My Take. The Meaning of Life: Chasing Moments

Scott Peterson

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I have a fitness blog that I don't update often enough but felt compelled to post the following to and thought it might bear sharing here as a conversation thread.

My Take. The Meaning of Life: Chasing Moments

As I was doing my workout today I really was thinking about some things that have been on my mind the past few years, months, weeks and days.

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"Everything affects everything." Paul Reed Smith said that in a demonstration he gave about PRS guitars back in the late 90's to a gathering of a few dozen hardcore PRS Forum members. He was tapping wood listening to and for what he termed the 'ring' with his ADD nervous spastic energy that he has always had in person. That quote sticks out to me not just applied to building guitars, or playing them. It applies to chasing moments that create the touchstones and building blocks of memories that form a life lived.

Over my life I've come to realize that something in that quote from Paul really 'rings' true applied to everything. Getting into the moment, free of distraction, with absolute focus and total commitment to the moment is the zone. The magic. The power of connecting with your surroundings, with a group of people in emotional experiences in a singular MOMENT of time. Athletes call it the 'zone'. In competition, you find your stillness in the moments of great speed under extreme duress. You are calm in the face seemingly perpetual chaos of movement. Your situation, your surroundings, the effort, the focus all blend into a moment. As a performing musician, those perfect moments when the room, the crowd, the band, the music all HITS and everything simultaneously both 'goes away' and at the same time paradoxically 'comes together' is powerful juju. It's the same elements that form part of the power and attraction of altered states of perception, sexual experiences, being human and alive. The truly powerful music that impacts you and STOPS you and pulls you in, even for a moment (or two) either as a musician or a listener is all the same thing. The memories we will review the most vividly on our deathbed are not the mundane day-to-day; but the ones that came down to a singular moment that was memorable and impacted us more. The birth of your child, the loss of a loved one. Falling in love; dealing with battles that seem insurmountable and surviving. Life and loss. Triumph and sadness. Not cleaning the toilet or fixing a hole in the wall. I would hope so anyway.

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I've been working out hard my whole life; but feel it's really coming together since I started a simple program ("Simple and Sinister" by Pavel Tsatsouline) last April. Buying into his program isn't hard. It's two basic movements - both being complex, gross motor movements that involve your whole body. One movement (the kettlebell swing) is explosive, ballistic and requires body control, breathing, power, explosiveness and technique. You are using so many things during the move that you must both explode with tension and be relaxed and loose in alternative aspects that fluctuate through the movement. The other is a 'grind' (the Turkish Get-Up or TGU), and requires all the same elements but also body proprioception and balance applied through the movement getting the bell from the floor to raised and locked out overhead with one arm in a slow, steady manner that requires moments of power and a stillness between the various postures. It is truly a 'grind'. (*I've since added a lot more to my workouts but do the S&S protocol 3-4 times a week). I have gone at it with everything I have. I've not rushed through it. I am constantly working on getting the techniques down better and better and nine months in now, it leads to a lot of 'in the zone' moments during workouts where everything zones out, I am connected to the moment in time and the work with laser focus and it's led me to truly great stuff beyond the physical. To me it connects spiritually, mentally and physically all at the same time. Everything both comes together and goes away allowing me to (as I almost constantly say to myself out loud in the moment, at the moment): "Be here. Right now."

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Different lifestyles and practices - culturally and otherwise - tend to cloud that. Mobile phones. Advertising. Television. Internet. Email. Social media. Experiences you remember though - triggering memories powerful in their depth over your entire life all share the same core things are all devoid of these things. Tragic and triumph in your own life - as you experience them - tend to remove everything nonessential from the moment, impacting you in ways you do not forget. For better or worse.

There's purpose to it, thought behind it; these moments. I call awareness of this chasing moments. Yoga teaches breathing as an essential portion of the practice. Likewise breath control when practicing marksmanship on the range. The importance given to posture by design of your physical body allows for optimal breath control in physical pursuits - like higher level training with kettlebells - allow you to focus in on nuances and connect you into the moment you are in at any given time. These are essential to those experiences. Like most things; once you've mastered the muscle control, you are no longer aware of them. Once you've practiced it and internalized the movements and breathing... you let go and get to the place where those moments can happen. You can not force them. But at the same time, the mastery of the fundamentals and the techniques allows you to nurture and achieve those elusive moments in the zone.

Apply everything you've learned, focus your fears, your awareness, your regrets, your hopes, your successes. Learn to be in the moment and control the aggression, the anger, the fear, the power through technique and determination. Everything leads to here and now; but this is just another point on a curve and what you do, how you do it matters to the success or failure of the effort. Vary the wave of your intensity intelligently and push beyond your comfort zone but don't be reckless.

Age offers the chance to gain experience, knowledge and the wisdom to use them. Age is also a brutally powerful battle against time and your own mortality. All these things coalesce into letting little things go and understanding what is important to pay attention to and what is not important.

A key to all this is to simplify. Slow down, grease the groove and make the complex simple and the moments are there to be had. Slow is smooth, smooth is fast. Repetition through determination and applied focus over time with patience is the key.

As you go through your day today, look around. Look at the people around you lost in their phones as they eat with others. Look at drivers on the road texting instead of driving. Look at families united yet divided staring at their own screens with words, videos and pictures instead of connecting with life around you... in that moment. When the impact of what we are doing to ourselves with all this distraction and disconnection hits you, remember...

Live life. Chase moments. Be present. Be here. Right now. Everything affects everything.
 
Live life. Chase moments. Be present. Be here. Right now. Everything affects everything.

And forget everything about the past except the lessons learned. As I get older I see so many wasting precious times & years trying to go back, trying to fix it, trying to relive it, trying to make now then. and yes I have been guilty too!
There are times when life throws things in our path, no matter how strong the laser focus, you just have to stop, deal and sacrifice for others. Everything is one thing ATTITUDE!
 
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it's really coming together since I started a simple program ("Simple and Sinister" by Pavel Tsatsouline) last April. Buying into his program isn't hard.
Scott, I'm curious... but cautious. Would this program even be applicable for older geeks (late fifties) that aren't very muscular at all (skinny twig)? 35 lb, 53 lb and 70 lb kettlebells sound to me like something I'd move carefully with both hands, not something I'd try to exercise with.
 
Good post, even as I sit here reading it with my wife in the other room. :confused:

Less is often more, and everything does affect everything, while not everything matters as much... connect with those things that do, and remove some that don't... they're affecting everything. Good words, my friend.
 
Scott, I'm curious... but cautious. Would this program even be applicable for older geeks (late fifties) that aren't very muscular at all (skinny twig)? 35 lb, 53 lb and 70 lb kettlebells sound to me like something I'd move carefully with both hands, not something I'd try to exercise with.
Yes; but depending on your fitness level, strength and well being you might want to start at a lower weight to 'get into' the movements. Check out Pavel's book (Simple and Sinister) and read it; it's very compelling. I've found that the more I bought into his 'keep it simple and work hard' but not to exhaustion has really paid off in spades for me.

Start with the swing and if you can, find someone knowledgeable to truly teach you the proper body mechanics. I'm not a big guy (5'10" 162 lbs) and I'm just about to turn 49. I play soccer competitively in two leagues and workout to stay competitive with that (I play in a D2 Over 30 Men's league and a D3 Over 18 Co-ed league) and this workout regime keeps me functionality strong, I'm a huge believer in quality of life and of all the workouts regimens I've ever done over the years the Russian Hard-Style kettlebell stuff like this is hand's down the best overall 'everything at the same time' but time efficient, effective and universal workout program I've done. I have my young son doing kettlebell swings with a 8 kg (20 lb) bell (it's the white banded one) and he's handling it well. I've moved up to one handed swings with the 32 kg bell for 100 reps on my 'heavy days' but I vary it over the week based on how I feel, and my game schedule (I play currently on Monday and Tuesday nights; I sub in on Fridays on occasion for another Over 30 Men's league too. This workout regime has kept me strong and durable; I was really hesitant to attempt to play multiple games a week; I've not done that since my 20's. I was scared that I could not handle it nor recover between games, let alone compete at the level I wanted.

I have found (honestly, MUCH to my surprise) that these workouts have really given me a very powerful foundation. Though I don't train cardio directly, doing 100 swings or 100 snatches allows me to have stamina like I've never before had. I just don't get tired and my recovery is better than ever. Kettlebells have an effect that practitioners like to call the "WTF?" effect - you can do things not directly related to the workouts and do VERY well at them. I've found that every functional possibility of fitness (strength, flexibility, stamina, power) are all worked very well. I've been (secretly) lamenting to myself that I've lost a step (or two... or three...) over the past few years... but almost miraculously this summer/fall/winter I've gained speed and explosiveness again. In my Over 18 league, most of the players are in their 20's or 30's (I am one of, if not 'the' oldest guys in the entire league (not just my team)) and these kids (I call them kids) are so FAST. It is rewarding beyond words to be able to hang with them and compete effectively against them. The men's leagues are more 'crash and bang' and really physical; I'm not a big guy but I can crash and bang (I'm pretty competitive by nature) with most anyone, even guys that outweigh me by 50 lbs..

My goal is to get my wife at least doing that move (the swing) and building from that one building block; even people with shoulder reconstruction can do the swing effectively and really; it's just a VERY useful and functional foundation for anything carrying over into real life. At various periods over my life I've done bodybuilding/weight lifting; bodyweight; TRX, P90X, HIIT, yoga, and all sorts of sports specific stuff (based around a lifetime of playing competitive club and then recreational soccer) and I've found that this old school Russian style stuff works best for my temperament and expectations.

All the fitness stuff aside, the way to live life best is what I was getting at; the philosophy I tried to lay out is something that I am working on myself as a process. I am not a model of best practices; I am a flawed student that is finding my way. I highlighted the workout end of it because that's an important facet of my life that spills over into everything I do. No matter how much life knocks you around or kicks you in the gut; it's something you can control if you are physically able. I use that to drive myself; I have very good friends that have some disabilities that don't allow them to walk or run; and there's an anecdote I share about my (deceased) uncle I was close to that highlights what drives me. My Uncle Jim was in the Korean War and lost his legs in combat. He told me once (I was just a kid, around 12 or so) that he'd give anything just to walk across the backyard and feel the grass again under his feet. As long as I am physically capable, I will work my ass off to keep playing the game I've loved playing my whole life running on the grass my uncle wanted to walk across but could not. I owe that to him.

Peace.
 
Good post, even as I sit here reading it with my wife in the other room. :confused:

Less is often more, and everything does affect everything, while not everything matters as much... connect with those things that do, and remove some that don't... they're affecting everything. Good words, my friend.
Thanks. And I am *totally* guilty of sitting here working on the computer all the day and night (running TGP is really a 24/7/365 undertaking) whilst everyone else is on their screens (my wife is a serial TV watcher). I am doing my best to make sure we all have time as a family AWAY from screens and we are working the rule that no phones during dinner and little things like that. It's jarring to see whole families at a restaurant where mom is on her phone, dad is on his and the kids all have tablets or phones. No one utters a word or speaks to makes eye contact. What kind of life is that? What does that do to the family unit? It's not living, it's existing. It's not good. It's everywhere I go. People are so obsessed with taking photos for instagram or sharing their life on Facebook that that forget to experience the moment. Society is so bent on documenting memories and moments for others that they are doing it at the expense of living them in the first place. It's all bass-ackwards.
 
Thanks. And I am *totally* guilty of sitting here working on the computer all the day and night (running TGP is really a 24/7/365 undertaking) whilst everyone else is on their screens (my wife is a serial TV watcher). I am doing my best to make sure we all have time as a family AWAY from screens and we are working the rule that no phones during dinner and little things like that. It's jarring to see whole families at a restaurant where mom is on her phone, dad is on his and the kids all have tablets or phones. No one utters a word or speaks to makes eye contact. What kind of life is that? What does that do to the family unit? It's not living, it's existing. It's not good. It's everywhere I go. People are so obsessed with taking photos for instagram or sharing their life on Facebook that that forget to experience the moment. Society is so bent on documenting memories and moments for others that they are doing it at the expense of living them in the first place. It's all bass-ackwards.
I so agree with this, Scott. And, oddly enough, because all of this is on cell phones and Facebook, there will one day be an amazing dearth of pictures remaining, not the tons of photo albums we knew, even though zillions of photos were taken. It will be like a generation that never happened. So connected, no connections.
 
Live life. Chase moments. Be present. Be here. Right now. Everything affects everything.

This reminds me of the Bill Murray quote from his Charlie Rose interview: "I live a little bit on the seat of my pants, I try to be alert and available. I try to be available for life to happen to me. We’re in this life, and if you’re not available, the sort of ordinary time goes past and you didn’t live it. But if you’re available, life gets huge. You’re really living it.”
 
Thanks. And I am *totally* guilty of sitting here working on the computer all the day and night (running TGP is really a 24/7/365 undertaking) whilst everyone else is on their screens (my wife is a serial TV watcher). I am doing my best to make sure we all have time as a family AWAY from screens and we are working the rule that no phones during dinner and little things like that. It's jarring to see whole families at a restaurant where mom is on her phone, dad is on his and the kids all have tablets or phones. No one utters a word or speaks to makes eye contact. What kind of life is that? What does that do to the family unit? It's not living, it's existing. It's not good. It's everywhere I go. People are so obsessed with taking photos for instagram or sharing their life on Facebook that that forget to experience the moment. Society is so bent on documenting memories and moments for others that they are doing it at the expense of living them in the first place. It's all bass-ackwards.
Everything has always been ass backwards! Only a few do step outside of it briefly!
 
Wow. I just saw this now. Very insightful.

Life is what you're doing right now.
You might as well really do it.
 
Scott, I'm curious... but cautious. Would this program even be applicable for older geeks (late fifties) that aren't very muscular at all (skinny twig)? 35 lb, 53 lb and 70 lb kettlebells sound to me like something I'd move carefully with both hands, not something I'd try to exercise with.
You can do it. Just not on the first day. :) You start smaller and work up.

You'll need a good instructor, or at least a good video by a reputable instructor. You can't learn to lift kettlebells from a book. You have to see it done to do it right. And you have to do it right to avoid hurting yourself. But the rewards are substantial in terms of endurance, strength, balance, flexibility, cardiovascular health, alertness, and the general high that comes from feeling like you've turned back the clock ten years.

I'll be sixty in a couple of years, and I'm a natural anti-athlete. My knees won't let me do running. And when I turn sixty, I'll have been kettlebelling for ten years. Totally worth it.


Oh, and there's minimal impact on your time or your space. My entire gym lives under a desk.

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I actually live for the moments where people say to me "I tried phoning/texting you but you earlier and you never answered" and I can answer "I was doing something else at the time". Some people just can't handle the fact that they don't dictate my time.

Phones and tablets are barred at family meal times in our house, but it's only a small hiatus in an otherwise screened device driven day

Scott Peterson trying to get his wife to swing .... who'd have thought?? ;)
 
The zone is a wonderful experience where everything seems to 'flow'.
Best book on this subject:'The Rise of Superman: Decoding the Science of Ultimate Human Performance'

If you want to produce a habit of producing the flow state of mind, it's important to align your mind, body and spirit with the idea. Your mind is the first place to introduce this goal into your life. Visualise yourself doing really well in the 'zone' everyday for 90 days for at least 17 seconds and allow yourself to feel really good about the idea. If you can't visualise it then attach an image of you or someone else in the state of flow on your wall and focus on what you see and fall in love with it.
Because if your mind cant see it or doesnt believe that it is possible to effortlessly get into the zone on a regular basis, then your mind will sabotage your body's progress and your attempts to flow will lead nowhere.
 
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