Qualms

Last week, I vowed not to buy any more outdoors clothing or equipment. And, every week before that. Vowing and doing are two different things. Unfortunately (or fortunately), my endless quest for upgrades at discount prices has landed me on a few lists. Yeah, I receive promotions from all the catalog people, but this is beyond that. These appear to be a bit more selective and give you first crack at prime goods. Very little in the way of pink sandals or camouflage toothbrushes. I’m guessing they do a merge-purge of multiple buyer lists and cull the volume buyers. The stuff is way cool and at excellent pricing. But, I still try to resist. Last week, I weakened. The item practically jumped off the screen. It was the ultimate I’ve seen in its genre of outerwear. It screamed for action. I drew my credit card in a movement that would’ve awed the Sundance Kid. It arrived today and I was elated that it lived up to its billing. That is, at first blush. You’ve probably seen those lists of reasons you should wash a new garment before you wear it. I’m not sure I buy into all that but why take a chance? So, the new baby needed a bath before I could take it out to do some major profiling. Just to be sure, I checked the tag to see what was verboten. Huh? Hand wash. No washer, no dryer. If it can’t stand up to that, how will it fare in the wilds? What a wuss.

Quiksilver

You wouldn’t expect me to cozy up to Quiksilver, a company that makes skateboarding, snowboarding and surfing products targeted at people about a third of my age. In fact, half the time I’m reading product descriptions, I have to open another window to search for translations of the contemporary argot. I backed into the relationship by coming across a discounted pair of their board shorts, which turned out to be close to the perfect bottoms for paddling. I have since acquired a second pair of the same model and a third they make under a different brand name. And, while this is reason enough to establish an affinity, I just realized, while packing for a trip, that they have provided yet another reason to like them. At the risk of appearing to jump topic, within the past month, I acquired a couple pairs of pants. While the manufacturers were different, they were both more age-appropriate for me than Quiksilver. I didn’t realize until I received the products that there was some elastic built into the waistbands, enabling them to reach beyond the designated size. What’s the message there? It’s either, “you’ll let yourself go to pot before these pants wear out” or “you’re probably one of those people who deludes himself and orders smaller.” While there may be some practical thought behind it, I’m not wild about the implications. On the other hand, the Quiksilver shorts come with two sets of eyelets with the laces threaded through those further apart. The message there is “we think you’ll get even more buff.” How can you not like these guys? Or, maybe it’s just that I’m into my pre-trip displacement activity writing (babble).

Know Your Why

I was browsing the aisles of a sporting goods store when a spritely, young employee bounded up to me. “Can I help you with anything?” she bubbled. I was about to reply in the negative but pointed to the wording on the front of a shirt. “KNOW YOUR WHY.” “You can interpret that for me.” She looked at me as though I was a mummy just emerging from numerous centuries in the depths of a tomb. Maybe she wasn’t that far off. “RGIII said that. It means if you know why you’re doing something, like working out, you’re more likely to succeed at it.” Her visage transformed into one in awe of the sagacious wisdom emanating from the young quarterback/philosopher. I restrained my reflex of responding with a sardonic observation of my own and thanked her for the help. Actually, as workout slogans go, it’s not bad. “Just do it.” This would be the inverse of the above. I understand that it’s intended to move you past excuses and rationalizations to a starting point, but I need reasons. I like to know why, for example, I should change my oil at 3,000 miles, avoid swimming for an hour after meals and pass a healthcare act without knowing the content. “Train like your worst enemy is watching you.” Can’t think of who that might be or why I would care. Since leaving the competitive business world, I’m a little weak on making enemies. I head a couple organizations and the lead dog almost always gets targeted by head cases and losers who equate that position with their fathers, exes or whatever, but they don’t matter. This one does nothing for me. “No pain, no gain.” I bought into this mantra decades ago, which is why every workout I do now involves a great deal of pain. It doesn’t work because, at this stage of the game, pain could easily mean injury, which could suspend workouts for weeks or even months. Then, there’s the challenge of starting up again. I’m more of a “no pain, no problem” person, now. “Defend this House.” What house and how does a half hour on the elliptical keep it safe? “What the mind believes, the body achieves.” My body is more inclined to say, “Good luck with that one.” “The finish line is just the beginning of a new race.” You mean, I have to do this again? “Strong is what happens when you run out of weak.” Not even sure I know what that means. “To show everyone who said I can’t that I can.” Sorry, doesn’t work for the inwardly directed. “If it’s worth having it’s worth fighting for.” Or, delegating the fighting part to someone else. “To see what your body was intended to look like.” I have old photos of me as a young child and the original intent seemed to be along the lines of a cherub, to cast it in a positive light. I’ve been working against the plan my whole life. “To wake up and feel fierce.” I’ll settle for Part A. “To be confident enough to run in only a sports bra and shorts.” No amount of working out will get me there. All that aside, and getting back to the opening concept, why do I do it? Not an easy question to answer. I feel better about myself and everything else. Why? I don’t know. It might be because I feel more energized, stronger, etc. than my age. Or, maybe that it helps me enjoy other activities. Possibly, it’s part of my programming from starting out in organized sports at an early age. It’s something you’re supposed to do like other people might view going to church, sending greeting cards or changing their sheets. Was there ever a slogan that stayed with me? I had a coach who quoted Field Marshal Alexander Suvorov, “Train hard, fight easy.” I found that applied far beyond the sidelines of a playing field.

It's who not where

I was getting suited up in the locker room when a guy came out of the shower and began to dress. He gave me one of those uber-friendly greetings. Not part of my repertoire but that doesn’t mean it’s wrong. I assumed he was looking for more than a grunt in acknowledgement so I scanned his belongings for a clue. A racket. I asked him if he had a good game. That seemed to puzzle him momentarily as he appeared lost in thought. “You know, I think I did okay. For me, it’s not about that. It’s a little about the exercise and a lot about the camaraderie. Great people. Does that make sense?” “Perfect sense.” Over the past few months, I’ve given almost a half dozen talks about kayaking. These included video of various trips I’ve been on. In every case, the same question emerged, “Where was your favorite trip?” My stock answer is that the trips are like your children. They’re all different and there are no favorites. But, in fact, there were some I enjoyed more than others. Citing them wouldn’t answer the question about preferred location, however. It was more a question of who than where. A few weeks ago, I did a paddling trip, island-to-island in the British Virgin Islands. It was a diverse group but the chemistry was incredible. We’re still emailing almost on a daily basis. This week, we had a pre-trip meeting for an upcoming group trip to Florida. For the participants, it’s a chance to ask questions and get a better sense of the trip. For me, it’s an opportunity to get a feel for the group. Will they mesh? Is anyone likely to be a disruptive factor? I’m very happy to say it’s a good group and I anticipate having a blast. To some extent, it’s self-selective. Balanced people are more comfortable with balanced people and issues people tend to gravitate to their own kind. But, as a trip leader, you have to be aware of the problem children and draw the line for them. It only takes one to diminish the experience for everyone. So, I understood what the guy in the locker room was saying. It isn’t where or what. It’s who.