Of Stiff Necks, Beauty, And The Power Of Exercise Over Your Life

“Can you coax your mind from its wandering
and keep to the original oneness?
Can you let your body become
supple as a newborn child’s?
Can you cleanse your inner vision
until you see nothing but the light?
Can you love people and lead them
without imposing your will?
Can you deal with the most vital matters
by letting events take their course?
Can you step back from you own mind
and thus understand all things?

“Giving birth and nourishing,
having without possessing,
acting with no expectations,
leading and not trying to control:
this is the supreme virtue.”

From the Tao te Ching by Lao-tzu, translation by Steven Mitchell

This is the bay where we enjoyed swimming with turtles and other beautiful sea life.

Hi folks,

I awoke with a stiff neck this morning. I am not sure why. It was maybe because I slept on a couch in a more remote location in Hawaii so all four of us could fit into a smaller apartment to keep costs down, and so we could have a view of the Hawaiian jungle. I often wonder about stiff necks, which come in many forms.

Each day I try to ask myself, “Am I resisting some kind of valuable change because of old habits, or fear of change (misoneism – FitOldDog’s favorite word)?” Basically, “Am I being stiff-necked about something important?” This is a good question to ask yourself, or would you prefer to blame everything on the ‘couches of life?”

Today’s post will be short, as I am working on roam on my MiFi and communication is becoming challenging. I mainly wanted to say that once again being in good shape has enriched my life. We all went snorkeling yesterday in a beautiful bay, but I had a scheduled open water swim, so I just went in using my usual Swedish goggles and nose clips. Due to my current state of fitness and swimming skill (thanks to great coaching), which is necessary for Ironman distance races, I was able to negotiate the reef more effectively and freely than the people around me encumbered with fins, masks and snorkels. It was a great workout and I got to swim with sea turtles. Can you imagine? Takes your breath away!

This is the reef where we got to swim with turtles and see the beauty of the sea – when it comes to the reef itself, DON’T TOUCH!!

I wonder if all that reef swimming, and working to avoid touching the coral, played a role in my stiff neck – or am I resisting a significant change in my life that is overdue.

I wonder!

-k @FitOldDog