First, watch this, I will wait patiently: Thanks for coming back and reading now. I don’t normally blog about work but I really did have a wave of gratitude wash over me for several reasons. I work on a team of web developers and engineers at an insurance company. Last night, we had a…
Author: markdeso
This Too Shall Pass
I was inspired today reading a passage in Eckhart Tolle’s “A New Earth”, about a king who observed a wise man and wanted the qualities this wise man possessed. The king said, “I will give you anything you wish if I can be like you.” The wise man told him that he didn’t have enough…
I Don’t know what I’m Doing!
So, I watched a movie called “Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead” about a man who decided to start juicing for health. It inspired me to try it… I don’t have a juicer but have a blender. Soooooooo: Got tomatoes, cucumber, kale, mixed greens, parsley and spinach I used a base of…
Aikido and Music
I am both an Aikidoka and a musician. I’ve been playing guitar since I was 5 or 6. On the mat, I see a lot of parallels with my musical practice as I do vice versa, with my musical practice informing my Aikido as well. Quite a while ago I wrote on Rhythm and…
On fighting and farming
In “A life in Aikido”, Kisshomaru Ueshiba quotes O Sensei, saying “Fighting and Farming are one.” O Sensei spent a significant portion of his life farming. I believe that farming for O Sensei has particular and unique connotations regarding his being grounded with the land that he tilled and the harvest that he reaped….
The Importance of Practicing Awareness as Uke
Last night the focus of our class was more on the uke (attacker) side. Sensei asked us to think about how we as uke can help our partners be better at practicing a technique. He said that we all have innate knowledge regardless of the time we have spent on the Aikido mat, and…
Welcome To…
In our town we have one of “those” stores no one should be seen in. Garish lights off the highway illuminate the truly ugly sign that acts as a beacon for the weary traveler to and fro their daily tasks: work, school, volunteering for little league or football. Some people thing it’s a travesty to…
Morning Pages at 750words.com
A few years ago I started working through Julie Cameron’s The Artist’s Way. I didn’t get all the way through it but I did enjoy a particular exercise she called “Morning Pages”. The goal of morning pages is to write 3 pages. It doesn’t have to be intelligent, and it doesn’t have to be sentences….
What I want out of life
what i want out of life is to live……think, discuss, explore, make something with my hands, learn something new, see something beautiful…..everyday – Anonymous This could just be my favorite quote. This will be my charge to my son and my son’s children.
Finishing the Couch to 5K program
“If you can breathe in and breathe out, then you know for that moment you are ok.” – Thich Naht Hanh I finished the Couch to 5K running program today. Contrary to it’s claims I am not running 5K. I am running about 2.2 miles now continuously for 30 minutes. I have NO qualms whatsoever…
Mark's Meanderings 