Beyond The Peak

It has been an interesting year, to say the least.

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30-Day Blog Challenge: Day Four—A habit that you wish you didn’t have

Bad habits. Everybody has them, but fewer will admit to having one. Habits can be very innocuous and occur virtually unnoticed (like always having to use three pieces of paper towels to clean up a spill no matter how small) or they can immediately draw attention to it or just generally annoy the crap out of everyone (like humming for no apparant reason). I have problems with people who crack their knuckles. The sound just drives me crazy and it sends shivers up my spine.

One habit I wish I could get rid of is nibbling on my fingers. It’s a nervous habit I’ve had ever since I was a kid. Some people will bite their fingernails if they feel anxious, I nibble on my fingers. Unfortunately, it’s gone a bit beyond when anxiety strikes—it also happens when I’m bored, figity, or letting my thoughts drift mindlessly.

When I was a child, my mother tried for years to get me to stop. She tried all sorts of home remedies, which usually consisted of putting some sort of spicy powder on my fingers. Amazingly enough, that didn’t bother me. Who’d knew I’d enjoy the flavor of chili pepper?!? When that failed, she started buying over the counter medicines. Their bitter flavors didn’t hinder me either. Even prescription medicine didn’t stop the nibbling. Eventually mom just gave up.

So my fingers look a bit rough, like the hands of a farmer who has been working in the fields all day. Maybe the whole feeling of nibbling being a bad habit has more to do with vanity and wanting my fingers to look slender and smooth than any other factor or social stigma. Am I doomed to always have workman’s hands?

Not necessarily. There is a possible solution.

Zen Buddhism encourages us to live in the moment, to pay attention to the now, to be mindful—you know exactly what is going on outside of you, around you, and within you. Remember what I said earlier about by habit of nibbling? I mentioned that I tend to do it mindlessly. Applying the zen approach, I need to be more mindful of what I’m doing. By being mindful, I can catch those moments when I am about to nibble on my fingers and I can stop myself from doing it.

Sounds easy, doesn’t it? Unfortunately, it takes practice and patience to be mindful. If it were easy, then everyone would be doing it and there would be enlightened zen masters everywhere! (How about that. I managed to address the topic for today and throw a little zen into it!)

Until next time!

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30-Day Blog Challenge: Day Three—A picture of you and your friends

This picture was taken quite some time ago—about four years ago, I’d say. My friends and I participate in a group called the Society for Creative Anachronism, or SCA for short. Simply put, it is an international organization of people who are interested in medieval history and recreating it.

For a period of three years, I had the honor of being the elected baron of our local chapter. Now typically there are two people who hold the office—a baron and a baroness—but I decided to go it alone. The job involved much traveling to other SCA events, lugging things around (like a throne), organization of duties and tasks, mustering up an army for the annual Pennsic War, and sometimes dealing with the petty squabbles that occurred between individuals. But there were some great perks to it too—for example, running court and handing out awards to worthy individuals. The looks on people’s faces when I bestowed some sort of honor upon them was worth every moment!

However, truth be told, I couldn’t have done the job as well as I did if it hadn’t been for my friends—those other people in the picture. They made sure I was present at events, on time for court, organized the set-up and tear down of the thrown, took care to wash and pack my feast gear, and generally kept me sane the entire time! Yeah, I was crazy to do the job by myself, but these people made sure everything ran smoothly.

Anyway, the term of the office is three years, at which point the King and Queen of the kingdom divest the sitting baron and baroness and invest a new baronage to take over the job. Of course, I needed a new outfit for my divestiture, and everyone else was more than willing to follow suit—so we creating matching garb using my heraldic colors (purple and gold). This photo was taken right after I stepped down as baron. And I can tell you for a fact that those smiles on our faces were 100 percent pure relief that it was finally over.

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30-Day Blog Challenge: Day Two—The meaning behind your blog name

The story begins way back in 2008, I believe. I was indulging in one of my favorite obsessions—watching YouTube videos. At the time I was beginning to become interested in meditation, so I was looking for videos that dealt with that subject. That’s where I came across the YouTube channel for YogaGarden. The video for zazen was hosted by a guy named Patrick. It was informative, understandable, and humorous. I decided to view some of the other topics he addressed and became a fan. I noticed that the studio had a website, so I decided to follow the link and see what other information was there. It looked like a yoga studio I would have liked to visit, however it was just a little beyond my means. Traveling to Japan for yoga and meditation classes wasn’t something I could afford or manage.

Skip to a few months later. My interest in zen was growing and I was starting to get interested in the podcasts offered by iTunes. So I searched for anything with the word “zen” in it. One of the results was this podcast called Zen is Stupid. At first I was a little insulted that someone really though zen was stupid, but I have this little streak of curiosity in me that wanted to see what the podcaster had to say about it. So I downloaded one and began to listen. I immediately recognized the voice of one of the podcasters—it was none other than Patrick from the YogaGarden YouTube channel! Since I loved his presentation style from the videos, I downloaded all of the podcasts. And amazingly enough, there was a website dedicated to the Zen is Stupid podcast.

Skip ahead a few more months. It’s now 2009. Somehow between the YogaGarden YouTube channel and the Zen Is Stupid podcast, I come across Patrick’s blog. (Unfortunately I don’t think the one I read is in existence anymore, which explains the lack of a link to it.) I don’t usually read many blogs. They really have to click with me before I stay around. It wasn’t difficult with Patrick’s blog—and I wasn’t surprised since I liked the prior two endeavors I encountered.

Skip ahead a few more months. Summer 2009. Over the prior ten years I had gained weight. I was out of shape, unhappy, and, although I had become a vegetarian in January of 2008, I was still eating pretty unhealthily. That was when I found another of Patrick’s endeavors—The Peak Condition Project—a 90-day wellness program. After a few days of dithering and trying to decide whether on not I wanted to do it, I finally got the courage to send an email to Patrick. His response was quick—well, as quick as you can get from being half a planet away—and I went for it.

The Peak Condition Project is more than just an exercise program and far more than a diet regimen. It’s all about wellness. Yes, there is exercise. Yes, there is a diet plan. However, it also teaches you how to eat better—how to live well. You get to encounter people from all over the world who are going through the same program you are, and you lift each other up and help each other through it, and you become friends with many of them. Patrick is there every step of the way with daily emails and you can chat with him if you need to.

Over the past year, I still kept in contact with Patrick. Sometimes it was a quick email, sometimes it was a half-hour chat. Then in October I happened to mention to him that it had been one year since I had been on the Peak Condition Project. He asked how I was doing and I responded that I was still going strong—exercising, eating well, still could swim in my old clothes. He then requested that I send him a current picture of what I looked like. So I did. A few days later, I received this photo:

The picture on the left is what I looked like at the start of the Peak Condition Project. On the right is me one year later. Amazing, isn’t it? I think I shall always be eternally grateful to Patrick and his guidance to helping me become a more healthy person, and to a Universe that kept making sure I would cross his path over and over again. It has been an incredible journey.

Which brings me back to the initial question that started off this whole blog entry down memory lane: What is the meaning of your blog name? Well, as I’m sure you have guessed by now, “Beyond the Peak” originally referred to what life was going to be like beyond the Peak Condition Project, but over the past year the meaning has changed into something else.

I reached my objective and made it to the peak of the mountain. As I stood there and looked out, I saw other lands stretched out before me with other mountains in the distance—and it was then that I realized that my goal was not where I stood. It never was. The goal was in the journey, not the destination. And the journey continues, always going beyond the peak.

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