Rains

 

Heading into September, we can expect more frequent and more intense rain.  So far, we have had a little bit of rain almost every day, with a few hard downpours.  At this time of year I begin the day looking at my To Do list and then the weather forecast.  Even if the possibility of rain is low I still pack an umbrella, choosing a small portable or a big robust one.  There is not as much boiling sun, but the humidity is brutal.  

I am still doing my Roadwork routine:  Heavy Hands stair-climbing with 2kg in each hand, although now I'm often having two rest days between workouts instead of one.  In July I started to have that old familiar feeling in my chronically weak (right) Knee; the feeling that if I keep pushing too hard it would turn into crippling pain.  I took 3 weeks off from doing the stair-climbing and weights, but I did use a weight for strengthening the quads.  

This knee problem goes back to my teens and twenties.  When milking cows, my father and I used a low stool when attaching the milking machine cups instead of squatting down (which would really kill the knees), however it would strain the right knee when getting up from the stool in the tight awkward stall.  Later in my twenties during my early climbing experimentation, I did solo practice in Direct Aid climbing (ie, hanging in stirrup-ladder slings that twisted and strained the knees).  Add to that the grossly heavy packs I humped up and down steep mountain terrain  -- especially the down climbing.  The knee requires careful nurturing and the stretching of the hamstrings.  

Re:  Peace of Mind.  I have been continuing to research and reflect upon the original psychological and ethical teachings of Gotama the Wanderer  -- not so much on the orthodox dogmas and brahmanistic mysticism that took over his following soon after his death and made him "the Buddha", an object of worship.  He insisted that we focus on this life and navigate through its ups and downs with skill and equanimity (reminding me of the Greek Epicureans and Stoics).  I have always especially enjoyed the nature aesthetics that were added on by the ancient Chinese Taoist-Buddhists, the Chan/Zen mountain hermits.  

-Zenwind. 

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