Widow Mountain
Widow Mountain - St. Joe National Forest - Idaho
Overnight 7/6/17 - 7/7/17
BILL, WILL AND MIKE
Planned Trip Route
Actual Trip - Last section stopped by steep snow field and tired legs.
Moore Flat
Moore Flat - Wenaha Tucannon Wilderness - Oregon/Washington
2 Nights 6/13/17 - 6/15/17
Bill, Will and Mike
Intentionality
Ponderosa Pine pollen walk.
Intentionality. What is this? How it achieved? How do we know it has been achieved?
Intentionality happens on reflection. Life is just what it is. Some intentional, so not so much. Grey Thinking. A continuum of intentionality. The desire for a specific outcome. This is a good thing to shoot for but a bad thing to expect. Set sights for the stars and be happy with the moon or low earth orbit.
Thinking about being intentional and how I'm governed by "hidden layers", layers of unconscious stuff that is the source of my actions. This makes the idea of intentionality sticky. Maybe it is a subtle way that sometimes one can in a small way influence the "hidden layers". Point activity in a direction and watch the universe fill in the details. Be open to what happens and adjust.
Lively Links
Sesame-Crusted Tofu with Nuoc Cham This will be my recipe of the month in my quest to try something new every month.
The Crucial Thinking Skill Nobody Ever Taught You INVERSION - a surprisingly effective technique for improvement. Just don't be bad but know what being bad is.
Zen Master Dok Sahn A sweet story by Barry Briggs about this Zen Master and his human foibles.
Being positive
I'm developing guts. To be me. Practicing acceptance. Lojong Practice. Here I am, naked and exposed.
Tasty Links
Moore Flat backpacking trip. Here is a map.
The Simple Art of Spoon Carving
The Moral Complexity of Genetics -- A Conversation between Sam Harris and Siddhartha Mukherjee
The path to living fully?
“Because in the end, you won’t remember the time you spent working in the office or mowing your lawn. Climb that goddamn mountain.”
Gratitude is the answer.
What are the gifts of gratitude?
The gift of feeling the optimism of others. Be positive.
The gift of the magical world we live in. People, things, and ideas.
The gift to rest in the openness of the now. Relaxed awareness.
The gift to express support for our supply chain and removal chain. We are not alone.
The gift of having this human body, born in this time and place. Truly a wonder.
The gift to nurture happiness in others. The second answer.
The gift of the moment, being at peace with now.
The gift to be happy for the lack of pain, suffering and anger in this very moment. Watch or the hedonic treadmill!
LINKS FOR MEANING
Enrollment is the antidote to doubt. Enrollment, the willingness to investigate, the willingness to look at one's own experience, the willingness to embark on a journey of discovery. Being willing is the first step, the second step is enrollment. These are the methods that can bring light to the darkness of doubt. Facts only work as a third or fourth step.
Zen and weight training
There are things common in Zen and weight training.
Focus in important, focus on the present, this lift, this rep. Make it the best you can but don’t get hung up on it. Don’t worry about failures. Weight lifting teaches you that there will always be failures and failure leads to growth.
The breath is important, it is the connection with the process of living. Breath brings energy into the body for use. Use it well.
The process of practice is important, not so much the outcome which we can not control 100%. In Zen we sit each day. Rather we are in the mood or not. We except our different moods as fodder for the practice. It is the same with lifting, approach each rep and set and session with the knowledge that however we feel in the moment is naturally how we feel and let this power our training.
Don’t just know, do.
My name is Will Simpson. I’m a Zennist, woodworker, metalworker, fitness nerd, mental model explorer and information geek. You can connect with my more philosophical blog posts at Kestrelcreek.
LINKS FOR BEAUTY & MEANING
+ Rocket Fuel When time catches up
"A bad decision isn't only bad because we're uninformed or dumb. It can be bad because we are swayed by short-term comfort and ignore long-term implications. A bad decision feels good in the short run, the heartfelt decision of someone who means well. But there's a gap when we get to the long run."
+ The Magic of Being Held By the World
+ The Difference Between Love and Tolerance
"I’ve said many times of my generation that we drink deeply from wells of freedom and opportunity that we did not dig, that we eat from tables prepared for us by our ancestors, that we sit comfortably in the shade of trees that we did not cultivate. We stand on the shoulders of giants.”
+ The Examined Life
"Lately I see my life as one sweeping, continuous moment that is always taking place in the present. The whole sum of my life is with me at all times. It is all one instant, always one moment in time, as though my entire life took no time at all.”
"The choices you make on a day-to-day basis, a moment-to-moment basis, determine the kind of person you will be. Look hard enough at the present and you will see your future.”