A Story in a Box

Many of the pieces of my novels come from personal experience and stories told by the world around me.  I spend a lot of time simply watching birds, animals, people, clouds; each has a story to tell.

This morning, as I walked my wife, Bri, to her bus stop, we spied a box sitting on the corner of a street.  On the way home, I stopped, carefully opened it, and took a handful of photographs.  Something as simple as this box weaves a much larger tale when I look at it through a writer's eyes.  I thought I'd share part of my writing process with those of you who enjoy putting words on a page.

What story does this box offer you?  What secrets does each item in the box - crayons, a vase, the books - whisper to you?  How do those secrets form a single tale?  How did the box come to rest on this particular corner?

Moving In

We're still hard at work unpacking and moving in.  Well, most of us are, anyway...

Our "decorative cat" (if he's not eating, he pretty much just sleeps) is apparently quite comfortable with the new house.

We're Movin' On Up...

We're in the final stages of moving from one home to another on this end.  The move represents a significant upgrade in every area of our lives.  Once we're unpacked and settled in I'll blog about the entire journey.  Until then, here are aerial photographs of our old neighborhood as compared to our new neighborhood.  The respective houses are shown in each of the photographs.

The Old Neighborhood:  corner liquor store, an "adult" store a block and a half away, half-way houses, hordes of mice, and police on your block every week making drug busts.

The New Neighborhood: forests, fresh air, friendly neighbors, and within easy walking distance to the kids' schools.

The No Excuses Workout - Day 21 (End of Phase One)

What happened to Day 20?

I took the day off.

My plan this week was to take Saturday evening and Sunday morning off from my workout.  We're in the middle of moving and my wife and I both had things we needed to take care of in the morning around the same time.  So I left (on foot) for Office Depot (about an hour's walk away from our house) and she picked me up there when she was free.  We spent the rest of the day packing, lifting boxes and carrying them to the staging area at the front of our house.  (With four kids we have a lot of stuff.)  By the end of the day I was tired. So....

I took my entire twenty-four hour break on Saturday.

The great thing about the workout is that it's flexible.  What would I do if I took today off as well?  Rather than increasing with an additional workout, I'd do the last workout I had completed over again.  What if I took ANOTHER day off?  I'd do the same workout, but I'd drop all of the exercises by two repetitions.  This process continues down to ten reps, which is the floor of the final workout.

And speaking of final workouts - this is the end of Phase One.

I've lost a chunk of weight.  (I don't use scales, but I'm down a full size.)  I'm much stronger (I've packed on the lean muscle), my endurance is way up, and I can stand up, bend at the waist, and touch my knuckles to the floor - which means I've improved my flexibility as well.

Not bad for three weeks of work.

If I simply continued Phase One, my weight would continue to drop, my fitness level (strength, endurance, and flexibility) would continue to increase, and I'd find myself living a very healthy lifestyle.  It's really just that simple.  If you want to get in shape - and stay there - this is one very effective way of doing so.   To think it all began with a single exercise and a one block walk.

Phase Two (which I won't clutter my blog with but will check in with from time to time) is the journey from "fit" to "athelete."  By the end of Phase Two, I'll be well-prepared to join an amateur sports league, competitively run 10Ks, or any activity that requires a higher level of fitness.  Phase Three is the journey from "athelete" to my body's optimnal fitness level.  The "rules" change slightly in each Phase.  For instance, in Phase Two I'll be taking weekends off completely to allow my body time to recover.  In Phase Three I'll be working on overlapping three and six week cycles - which alternate between pushing my body's limits and allowing it time to breathe.

My ultimate goal?  I'm working on that.  The waist in my jeans reads "34" and those in my closet read "30."  I'm tired of my "closet jeans" feeling lonely.  So that's part of it.  I have a couple of crazy ideas that, if I actually go for them, I'll YouTube them and share them that way.  Shhhhh... they're a secret.

So that's it.  The No Excuses Workout is my way of getting incredibly fit with no equipment, no gym, and no expenditure of money.  The entire Phase Three workout (which I'm doing today) is listed below.  In all honesty, this is all I would have to do to achieve and maintain a very good level of fitness.  And to think, it all started three weeks ago on Day One with a walk around the block and a single exercise.

AM Workout

Table Top - three times (from Day One)
Hug and Release - one time, twenty repetitions (from Day Three)
Elevation - three times (from Day Four)
Lift - one time, twenty repetitions (from Day Five)
Tic Toc - one time, twenty repetitions (from Day Six)
Plank - three times (from Day Eight)
Tiny - one time, twenty repetitions (from Day Nine)
Hang - three times (from Day Ten)
Bend - three times (from Day Eleven)
Reach - three times (from Day Thirteen)
Pushup - one time, twenty repetitions (from Day Thirteen)
Frog Crunch - one time, twenty repetitions (from Day Sixteen)
Alternating Crunch - one time, twenty repetitions (from Day Seventeen)
Reverse Crunch - one time, twenty repetitions (from Day Eighteen)
Standard Crunch - one time, twenty repetitions  (from Day Nineteen)

New Exercise: Cobra

Cobra is another yoga move and one that I like to use to end a long series of abdominal work.  I roll over on my stomach and keep my knees and feet together.  Moving my hands into the same position they'd be in to do a Push-Up, and keeping my hips firmly planted on the ground, mattress, or mat, I slowly raise my upper body and arch my back in a slow, gentle movement.  When I get to the limit of what is comfortable for me, I hold it.  The entire "move and hold" process take a count of thirty.  I'll do Cobra three times.

Cardio:

Between 20 to 60 minutes of Walking With Purpose.  On days when my schedule is packed or I haven't had the chance to go walking until the end of the day, I'll do twenty.  On days when I'm free (a sunny Saturday, for example, I'll go for up to an hour).

PM Workout

Twist (No Shout) - one time, twenty repetitions (from Day Two)
Bobble Head - one time, twenty repetitions (from Day Three)
Too Sexy - one time, twenty repetitions (from Day Four)
Popeye - one time, twenty repetitions (from Day Five)
Kick Back - one time, twenty repetitions (from Day Eight)
Flight - one time, twenty repetitions (from Day Nine)
Pump - one time, twenty repetitions (from Day Ten)
Chair one time, twenty repetitions (from Day Eleven)
Good Morning - one time, twenty repetitions (from Day Fourteen)
Lower - one time, twenty repetitions (from Day Fifteen)
Side Punch - one time, twenty repetitions (from Day Sixteen)
Front Punch - one time, twenty repetitions (from Day Sixteen)
Cross Punch - one time, twenty repetitions (from Day Seventeen)
Elbow Strike - one time, twenty repetitions (from Day Eighteen)
Upper Cut - one time, twenty repetitions (from Day Nineteen)

New Exercise: Dodge

Starting in the same position as the other punches, I imagine a punch is being thrown at my head.  I "dodge" to  the left in a gentle motion, bending quickly at the waist, before straightening and bending to the left.  Bending to the right, then the left, then returning to center is one repetition.  The key to this entire exercise isn't the speed with which it's done, but keeping my navel pulled toward my spine and my abdominal muscles flexed and engaged throughout.  I'll do it one time for twenty repetitions.

The No Excuses Workout - Day 19

Only two half-days left in Phase One after today... Three weeks is usually the amount of time needed ot turn a habit (which takes about three days) into a lifestyle.  Having accomplished that, I'll most likely stop the daily workout blog.  Before and After pictures will post in late August or early September when I've completed Phase Three.

I could stop here.  Doing just Phase One would get me in really astounding shape.  However, I'm aiming a little higher than that... :)

AM Workout

Table Top - three times (from Day One)
Hug and Release - one time, twenty repetitions (from Day Three)
Elevation - three times (from Day Four)
Lift - one time, twenty repetitions (from Day Five)
Tic Toc - one time, twenty repetitions (from Day Six)
Plank - three times (from Day Eight)
Tiny - one time, twenty repetitions (from Day Nine)
Hang - three times (from Day Ten)
Bend - three times (from Day Eleven)
Reach - three times (from Day Thirteen)
Pushup - one time, sixteen repetitions (from Day Thirteen)
Frog Crunch - one time, sixteen repetitions (from Day Sixteen)
Alternating Crunch - one time, sixteen  repetitions (from Day Seventeen)
Reverse Crunch - one time, sixteen repetitions (from Day Eighteen)

New Exercise: Standard Crunch

Yes, four Crunches in a row.  My core is strong enough now that I can actually handle it.  While most gym-members have done a the Standard Crunch before, I was taught to do it differently than most are familiar with.

Starting in the typical Crunch position (small of the back pressed into the floor, legs and knees together, feet close to but not touching the body, my navel pulled toward my spine), I curl up just enough to so that my shoulder blades come up off the floor, mat, or mattress.

And here's where things are different.

Rather than continuing to curl up, I simply try to pull the bottom of my rib cage toward my pelvis.  This isn't a Sit-Up with your abs tight - it's called a Crunch for a reason.  What I do is "crunch" those muscles together, like my abs are making a fist.  I perform the motion slowly, making sure that the movement (and hold at the top) last for a count of four before lowering myself back to the "shoulder blades off the ground" position for an additional count of four.

This morning I did sixteen repetitions.  And while it was tough and my muscles cried out for mercy, in less than three weeks I actually HAVE muscles again to do that.

Cardio

I've moved my cardio to the evenings and I'm still Walking With Purpose for at least twenty minutes a day.

PM Workout

Twist (No Shout) - one time, twenty repetitions (from Day Two)
Bobble Head - one time, twenty repetitions (from Day Three)
Too Sexy - one time, twenty repetitions (from Day Four)
Popeye - one time, twenty repetitions (from Day Five)
Kick Back - one time, twenty repetitions (from Day Eight)
Flight - one time, twenty repetitions (from Day Nine)
Pump - one time, twenty repetitions (from Day Ten)
Chair one time, twenty repetitions (from Day Eleven)
Good Morning - one time, twenty repetitions (from Day Fourteen)
Lower - one time, twenty repetitions (from Day Fifteen)
Side Punch - one time, twenty repetitions (from Day Sixteen)
Front Punch - one time, twenty repetitions (from Day Sixteen)
Cross Punch - one time, twenty repetitions (from Day Seventeen)
Elbow Strike - one time, twenty repetitions (from Day Eighteen)

Starting in the same position as the other Punches, I turn my fist so that my palm is facing me and flex throughout the motion as I slowly punch upward toward the ceiling for a count of four.  I then reverse the motion and flex back to the starting position before repeating the movement on the opposite side.  The right/left combo is one repetition.  I'll do twenty reps this evening.

Worthy of Song

A little over two years ago I experienced a fairy severe hemorrhagic stroke that left me with memory loss, difficulties speaking (Broca's aphasia), extreme fatigue and a number of other lingering health issues.  While many of the symptoms faded over time, my memory returned, and I overcame my limitations speaking, fought against the constant fatigue and struggled with certain types of logic problems that were a constant companion - even on a good day.

Bad days?  I simply did my best to make it through.

One of the weird side effects of the stroke was that I lost my hay fever allergies.  After being plagued my entire life by constant low-grade sinus irritation throughout most of year, my allergies were suddenly and inexplicably gone.

On top of the lingering symptoms from the stroke, in late June, I found myself battling what I thought was a simple bladder infection.  After five days of discomfort that grew into crippling pain, I found myself in the Emergency Department of our local hospital, pumped full of synthetic morphine and looking at my CAT scan of a kidney stone that was large enough that it was continually blogging my system and backing it up into my kidneys as it slowly worked its way through my body.  Three prescriptions later (and a funnel closed with a mesh screen to catch the stone when I urinated) and I was sent home to wait it out - an experience that the hospital staff informed me was slightly more painful than giving birth.

As I stood in the shower, seeking solace and distraction from the pain under the flow of hot water, I saw a vision of myself (something that is fairly common for a traditionally trained shaman especially under physical duress).  In my vision, my flesh was taught and gnarled like dried meat, every bit of life drawn from it until it was as hard as woven rope.  It's not that my flesh was dead - it's simply that every ounce of softness had been drawn from it.  I was clad in armor forged from tears and pain, images of agony and turmoil from my path woven into the alloy if the plate mail.  I shook my head to clear it of the images, fighting to stand in the shower, overwhelmed by the excruciating pain that carved through my abdomen.

On July 1st at approximately 2 AM West Coast time, I was sitting up in bed, talking with my wife, Briana, when I was hit by a sudden splitting headache that lasted approximately ninety seconds.  While it's hard to accurately explain, I could "see" both frontal lobes of my brain bathed in robin's egg blue light and the area where the stroke occurred illuminated in an even paler blue.  The intensity of the headache (9 on a scale of 1 to 10) stopped our conversation in its tracks before fading as suddenly as it appeared. Due to the lateness of the hour, my wife and I mutually decided to curl up together and and quickly fell asleep.

The next morning when I opened my eyes, I felt "weird."  As I went through my mental library, the most recent time I could remember feeling the same way was approximately five years previous - a morning in the summer when I was in excellent shape and in top physical condition.

As I got out of bed, I discovered that all of the pain and discomfort from the kidney stone had disappeared - even though I never passed the stone. What's more is that all of the lingering symptoms from the stroke - something I have lived with every day for more than two years - were utterly absent.  My mind was sharp, I had a tremendous amount of energy, and everything had been "renewed."

Even my hay fever had returned.

I immediately returned to my pre-stroke activity levels, something I hadn't been able to approach in more than two years.  Working out twice a day (something that would have been unthinkable during the stroke years), I've dropped a full size (shirts and pants) and I’m still going strong.  Everyone - my wife, my children, my extended family - comments on the profound difference in my energy.  Some say I'm "more there."  Others talk about the "intensity" that I bring to every moment (something I was known for in my past).  It's required a recalibration on the part of those that have shared my world for the past two years who grew accustomed to a quiet, low-energy, easily fatigued person.

My old motto used to come from a song by Reverend and the Makers called, "Heavyweight Champion of the World."  The lyric said, "If you're not living on the edge you take up too much room."  My life was once dedicated to milking every moment dry, of falling asleep at the end of every day having lived life - even the simple, stay-at-home mundane moments - to their fullest, and to constantly pushing my boundaries.  I lived a life without regrets.  Every moment was completely and consciously embraced; even when I chose to relax with a book, it was often with candlelight, soft music, and a comforting beverage. When the stroke hit, the fatigue was so severe that, at first, I couldn't do a simple chore for more than a moment or two without having to go rest.  Last night, I had to go walk for an hour around 11 PM simply to unwind as my energy level was too high to sleep - and that was after having worked out twice that day.

As I stepped into the shower the morning after the headache with the blue light, I used a shamanic technique to revisit the vision that I had seen of the hard dried flesh and the armor of pain.  My goal was to understand what my subconscious was telling me and to decipher the lesson behind it.  Instead of a desiccated, ghoulish figure in plate mail of grey and blue alloys, a vibrant Norse warrior in the prime of his life stood in its place.  The armor forged of pain and agony was there, but it was overlaid with thick metal plates of green and gold patterns.  As I looked closer, the patterns in the armor were scenes of life - animals; plants; rivers and mountains; skies and seas.

The chains that once held me down have been shattered.  Given a second chance to run with the wind, nothing will ever restrain me again.  I have an amazing wife, wonderful children, and a handful of trusted friends.  I have perspective, drive, and a pocket full of talent.  And my hunger, drive and confidence are returned in spades.

I've always been "too much" for some people.  The events of the past few years left me a shell of what I once was which I think made it much easier for some folks to accommodate me.  After the headache and blue light, I'm not sure how to explain it, but I'm more than I ever was.  On a normal day, I'm an over-exuberant golden retriever with a furiously wagging tail.  But when the light catches me just right, you stop and realize that there's an awful lot of Wolf in that friendly dog.  It's not a combination that many are comfortable with - but it's me to the core.

A lot of that incredibly deep pool of energy is directed into me pushing my own limits in art, spirituality, fitness, and even in parenting.  To me the phrase "comfort zone" translates to "time to try something new."  Suddenly "scrambled eggs" become "breakfast crepes."  Since I tend to share my art, there's a lot coming down the pipeline that I'll be sharing with all of you.  In addition to writing and photography, I'm starting to sketch again.  I'm learning Spanish and piano and toying with guitar.  In between packing boxes for our upcoming move (next weekend), I'm storyboarding episodes for a long-awaited Web-based video series.

And that is just the tip of the iceberg.

The joke used to be that I accomplished more in a single day than any three people should be able to do.  My junior year in high school I played football, ran cross-country, and was the drum major in the band – all at the same time.  Recharged, renewed, with a freshly forged set of armor, I'm throwing Life to the ground and making it submit to my will and give me every last thing I want.  This chapter of my story is MINE to write. To those who complain and caution, I quietly and firmly say, "Move.”  You’re in my way.  To those who want to come along, I offer a smile that’s half golden retriever’s wagging tail and half wolf’s measured stare.  "If you’re willing, follow me!  It's going to be an epic ride!"

Once, long ago, our deeds were remembered in campfire stories and sang in raucous feasting halls.  The details don’t matter to me, but I will live a life worthy of my ancestor’s songs.  That's a promise.  Don't believe me?  Step aside.  I'll show you how it's done.

The No Excuses Workout - Day 18

Phase One of the workout ends Sunday.  I jokingly refer to Phase One as the "Get In Shape" phase, Phase Two as the "Bikini Workout," and Phase Three as "I Want To Be A Cover Model."  Where Phase One is an every day workout, toward the middle part of Phase Two "skip days" begin to be built in to compensate for my body's ramped up fat burning capability.  When my goals are met, I'll actually shift the workout to once a day and take weekends off to compensate for how quickly my body burns fat and builds lean muscle. (Phase Three is structured accordingly.)

Which, after the "twice a day, every day" journey to get there, perhaps Phase Three should be called the, "Taking It Easy Workout." ;)

AM Workout


Featuring a jump in repetitions for Pushup and the Crunches - as well as a new exercise.

Table Top - three times (from Day One)
Hug and Release - one time, twenty repetitions (from Day Three)
Elevation - three times (from Day Four)
Lift - one time, twenty repetitions (from Day Five)
Tic Toc - one time, twenty repetitions (from Day Six)
Plank - three times (from Day Eight)
Tiny - one time, twenty repetitions (from Day Nine)
Hang - three times (from Day Ten)
Bend - three times (from Day Eleven)
Reach - three times (from Day Thirteen)
Pushup - one time, fourteen repetitions (from Day Thirteen)
Frog Crunch - one time, fourteen repetitions (from Day Sixteen)
Alternating Crunch - one time, fourteen repetitions (from Day Seventeen)

New Exercise: Reverse Crunch

The Reverse Crunch is tricky to do correctly as it's a very small movement.  That said, when I do it right I can FEEL that I'm doing it right.  The muscles simply aren't called upon to perform this movement in daily life.

I start on my back with my navel pulled toward my spine.  With my knees and feet together, I draw my legs up toward my body so that my torso and my thighs create a 90 degree angle.  My hands are by my hips and are flat (palms down) and pressed into the floor, mat, or mattress.  Imagining that there is a string attached to my pubic bone, I gently lift my hips while pulling on that string.  My navel is pulled toward my spine the entire time and the movement doesn't go very far but is still performed and/or held for a total count of four.  I then lower my hips and relax into the starting position.  That's one repetition.  To mirror the other abdominal exercises in today's workout, I performed fourteen repetitions of this movement.

Cardio


It's Thursday - which is enough of a reason to Walk With Purpose for thirty minutes rather than the normal twenty.  Mostly the increase in walking gives me the chance to see new scenery.

PM Workout

Twist (No Shout) - one time, twenty repetitions (from Day Two)
Bobble Head - one time, twenty repetitions (from Day Three)
Too Sexy - one time, twenty repetitions (from Day Four)
Popeye - one time, twenty repetitions (from Day Five)
Kick Back - one time, twenty repetitions (from Day Eight)
Flight - one time, twenty repetitions (from Day Nine)
Pump - one time, twenty repetitions (from Day Ten)
Chair one time, twenty repetitions (from Day Eleven)
Good Morning - one time, twenty repetitions (from Day Fourteen)
Lower - one time, twenty repetitions (from Day Fifteen)
Side Punch - one time, twenty repetitions (from Day Sixteen)
Front Punch - one time, twenty repetitions (from Day Sixteen)
Cross Punch - one time, twenty repetitions (from Day Seventeen)

New Exercise - Elbow Strike

This movement starts in the same starting position as Side Punch.  Keeping my hand in the same general vicinity, I raise my elbow so that it's level with my shoulder.  I then arc my elbow across my body (never allowing it to lower) while I move my fist to the opposite shoulder.  I then return to the starting position.  Alternating this movement on both the right and left sides counts for one repetition.  Tonight I'll do twenty.