Stretching Your Muscles

One of the things I love to do most is stretch my muscles. Unfortunately, my entire life I've been less flexible than around 92% of the population. Fortunately, stretching my muscles usually refers to a whole lot more. For example, I rarely get to use my Big Voice, the voice I need to use when someone is far away, or I need to get someone's attention immediately. Similarly, rarely is the Big & Charged Voice used, a voice I might use to rally an army (something I don't do as much anymore) or give an impassioned speech. I'm actually thinking about creating some podcasts of me reading or reciting passages, poems, etc., in the voices I never get to use, but would still like to. That sounds like an interesting project to do every now and again.

Physically, I do love to be active. I garner no pleasure pickings up things all over a yard or a living room, or scrubbing a shower down. However, to be able to swing an ax, rev up a chainsaw, or knock down a tree is a good feeling, where I can do a lot of Manly, Testosterone-Filled Activities. Fortunately, my brother's yard provides both the tools and the work to be completed. Hopefully next up will be continuing the terracing of part of his yard, which involves 1) moving giants hunks of wood 2) moving large piles of dirt and 3) sledgehammers.

I find it ironic (though it's no surprise to anyone) that completing such tasks is a lot more enjoyable when I have a goal to work towards. Jogging slowly for 30 minutes? Boring.... Running for an hour while chasing or being chased? Going to the gym? Ugh.... hauling around heavy things and operating destructive machinery that can kill or maim myself and on-lookers? Delightfully enjoyable!

I also thoroughly enjoy stretching my mental muscles, too. Everyone knows the mental fatigue associated with busy-work at school or one's place of employment, and I'm not different (mostly, at least). I would much rather think around corners than work within the box. I have realized, however, that I actually have trouble thinking in the box at all, which makes some of life difficult... My thinking is like those Rube Goldberg machines: Unnecessarily complicated, but still gets the job done. I like it when the situation calls for extreme thinking and creativity, but, like others things, there's rarely an opportunity to stretch those muscles.

If you've talked with me for any part of time, you can probably see the over-thinking in my communication. Whenever I interrupt, or go off on some sort of conversational tangent, it's my mind tapping into preconceived ideas, thoughts, jokes, or stories that were triggered by something someone else had said, and trying to speak those things. It can be a slightly enjoyable trick to do on command (or so I'm told), but is a handicap with real communication. How fun can life be that with almost every thing someone says, you have a "pre-programmed" response? Not fun.. unfortunately... perhaps entertaining at times, and useful with academics... but otherwise... eh!