Extraordinariness and the pursuit of excellence. Are you fortunate enough to have known one of those special moments…a moment where ability, focus, training, and Grace combine to produce magic? All doubt and fear are swept out of the way, replaced by confidence and infinite possibilities. Athletes, visionaries, missionaries, scientists, performers, political leaders, teachers, clergy, and parents (to name just a few of the many) can all be caught up in what some describe as “the zone”. Maslow termed this state “peak experience”. Csikszentmihalyi calls it “a state of flow”. Flow is a heightened state of awareness present in extraordinary achievement. It has been carefully studied but impossible to manipulate. Sometimes, we experience our ordinariness suffused with a power that is not our own. One minute it's there… as we hear the drummer's solo, an impassioned speech, an apology from a rebellious teen, we hear the message in a homily we longed to hear, we observe the impossible putt on the greens, or the triathlete no one can catch on the bike leg… it's the perfect moment. Then it's gone. In that moment, we are witness to the pursuit of excellence begetting the unimaginable outcome and we are forever affected by it. Then it passes. What do we make of these privileged moments? Are we special because they belong to us? God provides the talent and the way. The pursuit of excellence is itself a gift, a freedom of expression. When surprised by greatness, let us be humbled with awe and remember the Source.
“If we live in the Spirit, let us also follow the Spirit. Let us not be conceited, provoking one another, envious of one another.” Gal 5:25
Monday, July 26, 2010
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Sporting Our Spirit workshop presentation notes
Jacob Austin Shadle, B-7-12-78, D-5-15-04
Do you have any idea how much we miss you?
Sporting Our Spirit at The Compassionate Friends- Arlington, VA.
July, 2010 National Convention:
Highlight notes to remember
Presenters:
Susan Kelly
Contact info:
Fort Myers, FL
Email: Susan@SportingOurSpirit.com
Josh Shadle
Contact info:
Boulder, CO
Email: josh@tri-massage.com
Web: www.tri-massage.com
Quotes and messages
Our ability to endure our experience of loss will tell us much. “I tell you hopeless grief is passionless.” Elizabeth B. Browning
“In the midst of winter, I found in me an invincible summer.” Albert Camus
“Trade with the gifts God has given you.” Hilda of Whitby
“Blessed are those who mourn for they shall be comforted.” Matthew 5:4
“It is the nature of Grace to fill the empty spaces.” Goethe
“Every morning I wake up saying, I am still alive, a miracle. And so I keep on pushing.” Jacques Cousteau
“You desire to know the art of living, my friend? It is contained in one phrase. Make use of suffering.” Henri-Frederic Amiel
“In a grand piano, 243 tight strings exert a pull of 40,000 pounds on an iron frame. It is
proof that out of great tension may come harmony.” Theodore Steinway
“Pain is inevitable. Suffering is optional.” M. Kathleen Casey
“Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.” Viktor E. Frankl
“God made me for a purpose, but he also made me fast. And when I run I feel his pleasure.” Eric Liddel (Olympian)
References (a comprehensive list for grief relief, fitness, spirituality, and nutrition):
Fitness:
Bergland, Christopher. The Athlete’s Way: Training Your Mind And Body to Experience the Joy of Exercise. New York: St. Martin’s Griffin, 2007.
Grief Relief:
Hickman, Martha Whitmore. Healing after Loss: Daily Meditations for Working through Grief, (New York: Harper-Collins, 2002).
Nutrition:
Bean, Anita. The Complete Guide to Sports Nutrition: How to Eat for Maximum Performance. Guilford: Lyons Press, 2004
Carmichael, Chris. Fitness, and Life Plan for Discovering the Champion Within. New York: Rodale Press, 2007.
Harmon. Nancy. The New Mediterranean Diet Cookbook: A Delicious Alternative for Lifelong Health. Random House, 2008.
Fitness motivators. The basics: believe, breathe, hydrate, move.
Find a fitness buddy. Exercising alone is the number one reason why many individuals lose interest.
Join a gym and take classes.
Check your local parks and recreation or YMCA.
Join with other athletes exercising for a cause:
Team in Training- Leukemia/Lymphoma
American Heart Association
Breast Cancer
Arthritis Association
Out of Darkness- Suicide awareness
Medals for Mettle- athletes donating finish medals to cheer the hospital bound
Christian athletic groups- FCA, (Fellowship of Christian Athletes) AIA (Athletes in Action Sports Ministry), CAC (Catholic Athletes for Christ)
Join: Sporting Our Spirit club- be a part of putting faith in your fitness and sport in your spirit.
Notes to self:
Newton’s 1st Law of Motion: Unless acted upon by an outside force, a body at rest tends to stay at rest, and a body in motion tends to stay in motion.
How many sports can you name where you could belong…as a volunteer, a spectator, or best of all…participant….competitor? Let’s start with ping pong,
How will you start?
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