MRLPJ

The older I get, the less I train. What I mean by that is this: The older I get the less I train in terms of the sheer number of techniques I practice. Throughout my life, I've trained in a host of useless techniques. I'm not upset or angry about it. In fact, I'm grateful for it. The process of discovering what works always involves the discarding of what doesn't. Thirty years ago, I trained in probably two hundred or more different martial arts techniques. These days, I limit my training to just a few, simple movements: Techniques that can be thrown from many different angles and implemented in a wide variety of intensely stressful conditions. Paradoxically, growth in the practice of martial arts (and, perhaps, in the practice of most things) requires a concerted stripping away of the superfluous. This stripping away allows the practitioner to zero in on the essence of his (or her) art. As a corollary to the above, I want to address the iss...

  What would your life be like if everything you did was just for practice? And not just to prepare for some future performance or competition, but to experience the simple joy that comes from working at a skill, be it sinking a jump shot, finishing a piece of furniture, or just communicating more openly and honestly with your spouse? While a key and hoped-for byproduct of practice is, of course, improved competence, what if seeking to improve was no longer the pièce de résistance of your hard work? What if instead, the principal motivation became the desire to just enjoy doing something heartfully nd mindfully, meaning, with your whole heart and body devoted 100% to whatever it is you were doing in the moment? I know I’m asking a lot of questions here, but what if instead of just brushing your teeth before bed tonight, you “practiced” doing so? And did so in a manner similar to the way I’ve described above? Where you stayed completely present in the activity and just enjoyed...

  The My Papa Prayer [ see Note below ]   Note :   Again, this is just a synthesized (and expanded) rendering of the Words of Jesus from The Lord’s Prayer (aka The Our Father Prayer ) recorded in Mt 6:9-13 and Lk 11:2-4.   Jesus to Me [ minus (in this instance) quotations ]:   Dave … M-my Eternal Friend, Kindred Spirit, Baby  Brother   [ or Sister ] , Fierce Lover, and Wedded-like Companion , relate to and talk with Our Papa like this…   O Papa of My Heart and Soul, O Daddy-God of My Life and Personhood; YOU , Who are Life, Light, and Love; YOU Who are Heaven’s Glory, Goodness, and Gladness; YOU , who created me in Your wisdom, delivered me in Your strength, and recreated me in Your mercy; and…   YOU , Who, as The Eternal Knowing One, Knows Me Thoroughly…   YOU , Who, as The Eternal Loving One, Loves Me Through and Through:   YOU , Who as The Eternal Forgiving One, W ashes Me Eternally in Jesus’ Blood ...