Day 7: Rock the Dish

It's been a week now of this new element of my medicine.

I am gaining a ton from the experience.  It's a huge time commitment- a few hours a day all told.  It takes so much energy.  I used to dance every day.  Now I dance a little when I feel like it but I just don't have as much wild, free energy anymore.  Which is fine.  It's being used for an intention.

I don't have time to delve into all I want to say because the Warriors are already playing and I have to go.

Day 6: Rock the Dish

Ran a little from car to gate.  And from gate to car.  And some uphill moments.

Mostly walked, lost in thought.

One thing I've noticed.  Rocking the Dish every day makes it so I need far less cannabis to manage my ADD.  It's been a great medicine for my body and soul.  It's free.  It's hard.  It feels good.  It's so peaceful out there and the view is just inspiring to me.

Time:

Took me an hour and 15 from gate to gate.

Shoes:

I tried some European running shoes I've had for a few years.  I love the love back.  I hate the bright green.  I miss my toes having freedom in my Vibrams.  Had to finish the loop with socks so my toes could not be squished.  Must buy yoga socks to start running in Vibrams again!!

Music:

Nahko Bear- goes without saying.  But I'm gonna keep saying it.

A girl I knew in Portland- her track on Soundcloud.  SO DIVINELY PEACEFUL.

Useful Jenkins and Big Zach!

Sometimes I just turn it off and listen to the sounds around me.  I love it up there.

Blog Progression:

I decided to change the focus from Rocking the Dish to Finding Your Medicine and Using It.  I got the words from Nahko.

I have been thinking a lot about what "medicine" is.  Certainly can include the things we usually think of.  But they can also harm us.  So many tools that we can use to help or harm- ourselves and others.

My best medicine right now:

Music

Rocking the Dish

Talking to close friends

Cannabis

Dancing

Prayer

Letting Go

Day 5: Rock the Dish

Today, I only ran from my car to the bottom of the trail.  And the bottom of the trail to my car.  Not the whole way.  Just when it flowed effortlessly out of me.

It got me thinking about energy.  Why is it there sometimes and sometimes it's not?  It comes and goes as it will.  Sometimes it seems to follow general rules- but often it just confuses me.

This is true with the body and the spirit and also relationships sometimes.

I walked the whole thing.  I didn't run.  I didn't dance.  I didn't stop and stretch or rest.  I just walked slow and steady.  There were parts I was in pain- side ache.  My blisters feel better.

Mostly I just felt low and flowy and most of the music I listened to was low and flowy.  Dessert Dwellers.  And a girl I know in Portland.  Aya medication music.

The nice thing about a loop is that you can't short it.

That's comforting.  It requires commitment.  Which I felt comfortable making 5 days ago.

Listened to Nahko, as every time I Rock the Dish.

Found a great song and new (to me) band on Soundcloud recently.  Useful Jenkins.

This song came in a great time in my Rocking the Dish, today.  I finished up with it- got back to my car right when I realized how perfect the song was for today.   Tomorrow.

I'd love to see these guys someday.

Gear:

Ryka running shoes, Iphone, new bluetooth headphones (X-it), A cheap $5 running belt from Target to hold my phone and vape pen

I'm missing my barefoot shoe experience but my blisters aren't healed yet.  I need to get some toeless socks.  Yoga socks.

Day 4: Rock the Dish

I started earlier than usual today.  That was helpful to me.  I will keep trying that I think- if I can or continue to desire it.  :)

I had a lot of productive thinking and dreaming today.

My blisters are healing.

I listened to Nahko, Rising Appalachia, and Dessert Dwellers.

I mostly walked today.   I noticed if my arms started moving to dance to the music I could just convert that energy to running and put my dancing into running and it felt really good.  Then when I stopped feeling it- I just started walking again.

No judgement of myself.   Just proud of myself for getting myself there and doing this project.  My body is already significantly different- to my eyes and feeling.

One great benefit.  I got a text from someone today that normally would have really taken me down.  It did sting a little.  He was just being honest about his experience with me.  But I feel a real calm inside me from the hard work these past 4 days.  Not just Rocking the Dish but also with my swimming lesson bath time book and in my personal life.

I value the feedback because it helps me understand the effect I'm having on other people.  Nahko tells me to stay humble every single day.  Right now I feel humble.  I have so much to learn about myself and relationships and just life.  But I also AM learning so much and I feel confident I can keep learning and growing.




There was a beautiful moment today when a hawk flew very close to me and circled me and I just stretched out my arms and opened my spirit up to him.  Like a similar moment I had in a desert once I had to wonder if maybe he thought I was lunch- but it was like he was saying hello to me.  Or I love you.  Or something.  :)  Or I want to eat you.  Who knows.

But the way I felt when he was much closer to me than in this picture is beyond description.  I wanted to be him so much.  I wanted to feel that freedom of flying.

I actually did feel that freedom in that moment though.

It just felt like a great honor was bestowed upon me.





Another thing I notice is that I like who I am when I am rocking the dish.  Because I feel a real satisfaction from having challenged myself so much and from the benefits of doing it.

So constructive feedback feels much better than it does when you are in a place of weakness and self doubt.  Even if it stings a bit- I have the mental power to set that aside and just look at it practically and see what I can do with it to propel me forward in new and better ways.

GAME 6 TONIGHT.   Go Warriors!!

Day 3: Rock the Dish

Today, my only goal is to finish it in good spirits.

I'm being challenged right now to not let my emotions get the best of me.

I need to put them in their place and keep moving towards the things that I'm trying to accomplish.

I have doubts and fears inside me that are trying to give me counsel and I just don't know whether to ignore them and not let any fear enter me- can I do that?- or .... ?  I don't know?  What do you with existential angst that hits you like a tsunami at times?

Were the Beatles right?  Is love really all we need?  This is what I'm thinking about today.

I'll finish this report when I get back.

Very late this night

Well, I finished in good spirits.  The running shoes helped my blisters by giving me different pressure points than my barefoot shoes that I can't wear socks with.

I walked mostly.  Danced with my arms sometimes because the music was good and sometimes just to get myself going.  Speed walked at times.  Jogged and also ran when I felt the Spirit so move me.

I decided that for me- the dish will be a judgement free zone.  Of myself, anyway.  Ha ha.

I can do whatever the heck I want.  My only job is to get myself there every day until the end of July.  The rest- I just do whatever I want to Rock it.  I can go slow, fast, change it up- whatever I want.  This makes it a virtually stress free activity for me and that means I'm much more likely to do it.

This is my favorite spot.  It doesn't look like much from this pic.  But it's at the top of a hill where the valley suddenly shows itself and it's amazing.  Some day I'll be able to capture it better.  It's towards the end of the loop and the beginning of the descent down back to the trail head.

 I met some friends and this is their pet they take to walk the dish.  Fantastic!  I hope to see them on the trail sometime.

I am learning that if I don't desire something that will really help me, then figure out a way to desire it.

If I want to accomplish a task that I am avoiding- figure out the worst things about it and then see if there is anything to be done about those things.  Then smoke cannabis and go do it.

That is one of the best uses for medical marijuana for my particular ADD/issues that often really hold me back.

Music

Music is such a gift.  Some of my best moments of today's Rocking was listening to Nahko Bear and maybe some accompanying fist pumping and running.  I want Nahko to come with me every day to the Rock the Dish.

Looking forward

I want to do this project until the end of July.  Why?  Because I have a girlfriend who is dating someone and they agreed to go to the end of July and that just sounded good to me.  :)  Kind of strange to have an expiration date on a relationship and keep going with it- but perfect for a project like this.  I guess- not so weird, when I think about it.  Planning an experience and giving it freedom within a context of time to see what happens.

Interesting for dating.  I'm curious to see how it works out for them.

Day 2: Rock the Dish

I don't have time to write a ton.

Just that yesterday was painful.

I walked, jogged, and danced it.  My feet were blistering.  I could barely walk by the end and limped pathetically to my car.  People were watching me because I couldn't hide my pain.  I had to let go of caring about that.

I got a disappointing text at the very end that I wasn't going to see Game 6 with my brother and I just felt deflated.

I tried to pop my blisters.  Especially the big one.  Couldn't do it.

I'm putting on good socks and actual running shoes.  Hopefully, if I'm slow it won't do damage.

I'm a little sore but not as much as I'd think, considering how hard Day 1 was.

Day 1: Rock the Dish

Yesterday: Day 1

I was sad yesterday and decided to run the dish.  It was brutal.  So I decided to do it every day until the end of July.

I remember trying to get out of walking the dish with my family on Christmas Day as a child because my nose was buried in the new books I had and I didn't want to come out of my little reading world.

Walking the dish is a Stanford University/Palo Alto thing.  I'm sure it can be googled to be understood property.  Or I'll find a good link sometime.

About 2:00 I drove over by my aunt and uncle's house where I park and walk to the trailhead.

Did I mention the BRUTALITY?

I have plans for this blog.  I want to make a spreadsheet of my daily experience Rocking the Dish.  It will include how I rocked it.  I'm not going to run the whole time every time- or ever again perhaps.  Haha.

I might walk.  I plan to dance a lot because dancing just keeps me moving almost without effort.  I want to keep track of time it takes to complete the loop- from the trailhead marker back to the same marker.

I want to keep track of my equipment.  Of my play lists.  Of food or water I brought with me.

I want to journal to record the things I am learning through this experience.

The rules of the day:

I could only progress if I ran.  If I didn't have the energy to run- then I could sit, stand, lay in the gravel, stretch, dance, sway, pace- whatever I had to do until the energy came back to me and I could keep running.

That was my rule.

The dish has HILLS.  Loooooong ones.  And there were times where I forgot downhill even existed and then bam- sweet relief.

Many people asked me if I was ok at various stages.  Yes, thank you, kind people!!  Just resting!!  haha

At one point I just wanted to sleep but I couldn't miss Game 5- Go Warriors!  No big loss- we have game 6 tomorrow.

I was like- I can keep going.  I want to die.  But I won't.  Not just yet.  The Warriors need me.

Gear:

I run in barefoot shoes.  Vibram 5 Fingers.  Dainty All black ones.

Also- my Amphipod fanny "band"

My lame Iphone 6 with no space- in the fanny band

Sharper image headphones- plugged into the phone- coming out of the fanny band

My all purpose work shorts

Sports bra- also often used for work

Target tank top which came in handy when I wanted to lay in gravel to try not to pass out- ouch on the bare skin.

Thoughts while running:

I planned this blog.  Thought about my life.  Listened to great music.  Especially Nahko Bear.

Playlist:

I'll fill this out later.