"We must become the change we want to see." - Mahatma Gandhi

I'm writing an email to a friend about some emotional issues. I decided to keep it brief. When I was done, it looked long, so I revised it to use fewer characters. This process helped me organize my thoughts and I learned some things about myself. It also turned an emotional rant into a resolution to improve myself.

I think it is a useful exercise when a problem is eating at you.

"made it a goal" ==> "decided"
"edited it to make the same points in as few characters as possible" == "revised it to use fewer characters"
"an exercise worth trying" ==> "a useful exercise"
"particularly if" ==> "when"

"really" ==> ""
"more comprehensible" ==> "clearer"
"a fair amount" ==> "a lot" ==> "some"
"There are a many things I'd like to have said. I'm writing a few of them down here." ==> "A few of my thoughts:" ==> "Some thoughts:"

I've spent some time doing barefoot outdoor foxwalking every day since my post on April 25th, with the exception of the weekends.

( Some observations of how it has affected meCollapse )

I'm forcing myself to take a day off of the exercise bike after four days. My knee told me last night in no uncertain terms that I needed a break. And yet, now I feel restless and anxious. I assume it's from excess energy. I think I'll try to direct it toward being productive around the house, but I worry it won't be as satisfying as an actual cardio workout.

Bleh. Thoughts? Maybe I should get some weights to use on the days I take a break from cardio?

Went to a wilderness survival class on Saturday, where one of the instructors (who is also a massage therapist) was talking extensively about the benefits of foxwalking and running barefoot. In particular, he said that the increased awareness that results from the removal of shoes results in improved circulation and decreases the likelihood of injuries. He said that he'd started running barefoot a couple of weeks ago, and had immediately noticed that he wasn't experiencing the usual knee, hip, and ankle problems that he associates with running. He also said that he had become more aware of his posture.

Here's a bit more info on the advantages and disadvantages of running barefoot.
http://www.livingresource.net/rbwi…

I think I'm going to try it. I'll let you all know how it goes.

This morning I brought my bicycle up from the basement, where it has been sitting forlornly collecting dust for over a year. Pumped up the tires, and then took it for a spin around the block. I'd forgotten how good that feels. Then brought out a bicycle that had been abandonned by a former roommate of ours. I think his bike might be better than mine. I have declared it to be my bike, now.

Gathering stuff together to make my bike into a useable tool, I had to hunt through various piles of stuff, and the general clutter was getting to me. Upshot is that while I was at it, I cleared the floor of my room (although certain problem areas, such as the closet, still need tons of attention). As soon as I finish this post, I am going to vacuum and do a couple of house chores.

Silly holidays spoiling my diet...

*hides from all the Easter candy in the office*

Today I decided to go for a walk and explore Franklin Park instead of going to aikido class. The weather was gorgeous, and it was good to finally explore this green space that is only a (relatively) short distance from where I live. That said, it is far from ideal as parks go, and the section that I explored was dominated by a golf course... not optimal for learning about plant biodiversity by any means.

But, golf course, or no, I think I got some good practice in. After I'd found an area with trees that wasn't too close to the parking lot, I practiced fox-walking. This is a lot easier on some terrains than others. Mats of dry leaves, for example, make it quite difficult to remain silent. Loose gravel can also be problematic. Bare soil and soft grass are the best for this activity. There were plenty of both of these at the park, for better or worse. I fox-walked for a while, and then a dog footprint in some mud caught my attention and I took some time to see how much progress I could make in finding tracks. Not a whole lot, but some. I think I found three footprints that were pretty clearly part of the same trail, with a few others that might or might not have been.

I then wandered in another direction, just practicing walking again. Things were pretty quiet: not too many people about, and even fewer people with dogs. In a sudden moment, I looked up, and saw some animals in the grass at the other end of the golf course. At first I thought they were crows, but they seemed too big, and then I thought that they might be dogs, or might not even be alive. Then I saw a little group of them in another area and realized that they were Canada geese. So much for my animal identification skills ;)

When I realized that they were geese, I almost immediately noticed that they were near water (I suppose it was a "water trap" or something for the golf course... golf is not of interest to me). I decided to go down to the water, and maybe practice stalking the geese. Observations as I approached the water: the grass near the water was quite soggy, presumaby from melting snow; when I listened closely, I believe I was able to hear the remaining patches of snow melting; I could hear birds in the trees by the water, but I was unable to locate them, although I tried. All of these details kept distracting me. I'm not sure that it is such a bad thing to be distracted when engaged in this type of activity, though.

After spending a while trying to locate the birds in the trees, I gave up, and started fox-walking over to where the geese were. The goal of actually stalking them did not hold much promise because they were foraging well out into the green, so there was no cover around where they were. I kept in the trees by the water for as long as I could, but found myself being pretty noisy in the leaves and branches on the ground there, and I wasn't able to get close to the geese while staying by the water anyway. I worked on getting as close as I could, once I left the cover, though. I practiced paying attention to when one or more of the geese had their heads up, and trying to hold still during these times, and only moving when they were all foraging. This was good practice, but not terribly effective because my rate of movement was about the same as the waddling of the geese as they moved around in pursuit of food. I think that one of them noticed me quite early on, but I held still, and it went back to foraging. When I got close (close here means like 10 yards... nothing so impressive) though, a goose that may very well have been the same one kind of looked at me as if to say "You've *got* to be kidding me," and waddled away. Played with the geese a little more, but pretty muchly gave up then, and headed homeward.

Overall, I feel happy enough with how that went, given that I am a novice, and I think I did a decent job of getting myself into the right sort of mindset for learning more.

1) Develop outdoors skills

Haven't been proactive on this, but did sign up for classes with Tom Brown's Trackerschool (http://www.trackerschool.com), the first session of the standard class this July. Or at least, I'm hoping that they're taking me. Haven't heard back for sure. In any case, contrary to ordivician's predictions, it seems that the classes are still open.

Also been noticing how tracks change as the snow melts. Interesting stuff.

2) Stretch more

Haven't done especially well with this, but have been continuing to do at least one martial arts class a week. No aikido this week, but did make it to Side Sword. I think it helps with Side Sword to know that it is a very small class, and that I will be missed if I don't show up. Also helps that I have a close friend who is also involved. Planning to show up for SCA fencing practice tomorrow, assuming that weather doesn't Interfere (TM). I do have a clear space in my room that should theoretically be available for stretching, but I'm going to need to work on a bit more than that, I think.

3) Eat more, eat better, and eat less expensively

Been cooking more often, but am still at about 2 real meals a day. I've been finding that I crave pasta more lately. I'm not sure that that is such a bad thing, since my caloric intake has been so low lately. About a week ago I made some chili-type stuff with fresh spinach cooked into it, which I then froze. Not the most exciting stuff in the world, but it is nice to at least know that I have frozen food that contains green vegetables, should I want it.

4) Put less strain on my joints

I continue to try not to bounce when I walk, with varying success.

5) Adopt a regular sleep schedule

This week has been my spring break. I've been getting to bed around midnight (see timestamp) and sleeping until whenever I get up. On one hand, I'm not getting to bed as early as I would like. On the other, I have been getting adequate sleep, which is very important.

6) Organize my stuff and keep my room clean and tidy

Actually doing decently well on this front, although things have gotten a bit more cluttered since Intercon. As mentioned, I've been pretty good at keeping a large chunk of my floor more or less clear of junk. My desk has been going downhill, though.

7) Develop awareness, balance, and coordination

Martial arts classes (see above) are helping with this, I am sure, although it's still a weak point with me.

I only lost 3 pounds this month. My diet was relatively consistent with last month, and I upped my exercise from 5-6 days/week to 6-7.

I wonder if the biking is building up muscles in my legs, and thus weight is no longer an accurate indicator of progress? I've heard that body fat gauges aren't very accurate, but maybe I should pick one up.

I know that what really matters is how I feel and my perception of how I look. But, it would be nice to have quantifiable progress as well.

I would just like to state for the record that I successfully avoided the donut holes and chocolate cake in the break room today.

Last year I would have eaten both without (much of) a second thought. Now it's pretty easy to say no.

I hope it keeps being easy.