This week my thoughts have been divided between the daily tasks of work, and doing things I enjoy simply because I enjoy them. There were three things I was indulging in this week.
First, there's something about spring that makes me want to plant things. I've got seven packets of flower seeds in my office and I've been fantasizing about where I'm going to plant them around here. Along the fence across the street, along the edge of the parking lot, in random forgotten spaces around the neighborhood. I've always loved the idea of guerrilla gardening but have never taken action. But now the time has come. If you see me crawling in the dirt by the street feel free to stop and give me a hand, or at least honk and wave.
Second is Capoeira (pronounced Kappa-WAY-da). Capoeira is a Brazilian game which is played to music and looks sort of like a martial art. The game, when played well, is fluid, spontaneous, and collaborative. I've never found anything, including CrossFit, which challenges my coordination, flexibility, and stamina the way Capoeira does. And it's super fun. We have a teacher come to the gym every Wednesday and Friday at 4pm. It's free to members and anyone is welcome to join us. In addition to the physical play, there is the musical element. See video for a demonstration of the game and music. You may have seen me out in the parking lot with a couple of other people learning to play the berimbau, the one-stringed instrument you see in the video. I got hooked on Capoeira for the physicality, but there is something about the music that's captured me as well. I think it's because I enjoy music but I can't sing or play an instrument. Yet since there is only one string it's a little harder for me to screw up. And as you can see, the music is beautiful but not particularly challenging so I feel like this is a musical outlet I can actually embrace.
The last is that I've been putting together a course based on what I learned at the Evolve Move Play seminar we hosted about a month ago. Part of the program involves self defense and so I've been spending the last few days pulling out some of my old notebooks and videos in order to dig up drills and scenarios to throw into it. Although this is technically for work (I plan on beta testing the course with UWT staff next month), it's been so fun for me that it feels indulgent. My favorite resource for how to improve the effectiveness of self defense training is Mr Tony Blauer. You can see a little video about the science and research behind his system. There are scores of his videos out there, all of them worth watching. Search “Blauer ATM” for a good one. I've been watching a lot of them this week, when a little thought creeps up the back of my mind, “shouldn't I be working right now?” Then I remember that oh yeah, this is work.
I share all of this because there is a constant problem for self-employed people which is that you can always think of something else that you should be doing for the good of your business. I could be working on developing our operations manual, or reviewing our marketing plan, or trainer development curriculum. The catch is that those things are always there, the worry of “something else” never goes away and at some point you have to draw a line and say no more. I need to do something fun, that keeps me joyful and creative, because if I don't, those abilities will atrophy. Just like a muscle, the skills of creativity and joyfulness must be practiced or you lose them. At least, that's what I'm telling myself while I plant flowers, play music and sing, and plan classes that would make a ninja proud.
One last comment, speaking of fun. I went out to Swan Creek park this week to get a mini tour of the mountain biking facility (the city wants to do something similar nearby and have us consult with them). It looks awesome and I'm looking forward to taking my kids there this weekend. Not sure if that's relevant to running a gym, but I've been looking forward to it since Tuesday and it's on my mind as I think about the fun things I get to do.
By Morgan on Sunday, April, 13, 2014