The lovely and gracious MrsCharphar and I head out for a run/walk every morning before daylight. She runs the whole way, while I do more interval training. At any rate, we end up running by ourselves together. It offers a great opportunity to listen to some great music, engaging podcasts, and random thoughts from my own mind and heart. Here are a few that were bouncing around in the rain this morning.
- Fitness after 50? Funny, from where I stand, fitness after 50 is the same as fitness at any age: consistent healthy nutrition, an active lifestyle, regular intense training, and a positive mental attitude should do the trick. At 25 or 75. Or beyond.
- Miles Davis, “All Blues.” When I played in the high school jazz band, I was afraid of improvisation. I thought great improvisation had to be ornate, complicated, and busy. But Miles’s solos (the others, too, but especially Miles) are spare, sparse, economical, and elegant. I like that, and I think that may be what makes Kind of Blue my favorite jazz album of all.
- Like it or not, it seems our culture is being influenced by Buddhism and other Eastern thought. In some of my moments, I wonder exactly what is the fascination. At other times, though, I wonder what principles can translate to make what we do better. What frightens me is that we may diluting the very thing that makes Jesus-apprentices “Followers of The Way.” Maybe it’s not Buddhism per se. Maybe it’s the hodgepodge, cafeteria-style approach to spirituality that seems to be all the rage these days. This is indeed a different world in which we live.
- What I like about Alton Brown, I think, is that he comes across as a regular person. I know his public persona may be a lot different from who he really is. But at least on the podcast, he seems ordinary. And he also seems like the guy who wants to learn a lot about a lot of things. He even shows his guests to be the kind of folks you’d like to have dinner or coffee with. Or a beer, if you’re into such things. Even Valerie Bertinelli!
