They Were Talking About Me

"Are you a Storm Chaser?" The two old ladies beamed big grins at me at Baggage Claim today. They were referring to my backpack, with tennis ball covering the tip of my protruding hiking pole and foam pad attached. I'm sure I impressed them, but not sure if it was the pole or the fact that I crammed the whole thing in the overhead compartment.

"Naaa... just out hiking for a few days." I said, and smiled back.

It's early in the year for my father-daughter bonding hike. This one in the Rockies but at moderate altitudes... around nine or ten thousand feet. Cold temperatures and snow expected as well as many interesting conversations.

One of several topics of conversation tonight was keeping small things from stressing her. "Small fish versus big fish like my dissertation."

I look forward to these every year. Yes, the talk as well as the hikes.

- © 2012 by Willy

It's Going Quick!

My Daffodils started blooming in mid-January, the Bluebells have peaked already and the Mayapple blooms are about gone. I've expected, monitored and enjoyed them all.

It's been perfect temps for hiking, and the winds are down for enjoyable bicycling. I've been doing a lot of both, but am not peaked yet training-wise. My annual July hiking trip with the daughter is this week (in full down and with stove at 10K-ft snow camp), and the usual December Florida family reunion (and hot bicycling) is next week. Good grief! Time has compressed... it's been a quick year, already. I may get thermal shock.

Thank goodness that my traditional Memorial Day weekend hike is staying put, then June will bring the 14ers in crampons and ice axe, bagging peaks in the Rockies. I have no idea what I'm doing after that, but have wanted to do the A.T. north of Fontana... a tough climb. This year I plan to wear myself out with twice the adventure.


- © 2012 by Willy

It's All In The Thinking

I've had many an accident and injury, and of most disrepair has always been the thinking.

Equally, I've had success upon success, all due to great expectations. Positive or negative... amazingly... it's all in the thinking. Resolve has pushed my body further than possible... the last bit of energy just appears, by magic. Also, at times, my tired body has influenced my mind to generate negative thoughts. On the other hand, my trained body, at times, has given me a mental high. My body and mind, positive and negative, have coupled through attitude and thinking. If I wanted it bad, I went for it. If I went for it, I wanted it. I created the dream in my mind and the action came true. If I went for it, the dream came true. With action... positive or negative... it came... positive or negative.

Repairing my mind has fixed my body.


- © 2012 by Willy

A Clear Advantage

"You do well for a young person." I paid a compliment this morning at the gym to a young lady for her tenaciousness. Us old farts have an advantage: we live simpler lives... with no kids, spouse, mother-in-law, school, mortgage, drama or worries. This gives us more time, flexibility and focus. Thus we are happier, enjoy ourselves and train more... a clear advantage over youth.

The key is to keep it simple. I have good friends and a mostly good family. In the past, I've tried to help people but have repeatedly ended up crossing the line and being instead a co-dependent or enabler. Since I have this problem, I decided to give up relationships. The Serenity Prayer is key. I've learned not to hold them but to fold them... and to get out of the game. I've been lucky to be able to carry through my plan: Without sticky dependents... and their drama... life is easier. I listened: My father guides me with a soft hand and an easy touch.

- © 2012 by Willy

Colloquialisms and Repetitions

The vernacular or colloquialism for the ubiquitous upper-booty tattoo is tramp stamp, which I learned from one of the sharp young people I mentor (I sometimes wonder if I learn more from them than they learn from me). This tat fact might have been actionable information for me thirty years ago but not now. We also discussed that brainwashing (frequent repetition) is not limited to Madison Avenue, to which she informed me that she already does that... tell all the boys, often, how cute she is. She also states that there is no kill switch on awesome, to which I could not help but LOL.

For twenty-one years I've worked out with younger Dallas, my brother from another mother, who continues to educate me as we press weight while I retell my experience... to laughs from both of us. Here, the reps are essential in order to stay huge.

I also repeat cardio to stay fit. While performing an early-season hike with my old buddy Ray last weekend, I praised him for his endurance (we did 12 miles and 2400 climb-feet in 6 hours). He replied that it was just putting one foot in front of the other, to which I remarked that this was true for life in general, and we both laughed while we bushwacked a shortcut.



Tomorrow is long and slow hike day, again. Today I did my usual early killer step class at the gym, some leftover weightlifting, got massaged and then again met a small group for an easy afternoon bike ride. I'm back to endos... mountain biking... besides my street rides and mountain hikes, whether in rain, wind and cold... or not. This year I'm training to bag a couple of 14ers in Colorado (hike to summit mountains above 14,000 feet). I'm bagging the peaks solo. My daughter says she's proud that I'm a badass. I'm tweaking my cold gear too... adding wicked crampons and killer ice axes, with which I'll boggle my neighbors' minds while aerating my front yard.

No matter the jargon, repetition and training are essential in life. It's all about having fun being bad... over and over again.



- © 2012 by Willy