Habits of Late

Hey everyone. Sorry for being such a complete slacker on the Update. I have a myriad of excuses, of course, but you know they're no good when even I'm like, "WTF, I have to update my blog, pics or no."

Yes, I have taken some pics to upload for interesting subjects of discussion, but getting them up here from home is practically a Herculean effort. A couple of would-be posts were doomed from the start when I began uploading pics and the connection died, leaving me repeatedly throwing my hands up in frustration, putting the computer down, and cursing under my breath. Well, under my breath most of the time.

Progress on the bathroom has been intermittent. Some days the commute and work saps my extra energy and I just need to chill. It's partially the fact that I so love just chilling out here at the house. I can relax here, and that feels palatial, even with the un-finished bathroom.

I also think that my inertia has to do with not training aikido regularly, which for me helps me chill out bigtime. This Weds. I made it down to class, feeling like a lethargic tub, but by the end of class, as predicted to myself, I was just juiced and ready to go.

As many of you are aware, my favorite direction for an update topic is aikido and application in everyday life. So in that wise, I would like to say that when you feel like you have no energy, but you're getting sleep, eating well, but working a lot, chances are you may not be having much, if any, physical fun.

Even if it's tossing the old pig skin with some friends, it's important to get out and play. Play is an oft overlooked good. So many people want to be good professionals, for example, that they stay late at the office and put in extra time, but it often becomes for naught when the good of play is overlooked and the person begins to feel like life is closing in on them.

But when you can just get outside, roll around in the dirt, smash people, or whatever it is you like to do, and play physically--in such a way that you are no longer worried about people at work, or that thing you gotta get done--the effect is postively transforming. Instead of worrying about work, or family or whatever, you zone in on catching that ball or swinging that bat that you've totally forgotten about everything else but that moment and can simply enjoy yourself and what it is you are doing.

In terms of aikido, Saito sensei said you should do jo or bokken suburi every day. It's easy to see why, particularly for a modern aikido-ka (or practitioner of aikido) who easily finds himself caught up in the things of everyday life. When you are focusing on completing you cuts properly, not wasting movement, the right method of extension and so forth, everything else fades into the distance and you just find yourself standing in the here and now. Chill.

And that's generally the way it should be.

Over and out, homies.

--Nick-Dog