-
Nailing the Basics in Everyday Life
Matt Dixon coaches professional triathletes to prepare them for international competition. In his Purple Patch podcast, which discusses maximizing performance in sport and life, he talks about the importance of “nailing the basics.” For his triathlon team, that means the athletes should eat well, hydrate well, and sleep well before they worry about trying new supplements or the latest training fad. Most of performance success comes from doing the simple foundational steps on a consistent basis. This concept got me thinking about what “nailing the basics” might mean in relation to living a full-color life. What are the key components of intentional living that we should focus on? If we…
-
Getting Out of My Head and Recharging
In the book, Breathing Under Water, Fr. Richard Rohr states that most people spend too much time in our head space and need to connect more with our heart space. The head space encompasses our logical brain where we think and plan. The other aspect of being human is to be connected with the heart space. He says “the heart space is often opened by ‘right brain’ activities such as music, art, dance, nature, fasting, poetry games, life-affirming sexuality, and, of course, the art of relationships itself.” The book discusses that many people are only in their head space but rarely in touch with the heart space. This disconnect can…
-
Connecting with Strangers
Finding relationship through phone banking This election season, I signed up to do something that introverts hate to do. I signed up to make phone calls. I support a local candidate and I wanted to help them with their campaign. It was something I felt strongly about, but I never would intentionally make a period of my day all about making phone calls to strangers. It’s certainly not my idea of fun. I see it as self-flagellation as an offering to the universe. At first I thought phone banking would be about the power of the things in the script. I thought it would be about the key points I…
-
Prayer and following what works
One of the most difficult times for me spiritually was the first year of my babies’ lives. While the baby period comes with many wonderful moments, it has always been a desert time for my soul. It’s a time where I find it very hard to feel God’s presence in my life or to see the divine in everyday life. I suspect it has to do with sleep deprivation and not having all my basic needs met. I am not great at praying to begin with, but during the baby period, I find it especially difficult to communicate with God. Recently, I have been trying to learn more about prayer…