Immortality isn’t Easy

beautiful moth

“There is no such thing as Permanence”.  Nothing last, and everything ends.  Most pain and suffering is caused by failing to accept an ending.

It is not difficult for me to remember chaotic times when I was growing up and later as an adult because of attachment, it is futile to be emotionally involved with any object or idea.  

Fear is a powerful foe and motivator. Both fear and acceptance are created, stimulated and empowered from within.   Our ability to be fearless lies within our soul as is the dread of ruin which is paralyzing and the origin of disillusionment.  

7 online certificates attained in 2011

Living courageously has its rewards when we focus on what we want we become daring and ignore loss.  Anxiety over death is counterproductive and stifles our ability to confidently follow our dream.  Apprehension bogs movement and fuels doubt.  Courage energizes and propels us towards greater challenges and higher missions.

At the age of 39 I hit the reset button on my life.  I packed one small bag, boarded a plane for a 20 something hour flight to an unknown world of white sand beaches and cool sea breezes. My plan was simple; change or die trying.

Change is good

In 1996, there was no Google search engine, or any other online social network. It took time to research and every query opened a new window to doubt and fear.    My last show down with fear in the USA came when I reached the departure terminal at LAX and was informed that the funds I was owed were not available. It was a Divine experience; I looked fear in the eye and summoned the courage to push it aside.  Arriving on the island of Bali with less than 300.00 dollars and a one way ticket was not my plan, freedom from compromise was. 

nothing but nature NZ

16 yrs later I can look back and say that stripping myself of all possessions and letting go of all attachments was the best decision I ever made.  When I let go and released myself of all things I opened a vortex to the greatness that lay within me. I began taking care of myself and dropped 112lb/51kg in twelve months.  I broke down the walls that kept me blind and tuned into my higher self.  Breaking free from the bonds that bound me to struggle allowed me to believe and my guardian angel led me to joy, peace and happiness.  The more I listened the easier life became and a Fat Man in Paradise found himself.

Fat Man in Paradise

I was reading a memorial dedicated to school mates who have died and for some unknown reason viewing their portraits sent a cold streak of fear running down my spine. I am not afraid of death but I don’t have time to be mortal.

I believe the only way to live long is to keep feeding my soul with positive information, projects and projections. I am 56 yrs old in April and have no intention of dying before April 12, 2056. In 2046 I plan to either be playing with my grand children or someone’s mother. In 2036 my business network will be successfully globalized.   In 2026 I will be based in Brazil and in 2016 I will circle the globe with my family.

love and a tape measure

It is impossible to be emotional and rational at the same time.  Creativity comes from emotion, fear of mortality is rational.  Expel fear, let go of attachment, accept that there is no permanence and live life as if it will never end, be daring and reach for new horizons.   It is not easy to be immortal but it is fun trying. 

Go have some fun,

Geo

bahagia dan sehat

The quandary of love and acceptance

The Boys

I have an issue with blubber, I think it is ugly, I don’t like to see it and it repulses me.  I do not attach any social commentary to the sight of blubber such as; Oh how sad, that person is so fat. He/she must really be lazy to be so fat.  It is really irresponsible for a person to let themselves get that fat.  I don’t stare at blubber in wonderment as I would a train wreck or space shuttle launch.  I see blubber and I turn my head; I don’t want to look at it.

Wonder Woman

I love who I am and I truly want the best for me. I believe I am special and I think I am extra ordinary.   I wake every morning and think of what I am going to do for me, fortunately I derive my greatest pleasure by caring for others. I love myself because it is better for those around me if I am at my best.

My repulsion of Blubber and my love of self is what create my greatest quandary.  My dilemma is in, my blubber.  How can I love and accept myself when every time I look in the mirror, I see the very thing that repulses me; blubber.   The last time I was in this predicament I went into a state of denial and refused to see me for who I had become and I ballooned to 152kg/334lb.  I remember those days well, my morning ritual was to look in the mirror and tell myself how good I looked.  In order to accept myself I refused to see the blubber and what I had done to myself.

 fine wine

I have written in previous post about my fateful day when I stripped down and took an honest look in the mirror and the repulsion I felt while I gazed at the blob of blubber that was me.  I loved myself but I could not accept what I had done to myself.  Repeat “I could no longer accept what I had done to myself” In my opinion this is the key to a healthy mental attitude towards changing the person I love and accept; me.

it's great to be a dad

I have done a considerable amount of reminiscing trying to pin point the timeline for when I became repulsed and embarrassed by blubber and in essence ashamed in myself.   When I was an adolescent around 8 or 9 yrs old, I was a tall and chubby boy.   I recall in the summer months I never wore a shirt, I was just a happy fat kid running and playing as hard as I could and that’s when I remember first being called jelly belly. At first, Jelly Belly had no effect on my humor until the name stuck and it became a taunt by others.  By the time I was 11 I was never seen without a shirt on, embarrassment also known as shame had taken hold in my spirit.  I was chubby and ashamed of my blubber and consequently ashamed of myself. 

Ya Baby, no shirt, no shame

I believe it is important to get back in touch with the happy, carefree, blubbery, child that I loved and accepted and this is what I am doing to make it happen.

·         Stop hiding from myself and others

o   Take off my shirt and never be ashamed of who I am or what I look like.

·         Be an adult for myself

o   There is a parent, adult and child within all of us, the child is who gets me fat the adult is who tells me to maintain and act responsibly.

·         Be honest with myself

o    The flab and blubber may never go away and it is most likely that I will never have the body of an Adonis. 

·         Be happy and have no regrets

o   I have made many poor decisions traveling the road that has lead me to where am, some were hurtful and painful and without them I would not be who I am.  Accept myself for being imperfect and be happy

You have to be strong to be a kid

Life is not meant to be a struggle. If you are not happy with what you have become, be courageous enough to change. If you are letting the past control today, embrace your inner adult and leave the past in the past. Love yourself, accept yourself and live life for yourself.

Party

Go have some fun,

Geo

young and happy

Geniet van het leven en het leven met een goede gezondheid

What Have you Done for Me Lately?

 Janet Jackson

The Monkeys

“That Was Then and This is Now” and “What Have you Done for Me lately” lyric that speak for your body.

I believe it is human nature to rest on our past accomplishments.   In a previous blog I wrote about the memory body.   The core message of that blog was that whatever we do today will be with us tomorrow.  The more we do today; to make ourselves stronger, smarter, and healthier the better we will be tomorrow.

same weight different body

Our body is demanding, our mind is a sponge, and our spirit is compelling.  Every physical movement, each cook book read, fitness video watched, personal wellbeing lesson learned, energizes us towards a long healthy, fit life. 

left is today rt is b4

It is okay to take a break and it is also important to keep feeding the body with new material.  I meet far too many people who tell me how much they enjoy riding bikes, playing sport, practicing yoga, or going to the gym who when queried realize they have not done any of these things in 20 yrs.  Time passes quickly and if we are not careful a decade will have flown by, before we know what happened. 

1998

The good news is, health and fitness is just like riding a bike; we never forget how to do the things we have done.  If riding bikes, doing yoga, going to the gym, or cooking healthy was something that gave us pleasure before it will bring comfort again; all we need to do is do it. 

1997

It is important to understand that the past is history; it is yesterday’s business and yesteryears memory. What has been done belongs where it is, an accomplishment.  What will be is how we choose to empower ourselves today.

Easy steps to health:

·         Take a walk:  whenever the urge to move hits you get up and take a walk, even if it is to the kitchen for a glass of water or piece of fruit.  Getting up and out is positive motion in action.

·         Study an online course:  the mind thrives on being challenged and fed.  An online course of any kind will prime the pump and lead to positive healthy action.

·         Go to the park:  A stroll though the park will rekindle memories of childhood play and activities.

·         Say yes:  When the impulse to ride a bike, roller blade, and ice skate or shoot hoops arises, look for ways to make it happen rather than reasons why you cannot.

·         Be Fearless:  It is normal to be afraid of failure and change.  Embrace emotional fear and turn it into excitement.

·         Spice up your life:  Change is the spice of life, break away from routine and do new things. Taste new foods, travel new roads, join new groups; change is positive and promotes growth.

Being and getting healthy and fit is not brain surgery, I believe every adult has been given the information to make the intelligent decisions required to be healthy.  A healthy life style is a personal choice.   Choice is our most powerful weapon in the quest to live a sane healthy life.  We have the right to choose the way we want to live.  Life is a perception; one person may see doom and gloom while another will see opportunity.   Some wake up happy and ready for the excitement each new dawn brings while others greet each morning with a frown.  Joy is not found in what we have it is in how we hold it.

Go have some fun,

Geo

Njut livet och var glad.            

Turn on the Heat

getting some fresh air

I lived in Northern California for nearly 20 yrs, night time during the winter months meant the tempreatures would drop to just above freezing with a wet bitter chill that would set deep into my bones.  My homes heat came from wood and that’s when I learned about wood burning stoves and the purpose of different types of timber for example,  pine is good for starting fires, it burns fast and hot, walnut smells good and puts off strong heat and oak burns slow and hot and is good for overnight use.  The one thing I remember most about the warmth from wood is it's ability to cut the chill and the incredible relief my bones felt from it.   For me there is no better feeling than heat penetrating my body all the way to its core. 

Oh ya thats what I'm talking about

I have lived in the tropics for the last 16 years where the highs reach 45C/113F and rarely falls below 25C/77F.  These tropical temperatures are not warm enough to satisfy my bodies conditioned needs and cravings for extremely high heat consequently I am never far from a steam room or sauna. 

Many people think of the sauna as only a place to sweat and don’t understand my desire to feel the heat.   I view sweating as a process of cleaning and opening my pores and a way to help reduce the amount of rubbish my liver is required to filter. 

I know I am in the right place, when I open the door to the sauna and I feel a blast of heat hit me in the face that is hot enough to bake pottery or glaze glass.  When I feel high heat coming from a sauna it makes me smile.  I know it is almost crazy to sit in these tyes of high temps and almost impossible to last for more than 15 minutes but I am drawn to the heat like a bee to nectar. Before I enter the sauna, I take a deep breath then I lower my head and step into the room.  I am quick to sit because it is cooler then standing and i wait; soon the drip will begin. The number one reason I like using a sauna is because of what occurs in the first 15 minutes of waiting for my body to protest; my mind trends to kick into a creative gear.  The furnace seems to clear my mind and creates cherished moments of clarity. 

Put the fork in I'm baked.

Heat melts my tension, warms my soul and limbers my muscles, gives me great relief from nagging joint pain and stimulates me to move.  Sometimes I day dream; close my eyes,  feel the heat and imagine a clear blue sky with a big bright sun shining down on me while I sit on a white sand beach, sipping a coconut cocktail, listening to the subtle roar of waves rolling to shore with a gentle sea breeze that keeps me cool.  Extreme heat allows me to take trips without ever leaving home. 

I start and finish every training session with a sauna, first to melt tension, stretch and clean my body of impurities and later to stretch and melt any tension the training may have created.  



My dream spot

 Heat creates movement, it is a scientific fact that heat rises.  If your muscles are feeling tight or your mind is causing you to be uptight turn on the heat and let all your tensions and frustrations float away.  Heat is good and heat propels us to new levels.  Get hot, break a sweat and remember the best way to fade heat, is to jump right in it. 

Go have some fun,

Geo.

desfrutar a vida com boa saúde  

Coconuts are my role model

almost ready for harvest

The other day my two sons and I were returning home from an outing when the youngest proclaimed: “I have nothing to play with”.  The oldest boy and I looked at each other and laughed in amazement and confusion because I don’t think either of us know a kid who has, as many toys, games, balls, bikes, animals, musical instruments, puzzles, DVD, and computer toys, and junk as Phoenix.   I realized it was just his way of saying: “I am bored” so rather than go into a tangent of listing all the things he has, I asked if he would guess: what his brother Popee had to play with when he was a youngster?  When Popee was growing up, he loved playing with coconuts. He would kick them like footballs, run with them, throw, paint and talk to them.  Popee loved his coconuts and I was very happy that he did.

A gift that keeps giving

 The Balinese are excellent at getting everything there is to get from the fruit.  I never realized how versatile it is until I watched them work with it.  Between cooking, carving, eating, drinking, burning and replanting, I don’t think there is any part of it that goes to waste. 

The coconut is versatile.

1.       When the fruit is green its bounty is nectar, and meat   

2.       The husk can be dried and used for seasoning on the BBQ

3.        The burned husk can now be recycled into BBQ charcoal

4.       The hard shell is dried, cut, polished and used for handcrafts, cooking tools, and utensils  

5.       The meat is shredded and squeezed

6.       1^st press coconut cream

7.       2^nd pressed coconut milk

8.       If not cooked for oil the shred will be eaten

9.       Slow cooked shred for oil

10.   Toy for children and adults

Green, Ripe, Creamed, Milked, Aged, Oiled and Burned.

I was on the tread mill and feeling like the tin man; stiff and in need of lubricating.  This made me reflect on days gone by when I was very green; when I could do anything, jump from tall places, run from morning to night, never tire or hurt.  As teen, I was still green but big, fresh and full of energetic juices ready to be tapped.  In my twenties the Seasons and years of nurturing came together and I reached maturity; physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually and financially.  In my thirties I began milking, refining, and processing all that I had become and in my 50’s I am on my 4^th press and still milking whatever creative and productive juices I have in me.  I am planning on another 45 yrs of milking my shred before I am oiled and turned to soil.

Its inspiring to see folks starting new careers after their kids have grown and watching others who have retired after 30yr careers, departing on new journeys such as living on sail boats and going in whatever direction the wind blows.  Many look at these types of people with skepticism and think they are nuts.  I call them coconuts; versatile, durable and sustainable to the very end.

 I want to be a coconut when I grow up.

just do it

 Go have some fun,

Geo

vivre joyeusement et en bonne santé

Dreams

Graduation day from Professional Thai Cooking course. 

Dreams are reality waiting to materialize.

I think it was Will Rogers who said: “You can be on the right track but if you don’t keep movin the train will run you over.”   The New Year is here and this is when the blogs are about setting resolutions and making goals.   Last year marked the end and of one and the beginning of another decade.  I have been using a 10 yr planner the last 30 years.  They work and it is truly amazing what happens when we allow ourselves to dream.

three monkeys

The Hot 100 list.  Making a list of goals is not always as easy as making a club sandwich but in some ways it is very similar.  A club sandwich has 5 basic ingredients; bread, meat, poultry, dairy, and vegetable.  Goals come from 5 basic areas of life; spiritual, emotional, mental, physical, and financial. 

Dream Big

My Wife has not been able to put her list together and it has now been 13 months.  My son age 13 has not been able to make his list either.  I did mine on Jan 1, 2011 in less than 60 minutes.  Why?  Why is it easy for one person and not for others?

Three common reasons people don’t set goals:

1.       Fear: typically fear of failure is the root cause of failing to make goals.  Fear comes from not understanding that there is no such thing as failure when it comes to making a want list.

2.       Embarrassment:  Unfortunately we are conditioned to see reality from other people’s perspective, consequently when we find that our wants are different from our friends and family we are embarrassed and we begin to doubt our reality.

3.       Lack of Faith:  The ultimate effect of fear, embarrassment and doubt is a lack of faith in our own dreams and aspirations.

 Golden Rules to Making Hot 100 list:

·         Confidentiality:  the list is your list, it is not a term paper that needs to be graded or approved by anyone other than you;  it is a private document that is for your eyes only.

·         Mix it Up:  Goals are meant to attainable and dreams are meant to come true, think big, think impossible and think tomorrow.

·         Be, See, Do:   Use the five area of life as a guide and ask yourself what you want to be, see and do Physically, Emotionally, Mentally, Spiritually and Financially.

·         Faith:   It takes a great deal of courage to dream big dreams.  Faith gives us the power to face the unknown, knock down the self imposed barriers that stand in our way and create our own reality.  

I asked my wife why it was so hard for her to make the list and she said she had everything she wants.  She was visibly frustrated by her inability to complete the task and she knew her answer was not true but she simply does not know how to make a wish list.

Papa I want a pony

One way to get started:  Where do I want to go? What do I want to have?  What do I want to do?   Write what ever come to mind, this is a private wish list, be honest, and let the truth come out.  If I was guaranteed success what would I do, see and be?  Make the list, start with the simple and then reach a bit and assume the best and finally dream big dreams, think the unthinkable and keep working until you have your hot 100.

Doing business in NYC

It is 2012 and I am purging my 10 year hot 100 list of the things that I accomplished in 2011 and replacing them with new dreams and aspirations that I want to accomplish within the next 9 yrs. I will continue this count down until 2021; I will be 64 yrs old, fit, healthy and a fat man in paradise.

At the end of the day we are all part of a plan.  The question is; do we want to control our own destiny or be a cog in someone else’s plan? 

Foods On!

Go have some fun,

Geo

 lenjoy здоровой долгой жизни