I have few obsessions.
One I do have is a recurring thought process that races through my mind whenever I pass an old closed gas station. Actually this pattern of thought occurs whenever I pass any old commercial building but gas stations make the best example.
Whenever you see a closed gas station stop a minute and think about what it might have looked like in its hey day. Stop and imagine what it was like on the day when it did the most business in its history. What was it like on the day when the owner thought he had a good thing going?
Stop and think about what happened after that magnificent day because surely things went wrong after that.
Old stock certificates start the same process. Lots of old certificates of defunct companies show bustling plants that are long gone. What happened?
And so it goes with us.
All of us had days in our lives when we were stronger than any other day before or since. Days when we could run farther or faster. Days when we were at our sharpest.
Days that are lost forever as we grow older.
Our best days will eventually be behind us, nothing we can do about that. We need to be aware of those days and work hard enough so that we are not so far off from our peak that we can no longer imagine it.
Tuesday
of old gas stations and all of us
Thursday
reality
I watched Black.White. on Fx tonight and one thing was clear.
I heard about Barry Bonds and steroids this week and one thing was clear.
Your reality is your first value.
In self improvement living your values is just about at the top of the list. When we try to put a finger on our own personal values, the character traits that mean the most to us, we naturally start looking at a list of adjectives.
We then miss the most important one.
Our own reality is the first value, right or wrong, and if it is wrong then it needs to be put right.
Let's look at Barry Bonds vs. sports writers.
First there is the question of taking 'performance enhancing supplements.'
We live in a competitive culture where we have long admired people who do more to get ahead. Athletes knew a hundred years ago that if they ate more liver than their competition it would give them an advantage. They learned that if they exercised it would give them an advantage. They learned that if they got enough rest and didn't drink alcohol or smoke tobacco it would give them an advantage. They kept learning.
Vitamin and essential nutrient supplements came along and athletes took these to have an advantage over the other guy. That was okay.
All during this period sports writers would sing the praises of the athlete who worked harder. They would be happy to tell us about the athletes dedication, competitivness and clean living.
Every action generates a reaction and the work outs got harder and more precise, the supplements got more complicated and everything was timed and measured.
We have moved into an era where people expect more of athletes but don't understand what it takes to get more.
Trainers and coaches began to learn new techniques and practises and they would pass them on. Bodybuilding magazines had articles about diets that would promote muscle growth. This was okay.
Then chemists got involved. They identified naturally occuring substances in humans and duplicated them with the idea that if you supplemented with these your body would make it's own steroids, primarily testosterone.
Who can blame athletes for going along with the plan, after all more was always expected of them.
It took science to identify vitamins and they were okay to use.
It took science to identify esential nutrients and they were okay to use.
It took science to identify exercise practises that would give an athlete the edge and that was okay.
Testosterone precursors were okay when they came along too. They were legal, they were advertised, they were sold over the counter.
They were also one step beyond the understanding of sports writers. Outside their version of reality.
Precursors were probably beyond the understanding of most athletes too. The athletes knew one thing, that these were the supplements that guys were taking to get stronger and they had better get on board or be left behind.
This is the same thing that athletes knew in the sixties when they started taking vitamins.
There wasn't much question about taking these things. Athletes were expected to do whatever it took to get better and the leaders of the sports had nothing to say on the matter. That was the reality.
Today we face a split reality in sports. Athletes are still expected to get bigger, stronger and better but they are also expected not to cross a line that has advanced for a hundred years.
Where that line is a sports writer can't tell you but he knows it when he sees it.
Barry Bonds reality is to get bigger, stronger and better as he is expected to do.
Sports writers expect athletes to get bigger, stronger and better but not by utilising the latest advances in science. Even though that was okay up until now.
I think the leaders of the sport need to spell out todays reality. If that reality doesn't fit well with the past ten years that is just too bad. You shouldn't damn the athletes for doing what you expected them to do.
I heard about Barry Bonds and steroids this week and one thing was clear.
Your reality is your first value.
In self improvement living your values is just about at the top of the list. When we try to put a finger on our own personal values, the character traits that mean the most to us, we naturally start looking at a list of adjectives.
We then miss the most important one.
Our own reality is the first value, right or wrong, and if it is wrong then it needs to be put right.
Let's look at Barry Bonds vs. sports writers.
First there is the question of taking 'performance enhancing supplements.'
We live in a competitive culture where we have long admired people who do more to get ahead. Athletes knew a hundred years ago that if they ate more liver than their competition it would give them an advantage. They learned that if they exercised it would give them an advantage. They learned that if they got enough rest and didn't drink alcohol or smoke tobacco it would give them an advantage. They kept learning.
Vitamin and essential nutrient supplements came along and athletes took these to have an advantage over the other guy. That was okay.
All during this period sports writers would sing the praises of the athlete who worked harder. They would be happy to tell us about the athletes dedication, competitivness and clean living.
Every action generates a reaction and the work outs got harder and more precise, the supplements got more complicated and everything was timed and measured.
We have moved into an era where people expect more of athletes but don't understand what it takes to get more.
Trainers and coaches began to learn new techniques and practises and they would pass them on. Bodybuilding magazines had articles about diets that would promote muscle growth. This was okay.
Then chemists got involved. They identified naturally occuring substances in humans and duplicated them with the idea that if you supplemented with these your body would make it's own steroids, primarily testosterone.
Who can blame athletes for going along with the plan, after all more was always expected of them.
It took science to identify vitamins and they were okay to use.
It took science to identify esential nutrients and they were okay to use.
It took science to identify exercise practises that would give an athlete the edge and that was okay.
Testosterone precursors were okay when they came along too. They were legal, they were advertised, they were sold over the counter.
They were also one step beyond the understanding of sports writers. Outside their version of reality.
Precursors were probably beyond the understanding of most athletes too. The athletes knew one thing, that these were the supplements that guys were taking to get stronger and they had better get on board or be left behind.
This is the same thing that athletes knew in the sixties when they started taking vitamins.
There wasn't much question about taking these things. Athletes were expected to do whatever it took to get better and the leaders of the sports had nothing to say on the matter. That was the reality.
Today we face a split reality in sports. Athletes are still expected to get bigger, stronger and better but they are also expected not to cross a line that has advanced for a hundred years.
Where that line is a sports writer can't tell you but he knows it when he sees it.
Barry Bonds reality is to get bigger, stronger and better as he is expected to do.
Sports writers expect athletes to get bigger, stronger and better but not by utilising the latest advances in science. Even though that was okay up until now.
I think the leaders of the sport need to spell out todays reality. If that reality doesn't fit well with the past ten years that is just too bad. You shouldn't damn the athletes for doing what you expected them to do.
Sunday
bass lines
Some people can't work without music. Some people can't drive a car without music. Some people can't do anything without music.
Most of them aren't very interested in music. They can't tell you how many notes there are much less name them. They can't tell you anything about tempo beyond 'fast' or 'slow.' Music is a mystery to them, it might as well be something magical, like electricity!
So why do they need music? Because they need the rhythm. The music keeps their minds on track, keeps their thoughts from wandering. They are in the habit of synchronizing their brain waves with the music. It becomes an involuntary habit.
The rhythm section of a rock band has two elements. The drums keep time and the bass plays the rhythm. The bass player works from the key notes when he constructs his bass lines. There might be a guitar playing chords also, these chords are built on the same key notes that the bass works from.
Herein lies a lesson.
A good song sticks to the plan. The bass lines work from the key notes. No one throws in whatever they want whenever they want because just any old thing won't do.
That is a pretty good way to guide your life too.
Know what key you are playing in. That would be knowing your guiding values.
The bass progression is from that key. Progress from your values.
Don't go off key. You are what you are and if you don't stick to that you will be out of tune.
You can find someone to teach you how to play the bass. It is much harder to find someone to teach us how to live life.
Life itself is the teacher.
Are you learning the lessons that life is teaching?
Most of them aren't very interested in music. They can't tell you how many notes there are much less name them. They can't tell you anything about tempo beyond 'fast' or 'slow.' Music is a mystery to them, it might as well be something magical, like electricity!
So why do they need music? Because they need the rhythm. The music keeps their minds on track, keeps their thoughts from wandering. They are in the habit of synchronizing their brain waves with the music. It becomes an involuntary habit.
The rhythm section of a rock band has two elements. The drums keep time and the bass plays the rhythm. The bass player works from the key notes when he constructs his bass lines. There might be a guitar playing chords also, these chords are built on the same key notes that the bass works from.
Herein lies a lesson.
A good song sticks to the plan. The bass lines work from the key notes. No one throws in whatever they want whenever they want because just any old thing won't do.
That is a pretty good way to guide your life too.
Know what key you are playing in. That would be knowing your guiding values.
The bass progression is from that key. Progress from your values.
Don't go off key. You are what you are and if you don't stick to that you will be out of tune.
You can find someone to teach you how to play the bass. It is much harder to find someone to teach us how to live life.
Life itself is the teacher.
Are you learning the lessons that life is teaching?
Saturday
send off
A couple of beers with a couple of the guys. Not much to it.
It is sad how little independence people have today. Half couldn't come at all, half who did couldn't stay.
Everyone can tell you what freedom is but few can demonstrate it.
To be free, freedom must be an overriding value. It doesn't have to be first 100% of the time, just available.
I can tell you that I'm not free and I don't know anyone who is. I can also say that I am a bit closer to it than most and farther away from it than I would like to be. Freedom has a meaning all its own and that meaning gets lost when you choose to put other things before it.
It is sad how little independence people have today. Half couldn't come at all, half who did couldn't stay.
Everyone can tell you what freedom is but few can demonstrate it.
To be free, freedom must be an overriding value. It doesn't have to be first 100% of the time, just available.
I can tell you that I'm not free and I don't know anyone who is. I can also say that I am a bit closer to it than most and farther away from it than I would like to be. Freedom has a meaning all its own and that meaning gets lost when you choose to put other things before it.
Friday
time for a change
Change does not come easy. Sometimes you must change a lot to change a little.
That is the stream that my little boat is in right now.
One more night at work, out for a few beers with the crew and then I'm on vacation.
I have 32 things to do on my to-do list. It would be really something to get them all done.
When the vacation is over I go back to work on day shift.
Different time, different work, change.
I'll be getting up at about the same time that I go to bed now. Change.
I've got write everyday down on the list so check back for something new come Saturday. I've already written down some ideas.
New stuff on Ordeal again, change.
That is the stream that my little boat is in right now.
One more night at work, out for a few beers with the crew and then I'm on vacation.
I have 32 things to do on my to-do list. It would be really something to get them all done.
When the vacation is over I go back to work on day shift.
Different time, different work, change.
I'll be getting up at about the same time that I go to bed now. Change.
I've got write everyday down on the list so check back for something new come Saturday. I've already written down some ideas.
New stuff on Ordeal again, change.
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