Lamas, Llamas, Pan, And This Changing World Seen From My Bike With Sue

 

“Fill your bowl to the brim
and it will spill.
Keep sharpening your knife
and it will blunt.
Chase after money and security
and your heart will never unclench.
Care about people’s approval
and you will be their prisoner.”

Tao te Ching, Lao Tsu, translation by Steven Mitchell

Hi folks,

Llamas, not Lamas, spotted during a Sunday spin on my bike with Sue.

I was riding on a lovely spring morning with my cycling buddy, Sue, when she said, “Did you see the llamas?” I was lost in thought, and actually did not notice them. Llamas seem pretty normal in North Carolina today. I have to admit that I do tend to think that llamas come from Tibet, even though I know that it is Lamas that come from that country in the sky - average altitude ~15,000 feet, and I get altitude sickness at 12,000 feet. Of course, thoughts of Tibet led my mind to memories of a lovely book, ‘Jitterbug Perfume,’ by Tom Robbins, and then on to the death of Pan, who is “connected to fertility and the season of spring.” This thought led me to think about the process of human mating, which leads naturally to the terrible peer pressure that dominates the life of middle school kids in the USA - I see it’s evidence everyday as a ‘soccer stepdad.’ Our peers play a huge role in our lives. They define our social environment, and to some extent will define us, unless we can escape from such pressures and just be ourselves, which is much easier said than done.

-k @FitOldDog

Today’s workouts:

Workout PLAN Coach: Chris Hauth
Swim
Distance: 3000.0 yd
Duration: 01:10:00
Description:
400 swim - 200 catch up8x300 with 45 sec rest. Super steady or getting slightly faster. Minimum of 6 are straight swim, no toys.
Run
mi
Duration: 01:35:00
Description:
aerobic run

 Important Note: These posts do not provide medical advice. You should always consult your physician before undertaking or significantly modifying an exercise program.

Copyright © 2010 Kevin T. Morgan aka FitOldDog, Old Dogs in Training, LLC.

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About Kevin Morgan

About Me: Senior Scientist Ironman Triathlete & Blogger. Carrboro, NC. Mantra: safe exercise for better health through improved mind and body awareness. Business USP: use the experience of an actively competing scientist Ironman triathlete with an abdominal aortic aneurysm stent graft to develop a safe approach to exercise for better health through improved mind-body awareness, if you have diabetes, heart disease, cancer, obesity, other health challenge, or you are simply dealing with the effects of aging. Marital Status: Partnered Ethnicity: Caucasian
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7 Responses to Lamas, Llamas, Pan, And This Changing World Seen From My Bike With Sue

  1. Marian says:

    Llamas live in the Andes (Peru).

  2. Kevin Morgan says:

    That was my point! -kevin

  3. Marian says:

    But you didn’t even mention Peru. I suppose you thought you didn’t need to because everyone knows that. Except some people, who will be nameless, don’t know much about Geography.

  4. Marian says:

    I have a friend here whose dream, if she won the lottery, would be to have an alpaca farm, because they’re “soft and fluffy”. They do make lovely jumpers (sweaters). I used to have one (a jumper, not an alpaca).

  5. Kevin Morgan says:

    Now I’ve got to go look up the difference between llamas and alpacas. Always learning something new. Yes, Peru was implied. -kevin

  6. Kevin Morgan says:

    Sounds like same species but different strains or varieties. Tx! -k

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