Change

It’s not often change comes along without a loud crash or spilt milk or broken glass. When change occurs as naturally as a knock at the door all we need do is open and welcome change in.  Usually change comes because we have been inattentive or worse yet we have abused someone or some thing and there is no real choice in the matter. However when we try to do the next right thing change comes in the form of people with messages we may not have been expecting which are the best kind of all.  Nothing is perfect and not everyone is going to be happy about change but as nothing remains the same forever change takes place whether we want it or not it’s just easier if we are prepared instead being taken unawares.  

Equinox Do You Know This Man?

My new friend Chris Melillo has told me in no uncertain terms that although he likes my scribes he said I should consider lowering the price of my $3.00 excuse me now $5.00 words. I swear that I am but an amateur wordsmith and when I write the words fall nascent and the only thing I think about is not using the same words more than once if possible. Chris on the verge of becoming a proud papa for the third time is always entertaining in the locker room and what I dig about him is his absolute honesty albeit unfiltered. He is roborant on many levels.  

And he has the best Nike Shoes on the Planet. 

The Seventh Sin

Not since The Wolf’s Cry have I been motivated to write anything about the subject of love and corporeal delights. This time the subject is infidelity. Infidelity is one of the few remaining sins that have a seemingly universal condemnation factor in the court of public opinion. The unwritten law expressed implicitly in every conjugal relationship is exclusivity. Judging by how often this decretum is broken whether there is a legal contract in place or not makes me think that monogamy is futile. For some fidelity is never a question in their relationship but for most of the population some of whom can’t stay on a diet, stick to a exercise regimen or remember to take their prescription medicine daily fidelity is as hopeless as never breaking the 10 commandments. 

The energy of sex has many dimensions. Simply put intercourse and its many variations do not necessarily carry the same weight as the emotion of love does. There are many that will insist however that it does. Some actually believe that the God given act of love does not mean that love is essential to a physical union of and for the sake of this piece a man and a woman. Conventional wisdom says that penetration carries just as much gravity as the theory of continuance in that once consummated outside of “the relationship” the disdain becomes The Seventh Sin. 

A fervent Act of Contrition or even the Sacrament of Penance does not remove the Seventh Sin. The clergy may grant absolution for the perpetrators but the hostility and betrayal are not only held in perpetuity but forgiveness is the one act of charity that is withheld. The wounded are excused from any part as the proximating cause of The Seventh Sin but that’s because the floodlights of attention are on those that are found in flagrante delicto. The Seventh Sin or the acts of infidelity for those victims of love are bloodstained forever and The Scarlet Letter lives on with The Seventh Sin.  

My Best Friend

We met in 5th grade and I knew then that this young man would be pivotal in my life even at the tender age of 10.  There was something about him that gave me the knowing that there he’d be on the worst day of my life some 8 years later when my beloved sister passed from this earthly domain. I recall him meeting me at the end of the driveway ready to console me and he did so by his mere presence. He had the courage to appear when most of my acquaintances became shrinking violets.   Many meant well but when people don’t know what to say they stay away when in truth there were no words anyone could say. He became my best friend that day even though I knew it long before. 

He was instrumental in elevating my courage when I donned skis for the first time and his fearlessness was my example to venture when my heart was timid. He loved the Beach Boys and 50 years later those songs still resonate with me as but one of his gifts he bestowed on me.  We experienced many of the rights of passage of youth and it was he who was responsible to guide me into the college that would alter my course irrevocably. 

Magically he arrives again after a long hiatus and I know that because I am playing a different instrument he hears the music. I wasn’t ready for him for so many years but now I think I just might be.  My best friend Bobby is again standing at the end of my driveway.  There are no coincidences none.  

The Breakfast Club 2nd Edition

I for one am grateful that TBC was formed by the HBIC, Nancy Kaplan. For the most part our acquaintance/friendships were relegated to banter before and after class but now we have a genuine forum where we can discuss (in an elegant way of course) any number of topics from the class itself, the latest hot topic (not gossip) as well the meal du jour.   Some members of our semi-exclusive club bring their own healthy additives to enhance just about any concoction those delightful people at the Health Bar build for us. Lisa for instance has a powdered peanut butter, which she adds to her liquid nutriceutical, and my guess is that it is stripped of the fattening oils. I hope for Lisa’s sake that it has some taste unlike most of the low-fat and gluten free offerings of today that are long on missing ingredients and short on taste. Which brings to mind what Kristen has always said that nutrition is King and exercise is Queen.  Her words ring in my shell like ear: “You can’t work off a bad diet”. 

As self-appointed recording secretary I want to say that if TBC is to endure I will need some running commentary from you lest it seem like a personal diatribe, which I want to avoid. So please make your voice heard. If you want to remain anonymous I will certainly respect your wishes but let’s hear from you especially if you’re reading this. I expect to hear from Nancy, Cindy and David don’t tell me you’re shy I need to hear from you as well. I am sure we can count on Dana and if we coax the Queen maybe she will honor us with a royal visit one day. That might be difficult with her life schematic. 

June and summer are fast approaching with that the new group exercise schedule is out and the scuttlebutt is from Mount Olympus that all  spin classes will be trimmed to 45 minutes. What do you think about that? I like it because if you can wrap your brain around the idea that we only have 45 minutes I contend that you will actually work harder and correct me if I’m wrong KJ or Dana (if you’re listening) we may burn just as many calories as the traditional length classes we became so accustomed to.  And by all means mix it up a bit add some upper body strength workouts to round out our regimens thereby avoiding overuse injury and ennui.  Look who’s talking?  

Has anyone had the notion that our sessions have gotten even more intense? Is it just my imagination? What say you? I am hoping we can entice Dana to weigh in on how well we are doing and maybe a hint or two on how to make each session even more efficient. The best one I have heard of late was from KJ when she told us to sit on our pelvic bone rather than our pubic bone. It eliminates that numbness in the groin some of us men suffer.

 See you soon at The Breakfast Club. Charter memberships are being offered for an extended period of time. Please see the HBIC. (Head Bitch in Charge)  

P.S.

If you have any difficulty posting a comment send them along to me at Jackbriant@mac.com

The Breakfast Club

It’s not 1985 but the present day and The Breakfast Club meets on Saturday after spin at the Health Bar at our EQ. I met with the 3 charter members yesterday: David, Cindy and the HBIC, Nancy.  Of course the fare is haute cuisine from our friends behind the counter  but it’s all about the conversation, which was spirited. These three hold court as other members and even instructors and their spouses like Dana and Chad happen by for a chat about the class and the world news within the confines of our beloved gym.  

 David, Cindy and Nancy. They are warm, friendly, don’t take themselves too seriously but are serious about fitness and what they take in their bodies. Healthier lifestyles are their foundation. So very 21st Century. Nancy and Cindy I know pretty well for the last 3+ years we’ve always had playful banter and you can tell its more than just jocular as both women show me genuine concern and I value their counsel very much. 

 David I thought was enigmatic when I first met him in spin. He seemed aloof almost but that was pure imagination on my part as David is a well-loved member and never has anything but positive thoughts and words for everyone who knows him at EQ. 

Without spin there might not be a Breakfast Club because there’s where the seeds of friendship were sown. When you band people together united toward one goal they are drawn to each other and their true personalities are open and on display. Because we love our spin classes with the likes of Kristen and Dana it’s natural that when we sit together and break bread (gluten free of course) inhibitions are left behind.  We feel more vulnerable but safe as well.  

Part II Tomorrow. 

Habits vs Intention

Are your habits stronger than your intention? An interesting collection of words to be sure and they conjure up a host of cognitions. We intend to do the right thing but our habits say just the opposite. We want to be magnanimous but our actions speak only of being miserly. The element of fear is the pebble in the shoe that keeps us from realizing that there is no limit on abundance in fact the more we give the more we receive in return. Not easy grasping on to that notion. We learn from our upbringing that it’s dog eat dog and the only way to get ahead is to go out and take what is rightfully ours and as long as we don’t break any laws its our God given right to garner as much as we can lest the other guy get it first. 

We intend to stay sober but our habitual drinking says it’s our right to take our comfort as a reward for the life we struggle with. We would love to exercise and be fit because we know a healthier body is pleasing to look at and functions as it was intended before our habits destroyed what we were given. We don’t want to smoke but the habit is so strong the intention to quit lies just out of reach like the veritable carrot on a stick. 

Are our habits stronger than our intention? Unfortunately habits are easy to get into and not out of. Intention however if given enough time at the podium is more than just a speech it’s the new way of life.