Day 7: Rest

Nothing much to report for today. I'm just going to hang out, and do as little as possible physically. Today's routine is the X Stretch P90X workout, that I will do later this evening. After that, resting up, because the whole process starts right over again tomorrow morning.

Going to go hang at Barnes & Nobles for a bit, grab a cup of tea, and study for my Bukendo test this Saturday. Then, Dinner with Sarah and her family, then home to do some more of nothing.

Having been run through the Gridiron once already, time for some reflection and goal setting for the next week:

- Early Bird: I really need to go to bed at a decent hour, and get up in the morning so I can be sure I have the time and resources to do my workouts uninhibited, and get a good breakfast under my belt and begin the day well. So, my goals for next week are to be in bed between 9:30 to 10, and be up in the morning by 6-6:30 am.

- Artsy-Fartsy: Having really been concentrating on my health this week (quitting smoking, working out, etc) I've admittedly let my career-goals fall by the wayside this week. This coming week, part of getting up early will ensure that I have plenty of time during the day to work on my portfolio, look for a job, and continue my self-study artistic education.

- Martial Arts: As I have mentioned, my Bukendo testing for Kukyu (Yellow Belt) is this Saturday. I'm currently studying hard, and making flash cards as a visual aid. I actually had so much vocabulary that I ran out of index cards, and had to grab another pack. I normally work out every afternoon with my instructor/friend Geoff, and I love the camaraderie in the afternoons. Its nice having someone help you with accountability when you're trying to work out. I slacked off last week, needing to recover from the P90X stuff. So, I'm going to endeavor to work on my Bukendo every afternoon this week, in addition to my early morning workouts. There will come a time when I will, for sake of time, need to slow down, but with the test coming up so soon, next week is definitely not the time.

- Meditation: It sounds hokey, but discovering the power of just sitting down and breathing, and doing nothing else, has an uncanny ability to center your mind and clear it of the garbage that gets shoved in there on a daily basis. I'd like to take 20-30 minutes every evening and just sit and reflect on the day's events, and clear the mind for the next day. An old Tao Zen philosophy popularized by Bruce Lee was to become a vessel, to empty yourself; how can you learn anything when your mind is already so full? So, prepare the vessel.

That's it for this week folks. Thanks for hanging around and reading, and helping me on what is an extremely difficult and challenging journey for me. I know I couldn't do it alone. Thanks for the kind words and thoughts you guys have given me.

Thanks for the fuel.

Chad