Articles I Appreciate...

Kobe wants people to call him "Vino." He believes
he too has gotten better with age.

Had a great couple of days with my cousin Amy, an outstanding runner and avid reader of good blogs. She enjoys reading a popular weekly posting on "Cupcakes and Cashmere" entitled "Links I Love." I have to say Emily Schuman's "Series" of other regular themed postings is ingenious. Inspired by this idea, I thought I might create a one entitled "Articles I Appreciate," Sports and Spirituality style. Enjoy!

The Fourth Quarter: Kobe Bryant confronts a long—and possibly painful—goodbye. by Ben McGrath, The New Yorker, March 31, 2014

Make no mistake about it, basketball fans have very strong opinions about Kobe Bryant. I appreciated this lengthy piece about "Black Mamba" because it paints a clear portrait of who the shooting guard is today in light of all that he has been as he decides who he will be. 

This shoes means biz.

Kobe is so polarizing that friends of mine have literally picked themselves up from the table and walked away from the conversation. But, this article has also connected me to others in way I would never expect. For example, I noticed the barista at my neighborhood Peet's coffee was wearing these wild new Nike shoes. Think Air Jordan meets a wrestling shoe, oh and a zebra and leopard. What do you get? These kicks. I said to him, "Are those the Kobe Elites." He has never poured my coffee the same way since. And, The New Yorker always include excellent writing.

Simpler Praying by Kathy Coffey 
Coffey writes: "When asked how he prayed, the Trappist author Thomas Merton said, “I breathe.” He probably meant that prayer should be as simple and natural as breathing—or chatting with a dear friend. Each breath we take is God’s gift. Without it, we wouldn’t be alive." I agree, and yet I am not the best at prayer. Why I found this article helpful is that it reminds me of a very humble truth. When it comes to accomplishing (most) things in life, stay with Thoreau's credo: "simply, simplify, simplify!"

This article provides simple, realistic prayer exercises. Worth reviewing, and implementing!

The Home Team by Kerry Weber,
America Magazine, May 26-June 2, 2014

Weber writes, “You Don’t Have to love baseball to find beauty in “Field of Dreams." I agree. And for me, this movie captures what I profess in the Nicene creed: "I believe in things visible and invisible." I do. This editorial piece reminds us of that belief and more:

"This year marks the 25th anniversary of the now classic film that tells the story by a man who follows the direction of a mysterious voice—one that commands, among other things, “If you build it, he will come”—and plows under his Iowa cornfield to build a baseball diamond in his backyard."

The Mindful Revolution: The Art of Being Mindful

by Kate Pickert, TIME Magazine, March 31. 2014

"Finding peace in a stress-out, digitally dependent culture may just be a matter of thinking differently." And this is exactly why I run without music and why I play golf without my cell phone. I hope it enhances my ability to be present and live in the moment. I think it provides clarity and enhances my creativity. 

NB: Unfortunately, you must subscribe to TIME to read this article.

In conclusion, I love nothing more than leaving a stack of magazines behind on a plane when I travel. I can't however refrain from tearing out those that include a great story or insight. In the future, I will see to it that they find their way on this blog. I hope you enjoy these selected readings as much as I do. Please share those that you appreciate, too.

Photo Credits

Field of Dreams poster

Kobe

Kobe Elite

Of Merton and Mileage....

Ron Rolheiser states, "We have in us spirit, soul, and what we do with that soul is our spirituality." His words remind me that my spirituality is something I shape and others mold. It is an unfolding reality; it is the deepest part of who I am.

The course I teach, Sports and Spirituality aims to help students understand their spirituality and develop one that is life-giving. According to Rolheiser, one way to do this is to name and reflect on "what feeds your soul?" It's an important and fun question to think about. Where do I find spiritual nourishment? What gives me joy? What challenges me in a way that leads to growth? 

And a good way to get some answers is to consider the opposite. What sucks your soul? What leaves you feeling empty? "Harry Potter and the Prince of Azakaban" provides as interesting mechanism for this concept which my students are quite familiar with: the Dementor. 

"Dementors are hooded dark arts creatures who used to follow Voldemort. They were the guards for Azkaban who have recently been released. They have the ability to suck all good thoughts out of those around them. Their kiss is a fate worst than death as it will steal your soul." According to Rolheiser and to J.K. Rowling, losing one's soul is a fate worse than death. My students agree.

And so I ask them to name three things that feed their soul and three things that suck their soul. I encourage them to be practical and to identify these matters with perspective. Although homework make "suck one's soul," it's also a gift to receive an education. They get it (First World Problems is a great resource for these). Soul nourishment often comes by way of music, friendship, service, and laughter. Sucking one's soul is in gossip, a job loss, betrayal, conflict or doubt. 

Summer fog sucks my soul. When I reveal this truth, my students give me an incredulous look. "What are you doing here?!" they query. Our school, located in the Sunset district in San Francisco is known for foggy days and nights that stay for days or weeks at a time. An old joke among those who know and love this western neighborhood is that "the sun set and forgot to rise again." When it's sunny, it's a glorious place. But most days of the year, we are lucky if we can see the beach just 10 blocks west of campus. 

This is a typical day in July. Probably a high of 57 degrees? Judah Street.

To combat the soul sucking, I make an effort to literally and metaphorically "get out of the fog." I visit my parents in the East Bay. I feel very fortunate that a sport I love—golf—invites me to play in sunny locales all over the Bay Area. Just a little bit of sun lifts my spirits and allows me to give more to others. Self-knowledge in this capacity works wonders. Soul sucking be gone.

The only wrench in my equation is that fog can also be a gift. I am never more aware of this than when I return from a trip on the East Coast where my beloved humidity prevents me from running outdoors.

Day 7 (without washing hair) at CPMC hospital, June 2010. Showing my battle scar.

In 2010, I was diagnosed with a heart condition known as ARVD. This means that I should not get my heart rate above 150 beats/minute. To do so, can advance my disease and more practically speaking, it puts me at risk for my defibrillator administering therapy.  Yes, I want to stay heart healthy. Yes, I love running. Yes, heat, humidity and mileage is a dangerous cocktail I should not drink. Does it suck my soul? Yes. Fear... Waiting for the shoe to drop.... I wonder if I have so many runs left in me...that can be frightening. But the fog, changes this equation.

Fog keeps the city cool in the summer months. It means I can run longer and farther that I might otherwise be able to do. It means less worry, and more endorphin release. It means more time with prayer. How so? For me, running is prayer.

Thomas Merton: Contemplative. Convert, Catholic.

Thomas Merton, a Catholic spiritual writer and Cistercian monk once wrote "the very contradictions in my life are in some ways signs of God's mercy to me." Indeed they are. I hate the fog, but it's one of God's great gifts of mercy. It allows me to do what I love. And in that way, my soul is fed. My spirituality is channeled in a way that is life-giving, grateful and free. 

Ask yourself, What feeds your soul? What sucks your soul? And once you identify them both, look for the contradiction between the two. Perhaps it will serve as a window to God's mercy. Not a bad way to understand one's spirituality.

Photo Credits
Spiritual Growth
Merton