Reading people

Reading people
As some might know, I work third shift and that has a tendency of tiring a person out continually. Also as a police officer it is not my place to be a giddy, bubbly personality. I do however try to be a pleasant and even tempered person the majority of the time. So when a smart mouthed employee remarked "don't be so happy to be here" when I was going out of my way to perform a quick scan so that she wouldn't be tied up in the re-entry process I was at first a little offended. Then I realized that most people remark that I look sad or sleepy most of the time. This is really not the case as since I've been working out more I've been able to rest deeper and I've just felt better. So please remember when making impressions and comments (no one likes to hear "you look like crap today") that it really is impossible to judge a book by it's cover.

~Klint

Loss

To Buddhists everything is temporary, nothing is permanent.  This is
something I've been meditating on very diligently for the past month.
My grandmother very suddenly got diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and
since her diagnosis she has been very weak and seems defeated. I don't
honestly know how much of it is the cancer or how much is the pain
medication she is on, but since she fell that day her attitude also
fell drastically. A logical part of me always knew she wouldn't live
forever, but she was so lively and vital that I am not prepared to
lose her yet.  Meditating that this is completely natural, normal, and
the way things are supposed to happen makes it a little better.
There are really two things that make this much more difficult to
navigate. The first and far more enraging is the way my mother is
behaving. She became very emotional and attached to my grandpa's
sister who she hardly knew but has not called or visited her own
mother. It's really hard for me to understand how she can harbor that
much hatred. The second is how a family member is just found out I was
related to can use this tragedy to try to make herself feel better or
me feel worse. I got introduced to her and she immediately started
talking about grandma. I said she was feeling better that she was out
of the hospital to which she retorted that "she isn't going to make
it". I don't understand what is meant by making it, NO ONE lives
forever and she certainly didn't look much better off than grandma but
she felt necessary to add in that little jab.
There have been many hours I've spent thinking on how nothing in life
is permanent and you must enjoy each moment that you are in for you
cannot posses or control the future or past. I will make the most of
each moment I still have with grandma and treasure the memories I have
made with her.


~Klint

Spring....almost

I write this cuddled in my coat next to a sad little space heater who thought his working days to be over for the season. You see it's raining and only 35 degrees out and since I'm forced to be out in it I am reminded every year that winter in Cleveland isn't over until after the Easter bunny has visited with his bright pastel colors.  I have enjoyed very much the reprieve we have gotten from winter's bite the last week or so but do believe winter has one last kick for us.
So dear readers, what about warmer weather do you most look forward to?

St Pat's day!

Saint Patrick's day has always been a big day to celebrate for me as most of my family is proudly Irish. And until this year I really threw myself to the day. But this being the first year i'm Buddhist and celebrating I noticed a few things. First and foremost buddhists try to abstain from drinking as a clouded mind cannont achieve enlightenment. That really goes against the grain of st pat's. I still really enjoyed my day with the girls sans green beer.
Here are some pics from our st pats parade fun!

~Peace

So Sore

Ouch! So sore. I've come to the realization that I need to get a bit more fit before I can really dive into CrossFit so I joined a local gym called planet fitness with my wife and quite a few friends. I've really taken up an aggressive workout routine and I think every muscle in my upper body is screaming. Also I've started running in my Vibram Five Fingers for the first time and my calves and ankles are sore, but they aren't injured. I just have to keep at it to strengthen them up. I think on my off days I might take up cycling, it worked really well when I was in college. I was eating like crap and drinking way too much back then too.
Here's to forward progress!

~Peace

busy busy and fitness

It has been a little while since I had the opportunity to blog about anything. I've been pecking away at my 30/30 list so go check that out if you haven't yet and I've also decided to really take a new approach on my fitness. I know that my diet has probably undermined most of what I've been able to do in the past so I scanned the books at my library and picked up the Abs Power Diet that really gained fame in Men's Health Magazine. Each letter in Abs Diet Power stands for a power food that should be incorporated onto all your meals and snacks. Also one of wifey's friends from high school posted his success on Facebook with the Crossfit program. I am not anywhere near the fitness level to be able to pull off all the exercises unmodified, but I love that there is a "Workout of the Day". It adds much needed variety to the workout regimen that keeps it from getting stale, and from what I understand it helps you get fit faster because your muscles don't adapt to one particular exercise and plateau.
Wish me luck with these new fitness habits!

~Peace