“Zen teacher Lewis Richmond tells the story of hearing Shunryu Suzuki sum up Buddhism in two words. Suzuki had just finished giving a talk to a group of Zen students when someone in the audience said, ‘You’ve been talking about Buddhism for nearly an hour, and I haven’t been able to understand a thing you said. Could you say one thing about Buddhism I can understand?’ After the laughter died down, Suzuki replied calmly, ‘Everything changes.’ Those words, Suzuki said, contain the basic truth of existence: Everything is always in flux. Until you accept this, you won’t be able to find true equanimity.”-Phil Jackson, 11 Rings.
Day 17 shutdown. For those lucky few with a home gym, how is this bizarre test week treating you? For those of you just keeping moving, we applaud you. We started with minimal equipment ourselves in late 2006-07 when we were introduced to CrossFit. So we do understand the struggle, and we are working on keeping you engaged and being as creative as possible. If you need ideas, reach out!
“There’s a Zen saying I often cite that goes, ‘Before enlightenment, chop wood, carry water. After enlightenment, chop wood, carry water.’ The point: Stay focused on the task at hand rather than dwelling on the past or worrying about the future.”-Phil Jackson, 11 Rings.
Day 16 shutdown. Thank you to all of you who have shown us support during this insane time we are all sharing on the earth. All I know is we are so humbled to the point of tears for those of you who truly are our tribe and our community. The gym is Lonnie and myself’s sole income, so we do not have the luxury as some gym owners might of falling back on the other spouse’s essential income. We are and will do everything in our power to keep lending out equipment, making videos, programming for you, and making you the best you can be in these trying times. Also, check out what CrossFit is doing to support all of us gym owners while the government keeps you away and our doors closed to you.
COVID-19 at home
“Duffle Bag DT”
5 rounds for time of:
-12 deadlift
-9 hang power clean
-6 shoulder to overhead anyway
*take a sandbag, buy a 50lb. bag of play sand from Lowe’s or Home Depot (essential) and wrap it in a plastic bag with duct tape, get out a suitcase, backpack or dufflebag and fill it with clothes and other items to perform the workout
“…But I hope our wisdom will grow with our power, and teach us, that the less we use our power, the greater it will be.” –Thomas Jefferson
Day 15 shutdown. How was that Mandate Monday for everyone? Next week Martial Law Monday?
Which leads me to the question, how much power can a democratic government enforce until it no longer has a democracy. If one person’s freedoms end where another person’s freedom begins, what rights does the government have to stifle our freedoms based on arbitrary essential/non-essential selections.
Food, water, shelter are essential for life, as are the now famous life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. But what if the government says to many small business owners, “Yes, you have a skill that people are willing to pay money for, and you have worked at that skill for a decade, possibly several; to pursue your happiness, but we now find it that you can no longer do that. You do not have the money to influence us. You are not big banks, big real estate, big pharmaceuticals, big technology, or big chain businesses. Do not worry, we will say we cannot separate the medical crisis from the economic crisis, and we can do without you, but we cannot do without those who are too big to fail. This will strengthen or relationships with those big businesses, and they too will be indebted to us. If you lose your house or your business, we can offer you a “loan,” and you will be indebted to us also. Now close, or we will put you in jail and cripple you financially.”
Now, we realize that this pandemic is serious, and we do not want lives to be lost, and we want to and are doing our part to flatten the curve so this does not become more serious, But the above is some food for thought in these trying times. On a more fitness related note, check out the links below.
COVID-19
with a constantly running clock set for 15 min. perform 3 rounds of:
-1 min. max reps jumping jacks
-1 min. max reps mountain climbers
-1 min. max reps jump rope
-1 min. max reps burpees
-1 min. max reps weighted situps (hold a can, jug, or any weighted object behind your head)
