Take a second attempt

Hello readers,

I drive my kids nuts when I use my favorite expression “everything is the same”.but it’s the approach  that is the same I am really speaking about.

Its funny to me now my Dad use to always use soccer in any teaching he did with me(sometimes he would sub the Battle of Bannockburn or the Alamo) and I would get pissed off and think Robert the Bruce had fuck all to do with my bad grades! He was correct though and I was just a kid who had bad grades. I have never been in battle against the heavy horses of proud Edward’s army let alone angry Mexicans surrounding and old mission, but I have had to go against the odds…and won(unlike the poor men of the Alamo).

If you have an obstacle to tackle and here you sub in anything you like smoking,weight loss,rival soccer team(thanks Dad),bullies, bosses,homework,meetings…no matter they are all the same. You need to have your plan. I use the same approach to everything with my weary time tested plan of action. It still works for me every time as long as I remember the most important part of my plan is before I quit,surrender,lose,..you get the idea “all the same” I stop check all of my data I can get my hands on and then I take a second attempt or a second shot at the goals (Dad’s voice is always with me).

My latest example( and yet another chance to share my Facebook music page)is the song Scarborough Fair. If you have seen the film The Graduate, then you know the song very well. As  a kid I loved this song and as a guitar player it just frustrated me. I had nothing to go on for the longest time and then I saw Paul Simon on TV playing it and I made a note (pun) of what he was doing. I t was just a clue but I wrote it down. This allowed me to ignore any sheet music that did not have it written from what I saw Mr. Simon playing, my plan of action had begun.

 

I will spare you all the details of capos and key changes the main thing is the fingerpicking  pattern, master that and the song is yours.Well I saw that clip on TV when I was 16 or so and it has bothered me every since. Now we have guitar tabs, instruction videos everywhere and its really up to how bad you want to learn a song. Well I tried with all the proper sheet music,tabs,and video and my finger picking style is very weak.

Add to the mix for a perfect storm I severed the tendons on my index finger of my right (picking)hand. So I chose (always about choice!) to try one more time. This time I caught a mistake I had made years ago, I mean right when I had had enough a breakthrough.

 

This I find happens a lot to me, I still get frustrated on projects, but I can’t remember the last time I gave up. I look at the wall that is stopping me now as a challenge,any problem that comes up and I feel like stopping, I now think I’m just that much closer to getting the job done.

So in short before you throw in the towel on whatever it is you want or need to do, give it another shot. My finger is a mess,but I do have a thumb and three other fingers it was very tough for me and the crippled finger tends to burn every now and then, but I figured it out.

I dedicate this post to my Dad,unknown to me at the time but he gave me my favorite philosophy..you see it just like soccer!

Peace and Love

Shona Skye Creations: Support - Pumpkin Pie Style

 Hello all,

Making the right choice makes all the difference in weight loss. I am always looking for a way to get to eat my favorite foods without breaking my Primal rules. So I spoke to my wife about it and she backed me on pleanty of stuff and does her best to work with me. At the holidays I planned on missing out on her famous pumpkin pie, I did last year and I was not a happy boy. So please check out her post below about how she found a way for me to get my pie and eat it too! Very nice treat once in awhile!!!


Shona Skye Creations: Support - Pumpkin Pie Style: Hi, y'all!! I'm so glad you are here! This is the post I shared on Sugar Bee Crafts last week, but I wanted to share it here, too, in case y...

Muscle up

Hello all. hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday! My wife made a great meal and we had lots of family and friends over. Perfect storm for an excellent day. I even enjoyed some of her  Pumpkin pie over the weekend Not part of my primal diet but I shoot for 80% or more towards staying on my plan. When I have something like a slice of pie or over due it with drink, then I go a little harder for the next few days.

 

So last year I started my plan and a lot of people asked how long until I revert back to my old ways. It’s a fair point to bring up, lots of people lose weight for a few months. The trick is the long game. I  remind myself of how bad I felt and how disgusting I looked. I remember the shame of not being able to wear any clothes in my closet. It took me a long time to learn about food and as for as working out I went for very simple this year,walking and bike riding. So now I’m very close to my goal of being under 200lbs, I have been as low as 205 and as high as 215 the past few months. It does not seem to matter what I do. So time to change it up and shock my body.

Lifting weights is a very good way to burn fat and tone your body. I have to admit I have been lazy about this over all this year so now I’m pushing myself. I think its very good to change up your work out plans on a regular basis. You will be less likely to become bored and it keeps your body working different sets of muscles.

When you hear about muscle builders being ripped, they actually mean they are “ripping” and expending their muscles. You need to have some time in between to let your body heal. I would recommend something easy you can follow three days a week. Again don’t set yourself up for failure by trying to over do it. You don’t need to join a gym, get some dumbbells and a sturdy chair and your on your way.

I’m not an expert and would not feel right telling people the correct forms for weight lifting,you can find all you need online. I will be checking in from time to time to see how my weight lifting is coming along for me and I will be happy to share my thoughts and tips I can offer.

 

Thanks for stopping by, peace and love all!

Time to Give Thanks

Thanksgiving has become my favorite holiday; I love the autumn and the crisp morning air and I feel the change is everywhere at this time of year. People tend to huddle more around the table at my house and great conversations rise up over many topics. Favorite films are watched again and a good book to read with a glass of wine nearby makes for a wonderful night. It is also the holiday that I decided to take responsibility for my health.

I chose Thanksgiving for many reasons but above all people over eat more and move less. Now a year later and I am about 25lbs or so from my goal weight. It took about as much as effort as just saying No every time I wanted  to eat something bad and Yes every time I had the chance to move.   It really is just that simple,make up your mind that enough is enough.

Just some of  small things that happened throughout the year I really enjoyed.

Helping find a home for a couple of Pit bulls was a real blast I was glad to help out with.

Going to the Rene fair  where my daughter worked and hanging out drinking rum with Celtic music playing.

I went to my first Gay Pride day in the park and met a lot of very cool people there.

My wife got a group of family and friends together and did a home makeover for my Mothers kitchen.

Got in a lot of bike riding and hiking in through out the year.

Wearing my Kilt at the Highland games was great day of Scottish Pride.

Spending a couple days swimming with “Lucy & Ethel” during the heat blast we all went through.

Friends showing up with a bottle of wine and hanging out on our deck.

Seeing some great local bands and talking shop.

 

These are small things over all but they were all good times I had because of the people I got to spend time with. I count my blessings and treasure my children and wife and family and friends alike.

As it gets colder and those comfort foods surround you, keep in mind the summer is not that far off and all the things you missed out on because you were not in good enough shape will soon be here again. Make some smart choices this week,eat a little less and move a little more. Please don’t wait for the New Year to make a move, when giving thanks this year don’t forget to reward yourself and take better care of your health !

Peace and Love All!

That’s the way

Now that its getting colder and the clocks have changed. when I leave for work its dark and when I head home same thing. So I need to adapt my plans. I will be missing out on much needed sunshine so I make sure I get outside at my lunch break and just take a few laps around our office. On weekends or any days off I go for a much longer walk.

This is the time also when people tend to shut down and eat comfort foods and lots of deserts from all the holidays and never venture outside unless they have to. Bundle up folks and go for a walk, layer your clothes and make sure to wear a hat and gloves. My local foot path which is crowed all year will now have long sections all to myself. Great chance to see wild life and knock off some pounds.

I use the winter months as well to break out my weights to help make up for my lack of bike riding. I don’t get all crazy with this, just basic strength training,some curls,planks and push ups and the dreaded pull ups. I can’t say enough about adding any moving to your day, just adding some steps here and there will add up quick.

When I workout which is always a very casual sorta thing, I like to shake up my routines, If I’m bike riding I might break out into going 100% for 5 minutes or leave the trail and go over some rough ground. Same goes for walking, at one park I go to they have challenge stops along the way where you can work out your arms. chest stomach and not just your legs.

Enjoy the Fall colors and get out and take on the Winter chill.

 

Peace and Love all.

Just a walk in the woods

One of the best things about living in Missouri  from my location in St. Louis is I have so many beautiful parks to hike through. My friend Jay is a photographer and he will take the time to look up the local parks for trails and give me a call and off we go. Jay gets some great photos and we both get are work out.

I think by far the best trail around my neck of the woods (sorry I went for that) is the Chubb trail, 7 miles of deep woods and great views of the Meramec river. I have in the past year or so hiked at least a dozen trails through these state parks. I have seen bald eagles,deer ,wild turkeys and tons of beautiful trees.

I started out looking to lose weight, I did not expect to find such inner calm along the way. When I first started I would take my mp3 player with me,but I was missing out on so much. The main thing was to be able to let your mind flow and not have to hear from anyone but yourself.

Some basic things would be comfortable shoes and suitable clothes depending on the weather. Bug spray in the summer and water can be vital. I carved some walking sticks for my daughter and myself that come in handy as well. We have walked when its 13 below and found quick where I needed to cover up in the cold. In the fall like now the leaves are everywhere and you have to really watch your step.

At Castlewood park which joins up with the Chubb trail they have some very steep hills that give you a great view as well as a tough workout. You can pick and choose your paths from just a mile to an all day hike. All of these trails tend to blend in which is fine with me because I enjoy just being out in the woods.

I spend my week sitting in my office with a nice view of a hill,on the weekends I make sure I’m far away from the indoors as much as I can. The more you walk/hike the more you want to.

So if your looking for an easy way to get fit,feel good and get some calm in your life then turn of the TV and lace up your boots and hit the trails.

Peace and Love all!

Energy Vampires

An energy vampire is someone who walks into your day and just takes away all the joy from whatever task you have at hand. Unlike the creatures from Bram Stoker and Anne Rice these vile fiends can attack on the sunniest of days.

There power seems to come from zapping all of your joy from any given plan you have. They lurk almost anywhere some favorite haunts are office meetings,family picnics little league games,just about anywhere you go and they show up with there banners that say things like “what’s the point” or “It will never fly Wilbur”.

So we need to arm ourselves like Van Helsing and be ready for any attack that might come our way.

The best power is to just ignore their relentless sour mood,this in its self can flat out destroy these constant wet blankets of doom. I now welcome their attacks and try to disarm them anyway I can. It’s a pretty good mental work out but it does not burn many calories so you still have go for a walk. A common trait the “EV” have is to share some bit of juicy gossip, when a known “EV” appears with said gossip I like to throw them off with a questions like “is this the truth?”or “what your about to tell me is something that will help me?” If not, why would you think I would want to know this.

A pastime for life suckers of fun is to spoil the surprise ending of a film or novel, that’s always good for them.

My point here amongst my ramble is not to let them get to you, ever! You make your plans, your goals and ignore the outside voices and those negative ones in your head as well. Just this week I took control of all the negative talk on my car radio, I decided enough is enough and reset my stations. If I do not get joy from what’s on or at least information why would I listen to it.

On Facebook I know its all about everyone’s space to promote what they like (please see my video below) but I dropped several folk for their constant need to promote hate or propaganda. It ’s about choice for them and also for you though. Every action has a reaction.

I’m making the choice to fill my days with fun, up beat and open minded people, as far the dreaded energy vampires ..fuck em who needs to be bored.

Love and Peace all!

The Cube

When you choose (and that’s all up to you) to change your way of thinking so many more options appear. I am always looking for a better solution and I question any advice that comes my way before just accepting it or kicking it to the curb. Weight loss and depression have long been struggles for me but in seeking that out I found I was able to apply the same thinking to every other aspect of my life.

On the way to work today I heard this interesting story on NPR about education in the Far East compared to our Western thinking. The example they gave was a teacher was having the class draw a simple 3D cube where you draw a square then layer and another square in the middle of it and connect the lines making a cube. One child just could not seem to grasp this concept.

The teacher had the kid step up to the chalk board in front of the classroom (Oh the Horror!!) and work out the problem. The child would try and she would ask the class “is that right?” and the class would all shake their heads no. This went on for some time and if that would have been me I might have fled the room in a fit of frustration and rage. In this class though, they waited and encouraged the child and when at last he solved the problem the class cheered as he took his seat in triumph! Patience and determination was more highly thought of in this room.

In fairness the reporter said that the Easts way of teaching was not better just different. As an example in the East many of the students excelled in math and science but almost like robots and they lacked any type of imagination. So when we think out side of the box(Cube in this case) I would offer up that another part to add to our thinking is patience.

Peace and Love all!

Getting Better all the time

Keeping up the good fight can seem like an up hill fight, that’s why I do not rely on will power. You may be able to hold your breath under water 30 seconds more then me but your still going to come up from air. People who have what appears to be an iron will really have just learned to change the way they think.

I began my life change just about this time a year ago, I had my fill of Halloween candy and as a result could not stand what I allowed myself to become. Jabba the but! So I quit fighting and started to look at life in a new way. I made a code for myself that I could live with. I still seek out any new information to add to my list.

Now when it comes to your own personal code that’s up to you,but it does need to be something you will adapt to and make it a way of your life. I will share some of the things I do everyday that get me up that hill.

Lots of small things I change, such as traffic jams become time to think, chores become extra work outs. I try and remove hate from my vocabulary and my actions. I keep busy all day and look forward to my next project what ever it may be.

I find that working on my music takes me to a very good place in my head. Music is very hard for me in that I have no natural gift for it. I have to really struggle to come off sounding something like what I hear in my head. I keep trying and some days are much better then others and for me that enough. Peace and love all!

You say you want a revolution

Watching the Oscars a few years ago I heard this great line by funny man Steve Martin coming on stage after some young good looking actor “  I would give anything to look like that guy,well I would not eat right and workout”.

In the picture above I’m wearing sweatpants because nothing else fit, and I’m watching TV pretending I look pretty much like all the cool guys in films I love. I do look a bit like Marlon Brando in Apocalypse  Now! The truth though was I was kidding myself and fooling no one around me. I had become an old fat guy with next to no effort really. I just ate the wrong food at the wrong time which made me weaker,and always left tired and even more hungry.

My next trend was to try and workout while eating the same crap. Results : I ate even more crap and got fatter. I soon got fed up with trying to workout but I continued to eat even more , so as each year went by another 20lbs of lard was added to my short stocky frame.

 

The magic light went off when I found out that everything I was doing was wrong, and I needed to revolt against the system I had set for myself. I was amazed at how much better I started to feel once I had set my mine. Its sorta like having a secret power, I knew I was going to get fitter, lose weight and start enjoying life again. I set up little goals and large goals. I took all my measurements chest,hips ,waist,legs etc.. I tried on shirts and jeans and the scale whenever I felt like it.

 

The scale is in fact the least important type of measurement, I could care less what the scale is compared to how I feel and how I look. I still check my weight out of old bad habits but I do not let it control me. I have done everything right and got on the scale and seen my weight go up ten pounds. I no longer get frustrated by weight because so much more is going on. As we build lean muscle you look better and move better.

In fact for me once I started my own personal revolution I could already see the end results, no one else could but I had already changed my mine. I quit acting like a fat guy, I would dress as good as I could,sweat pants were for workouts only. I started out very small,and any thing I did was considered a victory. Again no one knew when I was having these little victories,but I knew.

I like the the idea of me against the odds,maybe it’s a Scottish thing or a macho fantasy, no matter I was living it. Every time I see someone sitting, I would think I’m walking I’m stronger then them,same would go for food. I would take my time and read up on food and make the correct choices for me.

If your not happy with yourself then its time to make a plan, start a revolution of your own and picture yourself in that outfit that defines you!

Peace and Love all!

Can you see the real me?

There is no one like you. Who else has experienced the events that shaped you. I have told my kids that we start life like a smooth ball of clay and then imagine that ball being rolled down a street. It would be perhaps dirty or jagged,maybe broken in half. How we are shaped has a lot to do with the road we roll down. The difference we have is how we chose to handle what the road sends us.

I really enjoy folks who define themselves every day by their actions over whatever path they have come from. I don’t ever want to waste any time feeling sorry for myself. No one has got it all figured out as far as I can tell. There’s and old story where you take your problems and write them down on paper,now you place them in a box and toss them into a huge bonfire along with all the people you work with everyday or live near by. Now you have to reach into the fire and take someone else’s box of problems..most of us would be trying to get our old problems back after seeing what the other guy has to do everyday to appear normal.

The people I have come to admire most are people who know themselves well and are comfortable in their own skin. I have some really cool people in my life and I have learned so much from just watching how they handle themselves with grace during a stressful time,dignity when you don’t have a dime and walking into a room like your Steve McQueen when you just stepped out of your compact car that’s 15 years old. I learned from my brother that wherever your at you make that the  best place to be. Laugh with Kings and reason with fools, its all about attitude and wearing what you dig.

 

We are complex and in constant change,don’t let yourself get trapped into a corner by what you believed to be so true 10 or 20 years ago. Go try those Green eggs and Ham!,might be good (sounds primal to me). Some folks like to have you all sorted out, it makes it easier for them. They don’t like to be  surprised with your crazy new ideas. I think we are far to important to not spend some time on ourselves to understand what makes us tick. I think you are the best person to decide what is the best path for you.

We have some built in warning signs left over from some primitive version of ourselves, the little hairs standing up on the back of our neck, blushing, cold sweats etc..Start paying attention to yourself and take note of how you act in different situations. I have found my self strutting like a peacock, making a clinched fist and getting a cold shiver (someone walking over your grave). Its very funny these things happen all the time without notice unless you go looking for them.

So todays little thought is take note of your own actions, you are not invisible and every action you take does matter and has effect on you and everyone you come across on this path your walking.

A Ghost story?

I enjoy a good ghost story be it in a book or a film. My personal favorite scary book is Ghost Story by Peter Straub and film I would go with The Legend of Hell House based on Richard Matheson’s novel.  The idea of going on a ghost haunt had always appealed to me,after all I felt like Dickens David Copperfield and was “born to see ghosts”. My wife and I use to collect books and when we found some local places, well game on.

We once took a road trip to Peoria Ill. in our own Mystery van like Scooby Doo and company. We walked through grave yards at night and visited their local scary spots (we saw a drunk who we decided was  a brain eating zombie) good times! As the years rolled on though I became more and more of a skeptic to now I just question everything and can no longer watch anyone on a ghost haunt on TV without thinking how stupid it is.

I write about this because it I found this to be the same in weight loss and health. I read so much stuff and thought somewhere out there is the truth, but the truth is there is a lot of bad information so you need to be a skeptic but at the same time do not dismiss everything. A better thing to do is to question first. We know that in general you need to move more and eat less, this will never change. Weight loss should be a very, very slow process,if someone says you can lose 20lbs in a month I would call that a red flag.

I like the idea of first getting your head around “I want a better version of myself”. Not an air brushed model who is good looking to start with,just you with some basic good habits.

Simple changes: Walk everyday for at least 30 minutes, eat lots of dark fresh greens,avoid bread and pastas as much as you can. Eat more fruit and give up sugar.

Oh and about ghosts stories, I have one that stays with me and challenges all my skeptic notions. My wife and I were turning out the lights of the house as we were heading to bed. I reached into the kitchen to switch off the light from our hallway. On the back of the stove was a small glass for holding toothpicks. I saw it lift off the stove on its own and then glide across the the stove and set its self down near one of the burners. My wife saw this as well. We just stared and I have no explanation for this. Ghosts?? No idea at all. It has never happened again as far as I know,but it did happen the way I just told it. Very strange Penny Lane.

Virescit Vulnere Virtus

As long as I could remember my Dad had this wooden plaque on the wall. It had a carving of a bird feeding its young against a Tartan background. I could see our name written in fancy scroll, the rest was some Latin that I could not understand. Virescit Vulnere Virtus. I asked my Dad and he said it meant Courage grows strong at a wound. I was 6 or 7 and it had no meaning. A few years later I was playing soccer and my Dad was our coach. He had played semi pro in Scotland and was a very fast winger we all respected. We had a practice game with an older team, a big deal when your 9. We were way out of our class and we were not only losing but we were getting laughed at and beaten. I saw a chance and went for the ball, I managed to get by one guy after another even though they kept on taking cheap shots at me. I was within a few feet of the goal line when I took another hit and loss the ball, my shins were stinging and I was red faced and then I got up and went after the ball again. I got it back, kicked it up the field and one of our guys put it in the net.

I had never felt like  that before, so strong and without fear, my Dad said to me when we got home and saw the blood soaked socks from my shins and he said “Courage grows strong at the wound”
I have been guilty of forgetting that feeling, now I try and remind myself. My wife wrote me a note filled with reminders of who I am, who she married who I said I wanted to be.
I’m not sure why we humans are  here any more then anyone else,but I have decided for me its to become a better person. My story that I continue to repeat in these posts because I need to remind myself of what I want. As a guitar player I tune my guitar first before I start to play, I play for a bit and sometimes I find my guitar has gone out of tune, I stop and retune. This is what I do in life, I stop and check to see if I’m still in tune.


Little update to this story: I went and got a tattoo of the Clan crest and altered it a bit with a Lion Rampant to celebrate turning 50 and my life, my youngest son is turning 21 and he also chose to get the clan crest and his is right of the plaque I grew up with.