HealthyOps

31/08/2023

August 30, 2023 Blue Super Moon above the San Francisco peninsula did not disappoint.

Being present, pausing to look up, and around you, is an opportunity provided 24/7/365 if you take it.

Many songs bounced around in my head in the shadows as I walked to find a spot to enjoy the moonlight on my face, like sunshine:

The Van Morrison song Moondance
The Cat Stevens song Moonshadow
The Emmylou Harris version of How High The Moon
CCR’s Bad Moon Rising
Pink Floyd’s Dark Side Of The Moon and Eclipse
King Harvest’s Dancing in the Moonlight
David Bowie’s Moonage Daydream
The Neil Young song Harvest Moon
Sinatra’s version of Fly Me To The Moon
(Aka “In other words”)
The Police version of Walking On The Moon
Janis Joplin’s Half Moon
Frank Zappa’s
REM’sMan On The Moon
Ozzy’s Bark At The Moon
Norah Jones’ Shoot The Moon
Nick Drake’s Pink Moon

Finally after taking a few photos of the moon, I sat still, listened to the night sounds, and noticed the long shadows of the moonlight lighting my way back home.



What are your favorite songs about the moon, and how it evokes literally every kind of story, emotion and kind of life event, large and small.

02/08/2023

Late post… more challah madness!

A four-strand round version of our classic treat with cranberries, lots of cinnamon, poppyseeds, agave, brown sugar, vegan butter, raspberry preserves in the bark, and lots of good old-fashioned as the secret ingredient.
Just a week back from moving co-pilot & sous chef into her apartment, we readied this treat to fuel our dojo family on their way to for a worldwide gathering. Can’t wait to hear tales of their adventure upon their return.

A harrowing typhoon is making things interesting and challenging now. All reports are that all are safe, and that the storm is passing by.
Some were stranded in Tokyo and we are hoping they make it to Naha.

Good food, good company and shared experiences, highs and lows, challenges and celebrations.

We only truly control our chosen response to events.

Wisdom is practicing the art of finding equanimity, gratitude and compassion (for self and others) in the storms, and staying solidly in the present when skies are clear..even if only for a fleeting moment in time.

What I call the “pre-suffering” of spinning forward is a wasted exercise. The resulting anxiety is only met and exacerbated by the time lost in appreciating the present. Wound upon wound, and both self-inflicted.

Let’s look to staying in the present, where we do have the superpower of choice. Where we have the wonderful gift of appreciating everything that is surrounding us in this moment (and the subsequent one); one experience, one bite of sweet challah and sip of strong café coffee and friendly conversation at a time.

28/07/2023

That moment when the women in your circles announce they’re Swifties and going to the concert tonight, and you realize that you weren’t invited because, well, it’s just 70,000 people in a group therapy session and all you’ve got to come back with is Chris Stapleton, Buddy Guy, Luke Combs and maybe Jackson Browne or Old Dominion.
https://youtu.be/EEj8WzQ3HEg

23/12/2022

So ready for 2023!

Strong mind
Strong spirit
Strong body
Strong heart

In all you do,
Give your all
Find your limits and push past them
Embody both patience and persistence
Exemplify resilience
Earn and honor trust
Know your truths
Remain curious and open minded
Be loyal
Never quit

Fall down seven times, get up eight

Thank you to all my dojo and family for your support, wisdom, friendship, patience and community. Looking forward to a fantastic year ahead.

Special thanks to Sensei Mirko Buchwald and the incredible community he has built in San Francisco at Zanshin Dojo

08/11/2022

Ok yep I did it. 🗳
New vocabulary word too: “bumoto.”
🌞☕️

08/11/2022

what else is percolating in the socials milieu? Do tell!

03/11/2022

Finally got a new dog. They said she’s “got issues” at the rescue shelter. Previous adoptive families all disappeared without a trace. 😯

28/04/2022

12/03/2022

Mindful Self-Compassion is a wisdom practice that expands upon many of the best aspects of mindfulness based stress reduction (“MBSR”) and a variety of mindfulness practices including guided meditation, breath work, equanimity and gratitude practices.

The Center For Mindful Self Compassion has a rich set of resources for practitioners of all levels of experience, interest and background. As a meditator for some 40-plus years in other wisdom practices, I have found MSC to be delightfully simple, easy to explore, and very effective.

One resource of the CMSC are these 8-week programs. No experience necessary.

This might be a good time for some to consider an 8-week course like this.
Times are stressful enough.

This one begins Monday.

We are all beginners. All students.

https://www.lagunameditation.com/offerings

08/03/2022

On this day some 21 years ago, one amazing miracle of a person entered my life.

A father and daughter is a special bond. You have taught me how to be a father. You have inspired me to be the best father, role model, person, man I can be.

Your growth is only beginning and even so, you continue to inspire me and make me recognize how much I learn through you. As a young woman of considerable character , power and integrity, you are a force to be reckoned with.

I’m so very proud of you, though at this point I can’t take credit for your achievements nor your insights and wisdom.

Your kind, empathetic, wise “old soul” is balanced by an adventurous, brave and fearless zest for life and love of people, animals and adventure.

Here are some reminders of some of the many recent adventuress we have had together plus some throwback photos of your early days.

Happy 21st birthday .weeks 🎂🎂🎂🎂🎂🎂❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

Here’s to many many more adventures together, and to continuing to learn from one another as we sail these seven seas together.

I love you!
🎂🎂🎂🎂🎂🎂🎂❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
Xoxo

Dad

29/11/2021

Crack

And then it was the drop into shadows of the longest nights. Daylight shrinking, cold deepening as Winter solstice crept forward.

And so we approach the briefest of days and growing nights, as our ancestors did.

They did not know if the warmth would return, nor the light.

It seemed that shadow and cold of night would ever grow. Ever lengthen.

As we kindle these holiday lights, bringing affirmation of renewal, community, life and loving kindness, let us also pause to reflect on the year that is coming to a close.

Doing so with gratitude, forgiveness, compassion (for self and others) is a worthy practice, and a very healthy one.

Wellbeing, connectedness and gratitude is now well-documented to lead to longevity and overall health.

Just as our mind can make our body ill and more susceptible to disease, so can it make us healthier and stronger.

Choose light, lovingkindness, gratitude and community connection for yourself.

First night of

Oh and yes, thanksgiving marks the official kickoff of the Chez Weeks holiday baking massacrees. This one is our famous Crack cake. A spice-filled sweet yam bread glistening with the holiday spirit of cinnamon, allspice, clove, nutmeg and vanilla. Bristling with a brown sugar and cinnamon crispy bark. Golden raisins and cranberries throughout.

Goes great with friends and a hot coffee or favorite scotch or burgundy.

Secret ingredient [ ] natch. Co-pilot and chef .weeks baked a version in parallel in with her cousin, and introduced our version of crack to her friends at .

Go easy, eat mindfully, connect with your people (and collect some new ones), and have a sweet cinnamon-y week ahead.

24/11/2021

The one that danced away

A flight of fancy: pumpkin purée, holiday spices; cinnamon, allspice, clove, ginger, nutmeg, sweetened with brown sugar, agave, molasses. Filled with cranberries and poppyseeds. This six strand double twisted braid was just what the dough needed to rise to its max.

The danced into the oven for a surprise second proof that almost ran it off of the baking sheet. A happy day for our yeast, as it danced & raised the dough to epic proportions. What a wonderful surprise!

Secret ingredient [ ] of course, and lots of fun getting ready for the week ahead. Co-pilot and chef .weeks is off to from to make with a cousin. Fun, loving times & adventures ahead. Later this week we will make our famous cake out of leftover garnet yams!

Thinking about accidental dancing and surprise growth. Like this delightful, sweet and tangy

When we rest and “proof” gently & softly, even our knots, twists & inward tangles can gradually expand, unwind & even dance to bring us fullness of repose, sweetness of gratitude & wellbeing of warmth & growth.

As we enter this thanksgiving let us remember in these long cold & sometimes scary nights, & uncertain, often unsettling times, that there is a place we can all gather, whether in-person or in concert-but-different locations. Where we can send sweetness & spice of loving kindness, to extend friendship & intention that we may be able to rest, & thus “rise” to our fullness, to enjoy the sweetness of gratitude & the gentle ease of being.

Allowing ourselves to rest with no agenda, no schedule & no “to-do” list, we bring our “loaves” to the fullest, we can expand with sweetness & then we become the shared spicy flavors dancing with delight, as we share food, drink, & connection with those in our lives.

Far or near, we all share this sense of family, of tribe, of community and of common humanity as we send and receive compassion, appreciation and loving kindness to our circles.

01/11/2021

“Friend or foe!?”

Had fun dressing up and starting a few trick-or treaters. (Especially the teens)

It was nice seeing things begin to seem a bit more like old days.

The kids were so excited to dress up. Me too.
😎🎃👺👻💀👹

18/10/2021

The one that was two

As every so often happens, we have two. While so much fun, it can be a wonderfully challenging science experiment: two different doughs, sizes, shapes, ingredients… proofed and baked in the same oven. At the same time. They were both a success this time.

Here we have a spiral braid, replete with golden raisins, cranberries, cinnamon, brown sugar, agave, and a special plum bark with toasted almond slivers. Yum! Our eaters made quick work of it.

The second was a smaller (by request, and for a smaller gathering), traditional challah, with eggs, honey, and a generous “everything” crust. Braided and then twisted. This also disappeared.

Secret ingredients for both is [ ] of course. Co-pilot and chef .weeks was away at school but we will shortly be visiting so there will likely be a box of flying with us.

Question is: “sweet dessert /coffee cake style or traditional egg style? Yes I hear my reckless self saying “both!”

Like can be like that. We have become convinced that only one loaf may be proofed and baked at once. Until we open ourselves to the possibility of invention and adaptation… and try new things. Being careful to go easy on ourselves if we fall down.

In bushido philosophy it is taught “fall down seven times, stand up eight.” [ nanakorobi yaoki (七転び八起き) ]

While we may burn or under-cook a few loaves of bread once in a while, there’s always another opportunity to try again.

To begin again. To stand up and practice resiliency, gratitude and equanimity.

In these matters, we all have tremendous superpowers to respond to whatever befalls us with grace. And then stand up and have self compassion, forgiveness and a bit of humor sometimes helps too.

May your week ahead be filled with sweetness, gratitude, stillness when you need it, and some science experiments when you feel brave… knowing that you can and will get right back up and try again, with humor, self compassion and perspective.

#七転び八起き