Crude But Natural – March 10, 2022 (69/365)

Flow.

Flow in your boxing. Simulate. Imagine a hook coming at you from the left. Duck. Or slip. Or step back. Imagine another hook coming at you from the right. Step away. Evade. Counter. Evade and counter at the same time. Deny the jab or the cross, and proceed to punish your opponent. Throw a cross, and take advantage of the resultant posture and hit with the lead hook. Aim for the body, Inoue-style. Keep moving. Don’t be in one spot all the time. Keep moving, if only to confuse your opponent.

It took some time in between statements. Obviously, I am a full on novice when it comes to boxing. I’ve always wanted a punching bag. I never said I wanted to box, but I have to thank Nate Bower for all the guidance he’s been giving through all his workout videos on his YouTube channel. I have to thank my brother for encouraging me to finally buy that punching bag. These influences have gotten me past wanting a ready dummy to take out all my frustrations on… I still do this, but at least through who’s been inspiring me and teaching me, I’m taking out any anger and negative energy in some sort of style and class. I mean, it’s gotten me to a point that I appreciate the elusive tactics of Floyd Mayweather on top of the already aggressive and intentionally reckless style of Manny Pacquiao.

And of course, in boxing, and not merely punching… or, really, in any mode of exercise I choose to tackle, there’s always the benefit of mental clarity. Computers have disk scanners and defragmeters to not only clean up, but to properly arrange files. Exercise fits the bill for allowing the brain to scan and put thoughts in the right places. I used to think that this focus and clarify was a secondary benefit of the pre-workout drinks I’ve been having, but it’s all coming from the movement. I reiterate for probably the millionth time, when the body moves, the mind grooves, and when the mind moves, the body grooves. It’s always good to practice, observe and prove this fact.

Flow, flow in your thinking. Indeed, it’s good to allow the mind to flow in exercise, but there’s another aspect to flowing when writing, or in this case, typing. You free-flow, at the cost of some incoherence and grammar slips and possibly some signs of disconnecting from reality. I believe to be aware of these ‘consequences’ is an improvement in reflection, and to embrace the mistakes without condemnation is a celebration of the faith we have. I mean, even that doesn’t make too much sense, but what’s important is you continue to flow. It isn’t always going to make sense. It isn’t always going to sound nice… but what’s important is the flow just keeps on going.

Flow in your relationships. Flow in your hobbies. I’ve heard that it’s recommended for any one person to have 3 hobbies – One hobby to make you wealthy, one hobby to keep you fit, and one hobby to keep you learning. So flow in the time you trade for cash, flow in the cash you invest, flow as you collect returns and compound interest; Flow, instead of being too anxious – things may not move as quickly as you want, but the important thing to note is that things are at least moving. Flow in your movement – understand why adept athletes move the way they do, understand why certain muscles in your body ache, understand how to stretch them safely, using static and dynamic methods. Understand the effect of the food you take in, and what keeps you going, and what brings you to a lazy state. Flow in your learning. Flow in how you take thoughts in, flow as you test the limits of what connects to what; Flow, in testing what is true versus what is fact. Flow, in integrating what you need and want in a certain collection of ideas, and giving more focus in these things over the rest of the course, or the module.

I have to say, I’m not really sure where I’m headed with this. I know, I haven’t been making too much sense on the average of the latest sets of a thousand words I’ve been producing… I don’t know what’s been going on, first with my body, and now with my mind. Sure, it all doesn’t feel very ‘good’, but what I see more than the discomfort, or what I insist on seeing, rather, is that in these times, I am learning. My body adjusts, my mind adjusts as well.

I’m kept together, even as I blabber, by the Truth – that even in these times, no time is wasted. Notice that I do not say none of MY time is wasted – it’s time that we all live and breathe in together, after all. The Maker of Time is responsible for making all things work for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. I dare say that He is not only responsible, but He is willing – He is FAITHFUL to make all things work together for good.

And really, to understand and appreciate this sets me free of the pre-installed notions of condemnation of time ‘wasted’ from previous decisions – Not that I don’t acknowledge the mistakes, but I am at least free to look at them objectively and to learn accordingly, far better than beating myself up. The Truth of having faith in God sets me free from the fear and anxiety of wasting the time I have now – not that I could act reckless, in fact in appreciation of the One who reconciled me to the Creator, I am more careful with the time I have.

As I keep typing, I am pleasantly surprised and reminded of the simple Truth that has always held me ever since – that God’s perfect and everlasting love casts out all fear. I am set free of fear – not that I would never feel fear, but through Christ we now have a better perspective, an everlasting life infinitely superior to the living death we once had where fear was the only option.

I am pleasantly surprised, and reminded today of the other side of the coin – that while it is always a delight to celebrate the freedom we have from sin and death and fear, we would also live, and move, and have our being, always being embraced and simultaneously propelled by the everlasting, perfect love of God, guaranteed for us and never against us by no less than Christ.

We have true life because of everlasting love. And in our celebrating Christ…

We flow.

Continue to have a blessed day.