Author: Shawn

I am a practitioner of the martial arts and student of the Buddhist faith. I have been a Type 1 Diabetic since I was 4 years old and have been fighting the uphill battle it includes ever since. I enjoy fitness and health and looking for new ways to improve both, as well as examining the many questions of life. Although I have no formal medical training, I have amassed a wealth of knowledge regarding health, Diabetes, martial arts as well as Buddhism and philosophy. My goal is to share this information with the world, and perhaps provide some sarcastic humour along the way. Welcome!

Eye Of The Cryer…

Generally speaking, I consider myself to be pretty spry for my age and condition. Although nowhere near the peak I was in even just ten years ago (yes, I’m bragging), I still consider myself quite capable of keeping up in most instances. Even when it involves trying to keep up with my toddler. At the best of times, Alexander is a rolling, destructive ball of energy that annihilates everything in his path. Although I often spend some cuddle time with him while watching cartoons or something, rolling around on the floor while wrestling at my age doesn’t come quite as easily as it used to.

Yesterday, Nathan was otherwise occupied and Alexander was done his potty boot-camp for the morning (whole other story). As a result, I agreed to sit on the floor and help him build something with his mega-blocks. In true toddler style, he violently toppled something large we had just built. In true boyish-style, we wound up wrestling each other on the floor. Now for those of you who don’t know, Alex is built like my father. For a three-year old, he’s got a fair amount of mass and he isn’t as easy to wrestle with as one may think. At one point, I was on the floor and he was hovering above me (because I was holding him there) and he took a swipe at my face.

This resulted in a searing blast of pain in my face that didn’t seem to make sense. I set him down and felt across my face, thinking his fingernails had cut my cheek or something. Finding no blood, I went to the bathroom and checked my face, only to see my eyeball looking like a vampire’s eye out of a bad 1980’s horror flick… instead of cutting my cheek, Alex’s fingernail apparently scraped across the surface of my eyeball, causing a corneal abrasion.

This is a day AFTER, and includes three doses of antibiotic drops

Ignoring for a moment the fact that I’m unshaven and generally look like shit, one can clearly see that my eye is completely bloodshot and watering heavily. What you don’t see, is the searing stinging sensation, the sensitivity to light and the fact that every time I close my eye, the eyelid drags across the abrasion and increases the pain, ten-fold. Despite the fact I get eye injections every eight weeks, I have to admit that this five seconds of rough housing has caused an amount of discomfort almost comparable to those injections. Pair that with the fact that it seems to have affected my left nostril as well, causing it to leak like a rusted faucet that can’t be stopped. Because I don’t experience enough pain in my life…

So what exactly happens during a corneal abrasion? Simply defined, it’s a scratch on the surface of one’s eye. No fuckin’ shit, right? But it can happen from just about anything from being poked in the eye, scratched or getting something caught under the eyelid like dirt or sand. According to WebMD, the injury is “actually on your cornea. That’s the clear layer that covers the iris, the coloured part of your eye. It also shields the pupil – the black circle in the middle of your eye.” It will result in steady pain, a scratchy sensation on the eye, blurred vision and sensitivity and pain in from the light.

Luckily, my optometrist is a freakin’ rockstar and works on Saturdays. Despite not having an appointment, she was able to fit me in only a couple of hours after the incident. She confirmed the abrasion and prescribed an antibiotic called Tobramycin, which I have to take four times a day in conjunction with lubricating drops to help keep things from drying out. It apparently only takes two or three days to heal but in the meantime, I would have much preferred some of the numbing drops the optometrist used during the examination but apparently, not only do those NOT help heal the eye but you’re not supposed to use it extensively. Fuck.

All of this is to say that injuries can happen in an eye blink (see what I did there?). Now, I get to go to work tomorrow and awkwardly try and explain to my employees that no, I don’t have pink eye; it’s a corneal abrasion. It would almost be easier to just send out a quick email blast in the morning to explain once so nobody has to ask afterwards. hopefully, this will pass in the next couple of days. Sleeping last night was brutal. First, my eyelid would stick. When I’d open my eye, it would create a new blast of pain. For one of our primary senses and despite the period of time that humans have had to evolve, our eyes sure are weak as shit. ☯️

Not All That Glitters Is Gold…

Well, it’s been a couple of days since my organization moved into a new office space and I feel that I’m in a position to provide at least a cursory update on how things are going. In order to have a bit of context, I should likely provide a bit of background on what our previous location was like. In the interest of privacy and confidentiality, what I’ll say is that my organization rented out office space on three separate floors. Several Division, divided by separate floors. There were frequent power outages and water shut-offs, homeless people in the parking structure and little to no support from the property owners in our interest. It came as little surprise when my organization chose to end their lease and seek office space elsewhere.

Since all life is a matter of balance, I should provide some of the positives with the previous location. We had a hotel in our tower’s lobby, which featured a very nice coffee shop. We had a pedway that gave us access to a two-storey shopping mall, which featured just about anything you could think of needing in one’s day-to-day life. need some nasal spray? Pharmacy. Need something for one of the boys? Dollar store, pharmacy or retail location. Hungry and forgot my lunch? Food court inside the mall and various restaurants outside. Last but certainly not least, it was a five-minute walk from my endocrinologist from my office.

Now, on to the new location. As people, we’re groomed to assume that newer is always better. This isn’t always necessarily so. Some of the things I’ve dealt with in my first morning include network issues, furniture issues and constant noise since our entire organization is now located on one shared floor. Towards the end of the first day, our network phones weren’t working and our internet was kicking in and out. We no longer had individual temperature control for each individual office, which means that I’ve basically boiled in my office for the past two days since the weather has been in the high teens for the past couple of days.

I think that some cheques were written that this new location couldn’t cash. that being said, I have to be honest… It was nice to mingle and speak with multiple staff members that I would previously only communicate with over email or text message. My staff have discovered some alternatives to the coffee shops they would have used at the mall and they seem to be pleased. That being said, there’s renovation work that still needs to be completed, despite the fact that we’ve occupied the space. My office is about half the floor space of my previous one, which as I write it, seems like a total first-world problem. But ultimately, one needs to acknowledge that one does not need all the gilt and gold in order to feel rich.

I think I’ll be happy in my new office. there’ll be a period of adjustment as with all things in life. The secret is to make the most of any given situation and adapt as required. There’s good to be found in any situation. One needs only to find it and see it. People just need to realize that newer isn’t always better. And not all that glitters is gold. The grass isn’t always greener on the other side. Some other cheezy fuckin’ analogy… I don’t know, pick one! bottom line is, I’ll make due with whatever location I have to work in. ☯️

The New “Office”

Despite the fact that I have moved into a new office space, this isn’t what this post is about. I’ll no doubt be writing about what my new office if like, once I’ve gotten through the week and have acclimated to my new environment. No, this post is about a different kind of “Office.” Since we had some spare time and no evening plans last weekend, I had the pleasure of spending a couple of hours with my wife building a newly-acquired LEGO diorama of the hit television series The Office.

The completed project

Ordered directly from the LEGO Canada website and boasting 1,164 pieces, this diorama-style set shows the main entry and office space, Michael Scott’s office and the staff board room in a fun display that took us well into the wee hours of the morning to complete. With our snacks, wine and streaming on the big screen, we sat side-by-side in the living room in an attempt to assemble this beast on our living room coffee table. And we succeeded. All in all, it didn’t feel as complicated as some of the other sets I’ve assembled. Despite the large number of pieces, every little coffee cup or item on Michael Scott’s desk counts as a piece, requiring no assembly, so it’s a bit misleading in terms of how complicated it would be to assemble.

Michael Scott’s office

Interestingly enough, Michael’s office is detachable and can be removed as a standalone piece. Since this doesn’t apply to the conference room, I’m not sure what the thinking behind this may have been but the railing system that was used is pretty unique and I haven’t seen it in any of my other sets. I handled most of the bulk assemblies while my wife put together some of the smaller components that my meat hooks were too big or indelicate to handle. If she hadn’t dealt with all the stickers, the diorama as a whole would likely look quite bland as I wouldn’t have bothered.

The conference room…

For those who have watched the US version of the series, you’ll recognize a number of familiar aspects within the completed diorama. As you walk into the office, Kevin is standing there with his large pot of homemade chilli. There are pieces inside to represent what he spills on the floor, I simply didn’t bother to spread them around. Next to the fax machine behind Pam, you can see a fax to Dwight from his future self, warning him not to drink the coffee. There are a number of awards and things on the wall, including Pam’s drawing of the office itself. The white board in the conference room has the pyramid scheme that Michael thought was not a pyramid scheme, drawn upon it. there’s even a jello mold containing Dwight’s stapler on top of a filing cabinet.

If you look on the right-hand side of the very first photo, you’ll notice a small barrel that Dwight used to start a small fire during a fire drill. And you can clearly see Stanley holding what appears to be a pretzel that he got from the vendor downstairs. So many little details… All in all, it was definitely a worthwhile set to work on and I was even happier to have gotten the opportunity to work on it with my wife. Both our backs were killing us by the end; being bent over a coffee table wasn’t the most comfortable of assembly positions. But we powered through and got it completed before we hit the sack and it marks the first time I’ve assembled LEGO with someone else. Even after all this time, we can still have firsts. I’ve added the larger, beige baseplate for better stability and my goal will be to have it set up in my new office location eventually. ☯️

Some Like It Hot, Or Cold…

We’ve had an interesting change in the weather recently. With temperatures reaching in the low teens and clear skies, it’s been nice to see a lot of the snow piles starting to dwindle down and melt away. This means that warmer times are ahead and I may soon be able to start spending more time outdoors, including riding my bike and playing with the boys in our back yard. However, changes in weather bring about changes in one’s physiology, which isn’t always a good thing. People rarely consider this change in physiology since we’ve become accustomed to living in controlled environment where if it’s cold outside, we turn on the heat and if it’s hot, we turn on the air conditioning.

But outside weather involves a number of different things, including but not limited to air pressure and overall temperature, which can affect different people in different ways, regardless of what artificially controlled environments they may live in. For me, this includes an aching in the majority of my joints as well as the unfortunate inability to sleep properly. I’ve also noted a few micro-cracks in the foundation of my house, where light trickles of water have made their way in. makes me wonder what may be happening behind the walls that are insulated and dry-walled.

Changes in season and weather occur in the same way every year, yet we always act surprised and grateful when it arrives. For example, during the intense heat of summer, many will long for the cool temperatures and lighter skies that accompany winter. But once the freezing temperatures of winter, longer nights and not least of all, shovelling, make their appearance, most people can’t wait for the warmer seasons to come. It’s an endless cycle of always wanting what one doesn’t have, which is on par with humanity and how we tend to operate. For me, I prefer the in-between seasons; spring and autumn, where the temperatures still allow you to be outside and enjoy life without either freezing or dehydrating.

Being inside my home during this transition into a new season is a catch-22. Most of my daily activities take place in my basement, where I have my workout space, my shower and my home office. The problem is that once the sun is up, the temperature is warm enough that the main floor doesn’t require the heat to kick in. This means that all the cold from below ground level still seeps through the basement walls, making the basement colder than it would usually be. The result is hoodies and space heaters while my family is enjoying the temperate comfort of the upstairs. It’s kind of weird.

The main floor suffers the same kind of issue overnight, where it’s still cold enough for the furnace to kick in and belch out heat but warm enough that I feel like I’m hard-boiling my eggs while I’m trying to sleep. It’s unhappy balance but one I can happily live with, on my way to the oncoming spring. Honestly, I don’t know how much of my recent lack of sleep is a result of the recent changes in weather or something else. As you may be aware and as I’ve written about before, failure to get an adequate amount of sleep overnight can lead to a host of issues such as affecting blood sugars, blood pressure and cognitive abilities throughout the day.

I’ve tried a few different things, including dipping into some melatonin. I’ve only tried melatonin a couple of times, since I don’t relish the thought of sleeping so deeply or soundly that I may sleep through one of my children needing me during the night or light forbid, someone breaks into my home. But my last attempt with melatonin yielded no results, with my waking after only about four of five hours in the same fashion as though I hadn’t even taken it. My good ol’ friend, whiskey, hasn’t even helped. Somehow, I always wind up waking, unable to fall back asleep, after only four or five hours of sleep, if I get that much.

A lot of things can affect one’s ability to sleep, including things like stress or having something on one’s mind. Although I’d like to think I know myself well enough to recognize if this may be the case, I honestly don’t. One’s subconscious can fool one quite easily. I recognize that eventually, I may need to consult a health professional. this can be a slippery slope, especially if said professional decides to prescribe something to “help you sleep.” using prescribed sleep aids can lead to permanently needing those aids and preventing you from being able to sleep properly on your own. I don’t know about the rest of you but I’m on enough prescriptions without throwing something to sleep in the mix. ☯️

The Bunny Hop Weekend

This weekend was Easter weekend, which has carried different meanings for me throughout my life. Having grown up in a devout Catholic household, it signified the period of time where Jesus Christ was crucified and died on the cross for humanity’s sins, only to resurrect a few days later. It was an aspect of the Bible that I came to know quite well as a child, with religious movies representing Christ’s resurrection playing on the television all weekend and frequent sittings at our local church (sometimes more than one church). As I grew into adulthood and Catholicism’s hold on me released, I slowly forgot about Easter weekend. Hell, I didn’t even get to see it as a long weekend since, as a police officer, statutory holidays meant nothing for my work load.

In recent years, I’ve been lucky in the sense that I get that additional day off, making for a three-day weekend. That can be nice, especially from the standpoint of getting some additional rest. However, as I grew into parenthood, I came to realize that the weekend also came to symbolize bunnies, chocolates, candies and egg hunts. Having grown up with Type-1 Diabetes means that I didn’t experience most of those things as a child. One would think that this would mean I would enjoy going through it with my children but things of that nature are often less fun when you have to be the adult who cleans up after everything that’s done to entertain one’s children. Although I do very much enjoy the Easter jelly beans I received. They’re good times… But I digress…

Typically, my family would travel up to my in-laws, as they’re the only family we have nearby. With my family being all the way in New Brunswick, my wife’s parents are usually the host of our holiday travel plans. We’ve been pretty lucky in the fact that we’ve been the only ones who not only live afar and require accommodation when we travel but also have children. This means Grandma and Grandpa would not only receive the pleasure of our company but get to see their grandchildren for any given holiday weekend, as well. But as life moves forward, families expand and not only are two of my wife’s siblings married now, they also have children of their own. The conundrum this causes is that, much like at my mother’s home in New Brunswick, there is no longer any room to accommodate everyone.

Although getting together as a family is still important, not only over the holidays but as a general practice, fitting that number of people into one residence is not only impractical but can cause friction that one should not have to deal with over a holiday visit. With that in mind, my wife and I took things in a different direction this year and sent our oldest son, Nathan, up to stay with his grandparents for the long weekend. My sister-in-law was travelling through Regina on a trip of her own and offered to bring him up on her way back. He left last Friday and is scheduled to be picked up by my wife tomorrow while I’m at work.

With only one child to entertain and the fact he’s a toddler and doesn’t care where we go, we spent the weekend browsing designs for the bathroom renovation we should be starting soon. We took the opportunity to eat out a couple of times, one of those meals was at my favourite eatery: FatBurger. I consider myself to be a bit of a burger connoisseur and FatBurger has the best damned Mushroom Swiss burger I’ve ever had in my life. I had the opportunity to catch up on a significant amount of laundry and we even changed things around slightly in the living room. As an added bonus, I took today off as an extra day, although I know myself well enough to know I’ll likely check work later.

All in all, it’s been a pretty good and quiet long weekend. Tomorrow, I get to start back at a fresh new office as my location has changed. That should be an all-new adventure. It’ll be interesting to have my entire organization on one floor as opposed to spread out across three floors. As with all things in life, there will be some good and some bad. I’m looking forward to see in which direction this new office will tip the scales. Happy Easter to all those who celebrated this weekend. ☯️

Another One Survived…

I somehow managed to muddle through another year without having to deal with the ridiculousness of April Fools’ Day… Throughout the year, I’ve been the victim of a number of different pranks in both my personal and my professional life. Everything from having my jacket sleeve filled with shredded paper or having one of my coworkers spritz a touch of pepper spray into my coffee. In the event you’ve never been pepper sprayed, it works by reacting with the mucous membranes; eyes, nose and mouth, mostly. So if you take a sip of it when it’s in your hot coffee, you may not notice it right away. But once it hits the inner lips, son of a bitch…

For the most part, playing pranks on friends and family can be hilarious and somewhat harmless. It’s when you do something that causes mischief or interferes with the general public that it becomes problematic. For example, one year I had a batch of kids who would constantly move a park bench into the middle of main street and put a toilet bowl on top of it. It would be pitch black and the middle of the night, so there was no finding who did it. But it was dark enough that a vehicle coming down the street could potentially collide with it. We’d take the time to remove it and as we’d patrol, we’;d find it back in the street, minutes later. Cheeky bastards! Working on the evening of April Fools’ Day was the worst day to be a cop, followed closely by Halloween and New Year’s Eve.

So, where does it all come from? I mean, I’d be lying if I said I never played a few creative pranks on friends in the past. But why do people feel that they need one specific day on the calendar to get all their mischief out of their system? Depending on the source you dig into, the calendar may actually be to blame… I found a couple of different sources behind April Fools’ Day’s origins and all seem to stem from the same general story. So, I’ll share a snippet from History.com:

“Some historians speculate that April Fools’ Day dates back to 1582, when France switched from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar, as called for by the Council of Trent in 1563. In the Julian Calendar, as in the Hindu calendar, the new year began with the spring equinox around April 1. People who were slow to get the news or failed to recognize that the start of the new year had moved to January 1 and continued to celebrate it during the last week of March through April 1 became the butt of jokes and hoaxes and were called “April fools.” These pranks included having paper fish placed on their backs and being referred to as “poisson d’avril” (April fish), said to symbolize a young, easily caught fish and a gullible person.”

Since I grew up in an environment with a heavy French population, I can confirm the French part of the explanation. I remember the paper fish thing from my early years in grade school. Sources go on to describe some different traditions in different countries, kind of like how Halloween has different backgrounds in different countries, as well. But depending on whether you’re the one playing the pranks or receiving them, enjoying it as a fun little escape from the everyday hum-drum of life is subjective to the recipient. I can’t recall if someone managed to get one past me last year but this year, I was lucky enough that April Fools’ Day took place on a Saturday so I didn’t have work to contend with, and none of my friends seemed inclined to try and pull anything on me. One more year survived… ☯️

When Your Get Up And Go Has Gotten Up And Gone…

I’ve noticed that I seem to be letting more and more time elapse between my posts… What with my last one being nearly a week and a half ago, I think I’ve become far too comfortable letting go of my compulsion to post on a daily basis. On the one side, I have the my oldest son who, like every other kid in modern times, has become obsessed with Minecraft and often monopolizes the laptop during the evening hours. Although it’s my laptop and I could easily object, watching Minecraft tutorials is far better than other, more nefarious activities he could be getting up to, so I tend to indulge him a bit. I’ve also allowed my work to consume me to a certain extent; something that I had always promised myself I wouldn’t allow. Given that my agency is currently moving to a new physical address, the entire staff has been sent home to work remotely. I never realized how easy it was to start work early and work through my end time, when I’m sitting in the comfort of my home. But I digress… My self-imposed increased workload has also had me working as opposed to writing.

The biggest hit I’ve taken lately is my fitness routine, which has taken a seat to make time and room for other obligations and daily necessities. While I would be the first to admit that when something is as important as one’s health and fitness, one can find the time no matter how busy they are, I also recognize that there are a finite number of hours in a day and time is the only commodity that humanity can’t create. Therefore, by the time my work day is done, meals and children are seen to, which includes homework, baths, laundry and dishes, this leaves me precious little time to flop down on the couch and let me head cool as I contemplate the events of the day. Wash, rinse and repeat.

For the most part, I was on a pretty good track with performing a brief, 10-minute circuit in the morning that helped wake me up, increase my circulation and give me some get up & go before I even cracked my first energy drink. You can read about that here. Although my first went swimmingly, the second week was a bit like a worn out commodity and I haven’t been quite as effective at getting out of bed early enough to do the circuit and shower before I need to plop down in front of a keyboard for the day. Given that my evenings are filled with all the daily requirements of family life that outlined in the previous paragraph, it leaves one to ask: When will I have time to work out?

One of the biggest things I consistently hear form most fitness sources is simply this: show up. Even if you’re tired, show up. Even if it hurts, show up. Even when it gets tough, show up. Great words. Putting them into practice can often take an effort that can be difficult to nail down. I consider myself to be a reasonably committed person. So I would like to think I can rise above this. And I likely will but that doesn’t change the fact that at the moment, I feel a bit like a smashed piece of ass with no hopes of getting myself off the floor if I fall. Ironically, my blood sugars have honestly been pretty good, considering the lack of fitness. Of course, my continued lack of appetite may have a little something to do with that.

The lesson here is that if you find yourself in this type of situation, it’s important not to get hard on yourself. Let yourself have the time to rest and heal, if it’s what you need. Obviously, you don’t want to sit around all sedentary for an extended period of time as that will start to seriously affect your overall health, especially if you have type-1 Diabetes. And if you feel that you’re lacking energy or that your emotions are what’s affecting your fitness, consider the possibility that you may want to speak with your doctor or medical practitioner. Winter blues can sometimes be more than winter blues. Food for thought… ☯️

Sleep, Painful Sleep…

It’s no secret that people with Diabetes will often have poor or lessened blood circulation in their extremeties. This can be attributed to a number of different complications, including but not limited to poor dietary choices and high blood sugars causing fatty deposits in the blood vessels over time. This will result in the hardening of your blood vessels, which will lessen blood flow. there are a bunch of other reasons for it, as well but one can hit up WebMD for the comprehensive list.

Sleeping with Type-1 Diabetes also comes with a pretty long list of difficulties, from fluctuating blood sugars to dehydration, all the way up to general feelings of unease, including restless leg syndrome or any of the vast plethora of colds and flus one catches because they’re living with a compromised immune system. It can mean that getting a full, uninterrupted night’s sleep is damn near impossible but when it does happen, it’s almost like twenty pounds of weight has been lifted off of one’s shoulders and one feels SO much better.

Since Diabetes has an unfortunate domino effect where one complication will feed another, such as dehydration affecting one’s blood sugars, it can mean that spending half of one’s night awake is not only a very real possibility, it’s almost the norm. Which sucks. Royally. Some obvious solutions come to mind. Consuming proper amounts of water to stay hydrated, monitoring one’s blood glucose closely and making adjustments prior to bed… Doctors have been telling me for years to sleep with a pillow between my legs to prevent disrupting the circulation in my legs but I’m way too violent a sleeper to keep a pillow between my legs.

Ironically, my biggest issue isn’t with my legs… It’s with my arms. I’m an odd sleeper, finding myself on my stomach more often than not, with my right arm tucked at my chest and my left arm above my head. I have no idea what prompts me to sleep this way but it tend sot inhibit the proper blood flow to my arms. I’ll often wake up during the night with an odd pain in my arms, until I realize that I’ve lost circulation. You haven’t lived until you’ve had that fun experience of feeling the blood slowly start flowing back to your fingertips. But I digress…

Eventually, as I get older and Diabetic complications start to become more prevailent and serious, this could potentially become harmful and cause permanent damage. I’ve slowly trained myself over the past few years to sleep on my back but my sinuses don’t always like to cooperate with that one. But circulatory issues can lead to worsened complications. If you find yourself with frequent numbness in extremities or your limbs are often cold, even when the temperature is warm or moderate, you may want to consult your family doctor or health practitioner to ensure it isn’t something that will cause permanent damage. ☯️

Rise And Grind…

I’ve never been much of a morning person in general. I know what you’re thinking; is ANYONE ever really a morning person? But in my case, it’s pretty much always been an issue of consciously forcing myself to function for the first few hours of my mornings. I’m often surprised that my posts are so coherent. During my school years, I always attributed it to just being a teenager. I mean, what teenager DOESN’T fall asleep in class, right? But considering it’s carried on into my adulthood, it’s pretty clear that I just can’t handle morning in general. At least not without several hundred milligrams of caffeine pumped into my system.

For years, I’ve tried to find a way to incorporate fitness into my morning routine. The thought behind this is pretty simple; increased fitness first thing in the morning will increase blood flow, raise my heart rate and start my day off with a kick. I may even potentially need less caffeine, if I’d manage to get my little dynamo pumping. But most attempts I’ve made have failed. What usually happens is when m,y alarm goes off, I’ll roll over, nope the fuck out of it and reset the alarm for an hour later.

The root of the issue is it has to start with you. No matter which way you look at it, you have to show up. Tired? Sore? Don’t feel like it? Too fuckin’ bad! Keep showing up and do it. It sounds ideal but most people, myself included, often can’t bring myself to do this. I’m not suggesting that you should work out if you’re injured or ill but otherwise, “pushing through it” is a very necessary part of a successful fitness routine.

A few months ago, I had this bright idea to get a membership for. A local swimming pool, since they have lane swimming that starts at about 5:30 in the morning. I figured I could sneak in there in the morning, hammer out 30 minutes of laps, grab a shower and make my way into work. I recall from my academy days that lap swimming is an incredible cardio workout and works almost all the muscle groups in the body. It would have been fantastic. Would have been. Had I been able to get myself out of bed to start doing it.

I needed to do something simpler. Something more straightforward. Something that allowed me to just jump straight into it without thinking about not and didn’t involve dealing with the public, first thing in the morning. This is where I came up with a simple circuit that I could do as soon as I woke up. It only takes about fifteen minutes, or closer to twenty, depending on how exhausted I am, I can do it in my basement before grabbing a shower and heading to work. I have a set group of exercises for Monday to Friday and I do it despite whatever structured workouts I do in the evening when i get home from work. I call it my “tragic warm-up to help embrace the pain.” Here it is:

Monday
– 30 jumping jacks;
– 30 push-ups;
– 25 high knees;
– 10 burpees; and
– 25 crunches.

Tuesday
– 20 squats;
– 35 push-ups;
– 35 crunches;
– 35 jumping jacks; and
– 35 high knees.

Wednesday
– 30 jumping jacks;
– 30 push-ups;
– 25 high knees;
– 10 burpees; and
– 25 crunches.

Thursday
– 20 squats;
– 35 push-ups;
– 35 crunches;
– 35 jumping jacks; and
– 35 high knees.

Friday
– 30 jumping jacks;
– 30 push-ups;
– 25 high knees;
– 10 burpees; and
– 25 crunches.

It’s reasonably gruelling, especially first thing in the morning. I’ve also had days where I’ve simply skipped working out in the evenings by virtue of having done this morning gem. But it’s had the desired effect, in that my caffeine intake has lowered and I have a bit more energy and drive. granted, I also bottom out and get tired as shit by the time the end of my day comes along, but this is when you should be winding down and getting tired so you can sleep a full night, right?

Anyway, because I believe that variety is the spice of fitness, I thought I would share this with you. To be honest, I printed off the sheet this workout is on so long ago, I can’t remember if I found it somewhere or created it, myself. But it suits the purpose. Tomorrow is Monday and I will once again be seeing if I can’t “rise” to the occasion and make my way through the circuit. But it’s definitely worth trying, if you’re looking for something quick and effective to kickstart your mornings. Enjoy! ☯️

The Shopping Cart Theory

I’ve noticed I’ve been writing a fair bit about right and wrong lately. Not really sure what’s prompting that, beyond someone trying to break into my neighbour’s garage recently. But some of it has had me questioning our perceptions of right and wrong, and how good or perspectively bad a person may be. I say “perspectively” because what seems to be bad to one person, may in fact seem perfectly normal to another. The problem is, most people will allow themselves to do most given things if they know for a fact they won’t get caught. Let’s take speeding, as an example. Everyone knows that speeding is illegal. Most people recognize that they shouldn’t do it and that speed laws are in place for a reason but most people will also allow themselves to speed if they believe there are no cops around and they won’t get caught.

Enter: The Shopping Cart Theory. I’ve heard/read about this theory a number of times over the years, and have even had heated discussions with friends and family members over the concept. The theory postulates that in general, people are unable to self-govern unless they’re ordered to do a given thing or may face consequences if they don’t. This is demonstrated by the returning of a shopping cart, once one is done shopping and has loaded up their vehicle. In concept, there is no acceptable reason WHY a person can’t return their shopping cart. It only takes a moment, it’s simple and easy and it saves work for others.

The flip side to that, is that there are no laws obligating a person to return their shopping cart. The reality is that no one will punish you, fine you, harm you or kill you for failing to return your shopping cart. Although most of us will invariably recognize returning our shopping cart as the right thing to do, there is nothing to be gained from returning it. No one will praise you, you gain nothing and returning it is done only out of the goodness of one’s heart. One must accept and recognize that one is returning the shopping cart ONLY because it is the right thing to do and provides nothing of value or reward to the person.

This is why The Shopping Cart Theory basically determines whether a person is good or bad within the scope of modern society. The thinking is that a person who is unable to take five seconds to return their cart after using it, is only able to do what’s right when they are threatened by the law or some show of force. Most people will leave their cart unreturned without a second thought, seeing no issue with doing so. Hell, I’ve been guilty of it myself, on occasion. I like to rationalize that I had my children with me to deal with or that it was a freezing winter day. But what makes me any better or more important than the poor staff person who has to retrieve my cart in those harsh conditions because I chose not to do so?

Are we capable of doing the right thing, even when we have nothing to gain and won’t be punished for failing to do so? I’d like to think so. I’ve evidence to the contrary often enough to make me question it, though. But doing the right thing even when not required to so, plays into the Noble Eightfold Path, which includes Right Thinking and Right Action. So, the moral of this post is simply to ask oneself a question: Am I able to self-govern and do what’;s right, even when it gains me nothing? If the answer is no, perhaps a touch of self-reflection is necessary. Food for thought… ☯️