Taylor Phinney on Pain:
You can’t focus on anything except this pain that you are feeling. That is kind of a beautiful thing. You are always thinking about so many things at the same time, but a lot of athletes I guess use pain to really live in the moment, which is what we are all trying to do anyway.
via Taylor Phinney on enduring pain and a changed outlook on cycling and life by Shane Stokes.
You've been all overHere are the dot points from the article:
And it's been all over you
Oliver Sacks on Music:
music makes one experience pain and grief more intensely, it brings solace and consolation at the same timevia Oliver Sacks on 9/11 and the Paradoxical Power of Music to Bring Solace by Making Room for Our Pain by Briain Pickings.
letting go always requires one to feel the pain of attachment. It requires one to head into terra incognito. It also requires one to take responsibility for having chosen to cling to a path of resistance.via TIME TO BE | Feeling Our Way Around by Maggie Barret
Jae Schaefer on Miracles:
miracles are more fun than wishesvia From Pain to Peace by Jae Schaefer.
Hope (*) is a thread that exists in our lives. It has been there since the day we took our first breaths. It has existed alongside us as we built our lives. It exists now in the shattered reality of brokenness. Though we are broken, hope remains strong. In our weakness Hope rises as an unbroken thread stretching out into our uncertain (*) future (*), beckoning us to follow and explore the potential that lies dormant and hidden by our pain. Hope waits. Ready for us to reach out and grasp its firm hand. The question is not if hope exists within our brokenness. The real question is if we are willing and able to allow ourselves to stretch out of our brokenness, our preconceived attitudes, and self imposed assumptions and grasp hold of the only hope that exists, the only hope for our brokenness, our humanity and very existence. There is hope and healing and a future no matter what our circumstances. It is true. I have seen it. There are many others that have shared in it as well and testify of its existence and power and potential. Lift your eyes out of the brokenness and glimpse it, it is before you. You are not alone.via A Message To The Broken (*) by Doug Miller (*).
You are not without HOPE.
Art is partly about changing material into thought, but, for many artists, it is also about changing yourself through the process of making the art and moving past the limitations of your daily circumstances.via Myuran Sukumaran and Andrew Chan have earned a second chance by Matthew Sleeth.My heart goes out to Myuran and Andrew and their Families and Friends. Their story of transformation and support is inspiring and it is this that I will take from the pain and suffering we witness and feel in ourselves, as their imminent executions unfold before us:
Very few people ever materially change their lives; I mean really change their lives, not just fiddle around the edges. It's very difficult to do and takes a great deal of courage, support and time. [..] The definition of rehabilitation is becoming a better, changed person and both Myu and Andrew have achieved this through their own courage and the support they have received from their community.It is hard to know what to say in this time. All I think I can say is thank you Myuran and Andrew, your transformations and strength of character inspires me to be a better person in my own life. May you be blessed.
Streetshooter on Photography and Memories:
Photography is one of the seductive means of making memories. So I wonder why many aren’t aware that they are making memories. [..]via Streets of Philadelphia … A Visual Diary … Page 25 … Street … Memories of Future Past … Fuji X100s by Streetshooter.What’s really going on is that you are making memories and maybe just maybe those photos will have importance to someone. [..]
[during the Vietnam War] I became acutely aware that photography is about memories. It’s about other shit too, but memories are the main source of image information transference.[..]
See, they are not just my memories. [..] All will be forgotten of the pain that still hurts 45 years later.
the photos, well… they are just memories…………..
The very reason I bought a small digital camera in Dec 2000. And just as important as recording memories, you need to make the memories happen. You have to live while you can. And we did just that. Thanks Jenny and Jo.
I don't knowI always remember this when I hear this song. It is now nice to have the video from the Games pre game entertainment to remember those moments of innocence before the events that would change our lives forever.
I really don't know
If this castle in the sand
Is strong enough to stand
Cause I know
How it feels
All the pain
Is so real
Cause you sink
And you drown
Till your feet hit the ground
Running, running, running, running
For a Moment .. You think, you dream, you are inspired and you decide to go for the Team. You plan, you flex, you push, you pull, you metal, you shuffle, you kettle, you stand and paddle, and jump a few hurdles, and suddenly, you've made the Team, the first stage of a dream. You smile for a while, but you know it is only the first mile. You train, you strain, you pain, you drain, you gain, you laugh, you try, you cry, you learn, you create capacity and experiences, and build motion, connections and emotions for a Moment that seems so far off. You desire, you aspire, you perspire, time transpires and suddenly the Moment is there just in front of you, just there waiting for you to decide and respond as only you know how to. May you seize this Moment just ahead. It is just there .. waiting .. yes, just there. Where? It's there, just there, you know it. Grasp it with both hands. Fight for the inches, they are hard to find but they are there. And given an inch, take a mile, no mercy. What lies ahead is a mystery and shortly it will be history, to become your few threads in the rich tapestry that became before you. Be in and saviour this Moment, it is there waiting for you to move into and through, just like a door, to shape you and to become your memories with friends for a lifetime. Forever. As Jenny would say, "Don't Wonder 'What If?'". Go Australia!! Go the Auroras!!
In Welsh, the word is hiraeth. Deeper than homesickness, it translates roughly as an intense longing for place, a desire for home which goes far beyond the desire for family or recognisable rituals. It is the pain of physical dislocation, of being, quite simply, in the wrong landscape.via The Importance of Here by Kathryn Heyman.
Doug Miller writes on Hope:
Hope is a thread that exists in our lives. It has been there since the day we took our first breaths. It has existed alongside us as we built our lives. It exists now in the shattered reality of brokenness. Though we are broken, hope remains strong. In our weakness Hope rises as an unbroken thread stretching out into our uncertain future, beckoning us to follow and explore the potential that lies dormant and hidden by our pain. Hope waits. Ready for us to reach out and grasp its firm hand. The question is not if hope exists within our brokenness. The real question is if we are willing and able to allow ourselves to stretch out of our brokenness, our preconceived attitudes, and self imposed assumptions and grasp hold of the only hope that exists, the only hope for our brokenness, our humanity and very existence. There is hope and healing and a future no matter what our circumstances. It is true. I have seen it. There are many others that have shared in it as well and testify of its existence and power and potential. Lift your eyes out of the brokenness and glimpse it, it is before you. You are not alone.via A Message To The Broken by Doug Miller.
You are not without HOPE.
A Warrior of Light often loses heart.
He believes that nothing can stir him in the emotion he so desired. He is forced to spend many evenings and nights feeling that he is one of the vanquished, and nothing seems able to restore his enthusiasm.
His friends [and himself sometimes] say ‘Perhaps his fight is over.
The warrior feels pain and confusion when he hears[/feels] such remarks because he knows that he has not yet reached the place he wanted to reach. But he is stubborn and refuses to relinquish his aims.
Then, when he least expects it, a new door opens.
Iain S. Thomas on Uncomfortable:
Uncomfortableness isn't something to be avoided. Uncomfortableness must be embraced. It is how we achieve what we set out to achieve.[..]Introducing uncomfortableness into the system, into the process you're going through, isn't going to mess it up. The uncomfortableness in the system quite often is the system. It's the walls of the house you're building, whether that house is a business, a career, your art or an exercise routine. [..]
It is the strain against the muscle when you exercise that builds it. It is the hours you spend studying that earn you your diploma. It is the patience you have with each other that grows a strong marriage. And, ironically, whether it's doing the dishes or running or anything else, expecting that life will be easy and comfortable is the surest path to pain and frustration.
So, I wish you peace, and an uncomfortable day.
via The Art of Being Uncomfortable by Iain S. Thomas.
When you are shy, profoudly shy, and I was born with shyness deeply embedded in me, almost every moment of your life is uncomfortable. The only respite coming when you are in a familiar environment by yourself or in the company of those that love and understand you for who you are. Everything seems hard, but I have managed and have survived to live a rewarding and fulfilling life. I have achieved things I never thought possible, some of which is captured here in my humble blog. And maybe that is why I do this, to demonstrate to myself that I am doing something with my Life, in spite of how hard it always seems and feels.
I have Iain's Book I Wrote this for You. I don't know how I stumbled across it, but I can relate to his words which are also on his blog (iwrotethisforyou.me).
This is what I thought when I read the above and so it is uncomfortably and awkwardly captured here in this post.
Doing Stuff Alone,Drew then asks:
Doing Things With Others,
Taking Initiative,
Being Lead,
Being Coached,
Being Challenged,
Setting Goals,
Achieving Goals,
Doing,
Learning,
Crowds,
Challenge,
Winning,
Risk,
Achieving,
Making Mistakes,
Being Centre Of Attention,
Being Quiet,
Reflecting,
Thinking,
Focusing,
Performing,
Following,
Being Praised
Being Pushed,
Being Left To Work It Out,
Seeing Other Do Well,
Doing Well,
Trying Stuff,
Working Stuff Out,
Knowing Whats Expected,
Knowing Whats Required,
Listening,
Having Clear Goals,
Seeing Improvement,
Time Pressures,
Making Decisions,
Taking Having Choices,
Making Choices,
Saying No,
Stepping Up,
Thinking About New Ideas,
Making People Laugh,
Hurting,
Feeling Pain,
Getting Taken Care Of,
Being Looked Up To,
Being Included,
Having Autonomy,
Being Creative,
Being Good,
Being Bad,
Influencing Others,
Surprising People,
Getting Something For Nothing,
Working Hard For Something,
Deserving Something,
Being Helped,
Taking Control,
Having Control,
Letting Go,
Resting,
Sleeping,
Pushing Boundaries,
Challenging Others,
Doing A Good Job,
Doing Whats Expected,
Making People Happy,
Beating Others,
Stuffing Up,
Following A Plan,
Setting The Pace,
Catching Something,
Being In Front,
Being Vulnerable,
Being Uncomfortable,
Finding A Way,
Showing Others,
Proving Yourself,
Showing Others,
Being Better,
Being The Best,
Being Capable
Doing The Opposite,
Doing Things Differently,
Sticking To A Plan,
Changing,
Standing Out,
Flying Under The Radar,
Being Loud,
Doing Things You Know,
Having A Routine,
Impressing Others,
Telling Stories,
Knowing Facts,
Having Knowledge,
Knowing Things Others Don't,
Having Power,
Having Authority,
Leading,
Being Unique,
Showing Care,
Taking Care,
Being Careful,
Having Discipline,
Feeling Guilty,
Being Passionate,
Setting The Standard,
Getting Out Of Control,
Let Things Happen
What takes it [energy] away?This is an amazing collection of thoughts gained from a life long rowing career. Each one strikes a chord and it is the culmination of everything you have experienced and learnt. Thanks Drew.
