is working?" That changed my mind."

That's got me thinking.  Certainty is a form of expectation, isn't it? Maybe it's a kind of "should"? I suppose that it's a tool of convenience at times.  "If I get in the shower, and the water's too hot, I should get burned."  But at other times, I can see where certainty is a big obstacle.  "Since I haven't gone running for a while, it should be really hard to get going again." or how about "If someone is of a certain political/religious/social/whatever stance, they should think the following..."

How hard is it really to go back to beginner's mind, to shoshin, and spot-check the things you're certain about? What do you lose or gain by doing so? 

I don't have any answers here, I'm just thinking out loud.

#365Gratitude Day 177: Shoshin Splints

Shoshin is the zen buddhist concept of "Beginner's Mind."  It's the conscious approach to learning and experience, no matter what your level of expertise, as if you were just getting started.  It's valuable for a lot of reasons.  

When you're an expert, you tend to do things in the tried-and-true, tested way you've always done them.  When you're a beginner, you take chances, get messy, go for the weird options.

As a taoist, and an age player, I find this immensely appealing.  

I've not been running for a long time.  Recently, I've been wanting to get back to it.  I've had a lot of expectation, regret, fitness loss, and lack-of-motivation in my way.

This morning, I said, "Well, fuck that."  I got out my running gear, and went for it.  It was just a walk really, albeit a rather fast paced one.

I'm actually pretty happy with this - 17:08/mile average pace, 651 calories.  I've done worse.

I set out with no expectations.  I ran for exactly 30 seconds, and that was just to get across a busy street.  But I walked quickly, and with purpose, up and down some hills, too.  

It was just a beginning.  But beginnings are great.  Where can I go from here? 

ANYWHERE.