To the limit

A TV show just aired something called the Newton Triathlon/Duathlon. The participants try to run as many triathlons as possible. In 24 hours. You stretch yourself to the limits, to the breaking point. How far can you go? How deeply can you reach inside of yourself? Can you push past your breaking point, when your goal is still ahead of you? Yes, you can.

Merci beaucoup

Sometimes a little thank you can set a day back to its proper balance. Something so small can carry a big impact. Even in a difficult situation, you can have something to be thankful for.

Weather forecast

The fog that has enveloped the area for the past few days is trying to lift. It's felt a little like Brussels here--but without the beer and frites. Should I take that as a metaphor? The sun always, always comes out.

Perpetual optimism is a force multiplier--Colin Powell

Lightness

Heading south into the city, traffic slowed. I couldn't tell why. I opened the windows, and the breeze flowing in was refreshing, as if it knew what I needed. The lights snaked and danced, as if a ballet was being performed. I then headed to the bridge. Usually I feel jittery making the uphill climb, but tonight, no jitters. Smooth. I headed for the airport, to turn around. Driving through, seeing people waiting to see loved ones again, the noise of the planes, the lights--my soul felt light. I felt like a kid walking into a toy store, with the world laid out for me.

Through the haze of the early night, many of the city's skyscrapers were lit in red--urging the Phillies on. Urging me on.

Looking up through the sunroof, I saw some stars out. Giving me another lift. A boost for the spirit. A place to aim for.

Gonna fly now

Philadelphia is a city of underdogs. Fighters. The city's sports teams haven't won a title since 1983--the Curse of Billy Penn. But they keep trying. Keep fighting through. Kep hoping. The Phillies are down 2-0 in the playoffs, and in danger of losing a short series. But they move on. After all, the Mets had a seven-game lead with 17 games to play. And they lost out.

I'm going to ride down to the City of Brotherly Love a little later. To feel the lights. The speed. Play chess at 65 mph. To feel some of that spirit. Get in touch with my inner underdog.

(Yes, I've run up the steps. The view of the skyline is amazing.)

Out of sight

What the hell? Can you imagine a ship without a captain? A mayor without a city? That's the situation in Atlantic City, NJ, now. Amazing. Simply amazing.

At the car wash

Finding moments of zen, of stillness, of emptiness, is hard to achieve. But there I was, in the car wash, watching the squeegees move over the car. And for five seconds, there was stillness, nothingness. Not long, but noticeable. And a relief.

Instruction book

This link gives nine lines of inspiration and instruction (mid-page). All good points to remember.

Confidence man

I've had a very trying day. But I'm happy. By all accounts, I should be miserable. But I'm happy. Confident and self-assured for the simple reason that I am comfortable with myself. My goodness. My heart. My soul. It's a recipe that may not produce fireworks, but it's a formula built to last. Strong, durable. Attractive, if I may be so bold. And worth the trouble. The formula should plain to see, but for some, it's been hard to grasp. Amazing, isn't it?

It's amazing what strength you can gain from adversity--confidence, self-assuredness. It's a great feeling.

The fog of the morning

I hate waking up early. Especially if I haven't slept much. I've had a lot on my mind overnight. Another storm hit. This one will blow away, but I really want it to stay. But it doesn't see it that way, a shame. You give of yourself, freely, willingly, joyfully. But still, it is not enough.

My soul needs

a boost. Please forgive a repeat performance...

Here's a quote from Albert Murray's book "The Hero and the Blues" ...

Nevertheless, the image of the sword being forged is inseparable from the dynamics of antagonistic cooperation, a concept which is indispensable to any fundamental definition of heroic action, in fiction or otherwise. The fire in the forging process, like the dragon which the hero must always encounter, is of its very nature antagonistic, but is also cooperative at the same time. For all its violence, it does not destroy the metal which becomes the sword. It functions precisely to strengthen and prepare it to hold its battle edge, even as the all but withering firedrake prepares for subsequent trials and adventures. The function of the hammer and the anvil is to beat the sword into shape even as the most vicious challengers no less than the most cooperatively rugged sparring mates jab, clinch, and punch potential prize-fighters into championship condition.

Heroism, which like the sword is nothing if not steadfast, is measured in terms of the stress and strain it can endure and the magnitude and complexity of the obstacles it overcomes. Thus difficulties and vicissitudes which beset the potential hero on all sides not only threaten his existence and jeopardize his prospects; they also by bringing out the best in him, serve his purpose. They make it possible for him to make something of himself. Such is the nature of every confrontation in the context of heroic action.

One step back, two steps forward

Life is full of compromise. Give and take. Push and pull. Yin and yang. To get something, you have to give up something sometimes. We tend to be scared to make that sacrifice of giving up, because we tend to think what we have is too precious to surrender. Little do we know that by opening up our arms, just a little, the reward will exceed anything we possess on our own.

The dream of the blue..rabbit?

This may bother me today. I took a quick nap this morning, and had a quick dream. There was a rabbit (black and white, not blue) and a frog, sitting on the living room floor. It startled me. What does it mean?

Walk on by

Letting the cares and concerns of the world float by can be difficult. From seemingly trivial to the most heart-wrenching, to be hypnotized by the news, to be seduced, memorized by it, is all too easy. But it's just as easy to walk away. Go outside and stop being bombarded by the constant noise. I've been amazed by how easily I can disconnect from the stream, go off somewhere and find myself again. The abilityto just walk on by gets to be second nature after awhile.

Sometimes...

It's never a good idea to out-think the room. You should feel the vibe, the flow of the room and swim with it if the current is good. Swimming upstream for its own sake is foolish and wasteful.

Addition by...addition

Lots more good stuff on the tumblelog, including....

• cheating on sleep
• what do you when nobody loves you
• finding time for what matters
• leaving for paris in 56 minutes.

Go take a gander...

Clear-eyed

This is a smart take on the whole Apple iPhone unlocking/bricking. The religious view gives it an interesting twist. IPhone fans and hackers are up in arms that Apple released an update that disabled much of the stuff they downloaded that wasn't authorized. We can argue whether Apple should or shouldn't open up the phone to third-party hacks.

The episode points to something amiss in society. People want what they want, and they want it now. They, we, aren't willing to wait for a better version of something, knowing it will come. We want it right, straight out of the box. And we're treating the device--as cool as it is--as this world-changing thing, when all it is, is a phone. That's all. By itself, it won't solve global warming, the situation in Iraq, the situation in Myanmar. If we only attached the same amount of significance to those areas, imagine what could be accomplished.

What goes up, must come down

An example of the way the universe balances itself out. On one end of Interstate 95, jubilation. On the other end, despair. The Philadelphia Phillies were seven games back in baseball's National League East division with 17 games to go, looking up at the New York Mets. Then the Mets fell apart. Last week was horrendous for them--losing six of seven to two awful teams. Meanwhile, the Phillies kept plugging away, winning a few, losing one or two. They never gave up, even in late innings. The Mets, though, wilted, letting a sure thing slip through. The two lessons: victory is fleeting, but you should never give up.

Velvet rope

I hate velvet ropes. I hate places with velvet ropes. I always feel inadequate passing by some place using a velvet rope to keep (most) people out. I like a place--bar, jazz club, whatever--where I can go in, sit, have a drink, or a coffee, with no drama. Simple, elegant.

I've been waiting for months for an invitation to Joost. It's an internet TV application that has a ton of free programs. They've been quite parsimonious with the invites--at first blush, to keep out the rabble. But it's likely it was to make sure their servers were ready for the pounding they'd take today, when they opened the doors to everyone. It was worth the wait (CSI!), despite those damn ropes.