Category: 30-Day Free Speech Challenge

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Take Comfort

27° F, light freezing rain, and a slight breeze before dawn. I did not want to do my Wim Hof Breathing this morning, but I did. At the end of my second round I felt warmth settle into my muscles and skin.

Each time the wind brought a shiver to my body, I thanked God for my pumping heart and the warm blood coursing to every part of my body. Calm and warmth came back to me. I thanked God for the wind and the freezing rain and the strange sounds of the dark, frozen suburbs.

“Take comfort,” was the phrase I received. It wasn’t consolation, it was command. It was instruction and guidance telling me that in difficult situations I could find my comfort and take it in. God always provides comforts, but we don’t always see them. The cold is a perfect example, especially right out of a warm bed. My body produces enough warmth to sustain and thrive in the cold with little clothing (t-shirt and underwear today). That is a comforting fact of biology that could be ignored, allowing the body to panic and tighten.

The same is with God’s Love. It is always their to comfort us in the darkest times, but we choose not to feel it. We choose our fear and pain over Love.

Today I will Take Comfort.

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Free Speech February: The Constitution

Tom Woods and Michael Malice are two of the smartest and funniest thinkers in the libertarian world. Malice is an immigrant from the Soviet Union. Woods is a reformed Right Winger, which speaks to me as I took a long detour down that political byway.

As much as libertarian philosophy speaks to my heart and to what I believe God wants for us all, Woods’s training is in history and my rational brain needs all the background information.

Woods and Malice have combined forces in a new monthly cartoon series that aims to dismantle the damage done by government-run schools.

Why would that government want you to be educated about its limitations? Why would it want you to know about its atrocities? That would serve neither the government nor the school.

The first episode tackles the Electoral College, General Welfare Clause, and the concept of the U.S. Constitution as a “Living Document.”

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Watch “The Politically Incorrect Guide to the Constitution (Starring Tom Woods & Michael Malice!)” on YouTube

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Time to Build, 16 February 2021

After a break in the new year, our Lego club, Time to Build, has come roaring back in February.

Ship building was the theme, but computers were all the rage.

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There was collaboration and competition as the boys put their favorite games on the screens of their laptop and desktop computers.

A game of Headbanz broke out shortly before we wrapped and, of course, there was one big spill to close the meeting.

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An Unexpected Valentine’s Day

Two lovely ladies joined us on an adventure I’ve been waiting to happen for years.

I have wanted to go sledding at Winterthur for as long as I’ve been taking my sons. This year they’re allowing it on select Sundays.

Some other families were already enjoying the hill when we arrived, but our stash of snacks and hot cocoa kept us going longer than most. After our umpteenth snowball fight, we noticed that we were the last ones there.

Snowboarding practice into a sand trap.

We left our sleds to explore on foot. Winterthur is constantly changing, so there is something magical about how snow seems to stop time and obscure the continous flow of life.

It’s also pure joy to spend time in the snow with children. Their discoveries, wonder, and constant imaginative play radiate joy.

This adventure was cooked up a mere 24 hours in advance. The conditions were right and serendipities colluded for a wonderous day of connective laughter and fun. Much needed for all involved.

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Kim Anami and Wim Hof Send Me Outside

Wim Hof with Kim Anami

I’ve been listening to Kim Anami for more than two years and somehow missed this episode she did with Wim Hof.

These two are innovators in self actualization and empowerment. They’re both powerful, sexual, intensely alive, and working to bring their peace and happiness to the masses.

Halfway through the episode I was reminded that I was off my daily breathing routine. I pulled my shirt off and got about 19 minutes in the cold shortly before sunset.

Anami and Hof regularly challenge our societal narratives. They empower their listeners to take responsibility for their health, whether it be mental, cardiovascular, sexual, spiritual, neural, muscular, immune, or any of the critically important systems that we outsource to experts.

They are uncovering cutting edge science in ancient practices. They promote radical answers that have been lost to modernity.

On a personal level, I have found less shame in my sexual self and more power buried in my cells than I knew was there.

I entered my fourth year as a widower yesterday. There has been healing in each day. Through Hof and Anami I have seen how much ancestral trauma is carried in the body. The daily healing digs deeper into the past and deeper into my own body. The results are remarkable. I am happier and healthier with each breath, each prayer, and each connection with similar souls.

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Losing It

I skipped my Wim Hof Method breathing and cold therapy today. It’s been a long time since I missed a day. I showered late last night and slept in today. We got going on adventures with friends early and I didn’t think much of it.

The lack of intention rolled on through the day. Small impositions and improper self care wore on me. As time for dinner came close, I realized I was too hungry and too tired. The awareness of it wasn’t enough. I screamed at my sons for fighting (oh yeah, that’s a good model of conflict resolution). I threw things that were left out of place (look at that, more modeling of hurtful behaviour).

I finally broke down and hugged them, apologized, and hugged them again.

The pain I caused them and the anguish I caused myself seem unforgivable. It took someone’s loving words to remind me that I am not perfect. I’ve been on this intentional journey of positive parenting for more than two years. I’ve made great improvements in our lives because of it. Our house is more full of love than ever.

These backslides are difficult, even in the bright light of those improvements.

But, as I was told tonight, I should give myself grace. And I will.

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Fresh Snow

A couple inches of surprise snow fell last night. As I opened my back door out into it, I could tell how soft and fluffy it was. My barefeet welcomed the gentle blanket, then the fear of the cold shot into them. I took my first intentional breath, calmed and proceeded to appreciate every nerve ending as I took a couple pictures. The deck was still slick underneath the new snow and I stumbled a couple times.

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Out in the yard, the cold started to get to my feet. I rolled out my yoga mat and the snow was deep enough to pour over the edge in places. I lied down and felt the little intrusions. I cleared some, but knew this was another baby step I could take into my cold therapy journey.

The Wim Hof Method breathing was easy. Birds and traffic weren’t awake and my mind was softly focused on God, myself, and Love.

I walked back to the house and my feet reached their limit as I fumbled with the door.

While meditative and calming, the practice is also uncomfortable and challenging. It prepares me for the discomforts of the day and sets my sights on the greatest things that Creation has to offer.

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Wim Hof Method and Crying

28° outside, t-shirt and underwear, yoga mat, and barefeet.

I didn’t cry this morning during breathing exercises, but sometimes I do.

We hold all types of trauma in our cells: material, emotional, and spiritual. Discomfort shakes that trauma loose. It’s a blessing to say goodbye to baggage you didn’t even know you were carrying.

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The Super Mario Effect: Mark Rober’s Ted Talk

Mark Rober is one of my sons’ favorite Youtube stars. Having seen the game walk throughs, ridiculous movie reviews, and general garbage they watch, I wrote him off before watching any of his videos.

My sons are tenacious and I quickly learned that this guy is the real deal. He comes up with exciting goals and engineers his way to reaching them.

When I found out that he’s done a couple Ted Talks, I took the chance on one of our We Each Get to Pick One Youtube Video Before Bed nights.

The talk is about how a goal-focused approach to learning leads to more success and more lessons learned. Negative point scoring (as in tests) discourages people and focuses them on the mistakes rather than how to overcome obstacles to reach a goal.

It’s hard to trust the freedom I give my sons when they’re watching a pale waif of a boy (man?) scream at pixels on a screen. I don’t know if I’ll ever understand the value they find there. On the flip side are the Mark Rober and how-to videos. They take ownership in what they want to consume. When learners take ownership, they are empowered.