mermaidcamp

mermaidcamp

Keeping current in wellness, in and out of the water

You can scroll the shelf using ← and → keys

Claim Your Acronym

November 12, 2012

To enhance communication of any kind it is necessary to address a specific audience, even if it is digital. In the book Impact Equation I have been presented with a concept that I have been living for the last few years. Brother Brogan proposes that for an idea to evolve and be refined the qualities that cause audience to be interested in your message must be considered. He mentions that presenting in public with instant feedback from direct observation is entirely different from the digital world of presentation. This is the understatement of the decade as well as the theme of my study and effort for the last 3 or 4 years. I have always taught in person to groups and individuals. If I say so myself I have done this so much that I do instinctively know how to teach and drive a message home to people I can see and hear. However, my in person methodology involves much humor and stealth to distract and weave fairy tales of deep lessons. With real live people it is easy to stop when you are bombing, change course, redirect. It is digitally difficult, since we are communicating blindly with no visual of  our intended audience.  We now have no idea why or how anyone pays us attention, but need to fill in that blank in some cohesive way.

To plant a memorable seed in the digital arena that is both considered and spread by evangelists, there must be an easy way to evangelize.  This is exactly the point at which I, as the charismatic in person snake oil saleswoman, completely failed to execute my core beliefs to what I know to be a very large audience wanting to feel good and feel healthy at the same time.  I always look to the ancestors for deeper meaning.  My parents were extreme acronym adopters in the 1950’s.  The created codes such as SUS ( sit up straight) and COP (chin over plate) to give me orders in public and at home about how to enjoy dining with them.  Like many other of my parents’ futuristic practices, virtually nobody else I knew did such a thing.  My giant aversion to all acronyms can be directly traced to eating with my parents. This does not  serve me at all and can not hurt the feelings of  my dead parents.  OMG, is it ever time to stop boycotting the acronym.

Starting from scratch, one would have acro’ed in initially before going out and getting and international trademark, if one had been aware.  Since I was in the less than aware group, and only recently liberated to appreciate the beauty and power of the acronym, I must start where I am.  Floatli is my trademark and my invention for water exercise. It is for those who like to feel good while moving, and appreciate the fact that they can move.  Today I step into this century and happily debut the Floatli acronym:

  • First
  • Love
  • Own
  • Ass
  • Totally
  • Like
  • It is

This means that taking care of your own body for the most pleasurable healthy outcome will involve radical acceptance of what is.  The sensual pleasure of water as an exercise medium is empowering.  It can be a haven for injured athletes, a playground, and a social bonding agent.  If your first ( and maybe only) consideration is the flawed appearance of your bathing suit look, the good feelings stop before they begin.  I am an evangelist for loving your own ass, because if you don’t nobody else will.

But the greatest of these is charity.

November 9, 2012 — 2 Comments

Charity

We are asked to give in many ways. It is important today to regognize one of the meanings of the word charity. Charity bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things, according to Paul.  This charity is the virtue of charity, not at all the same as the generosity and giving of gifts.  This charity is the one that thinks of all other people charitably, or with kindness.  We have been on a rampage of enemy creation around here.  The enemy is not a group of people you don’t know, or another nation you can not even locate on a map, as you may believe.  The enemy is your very own inability to be patient and kind, and think of all strangers charitably.

It is an internal rather than an external practice.  Your tax exempt giving does not exempt you from generating kindness and compassion for strangers.  Your participation in public service does not give you a pass when it comes to being patient and loving.  Your bright and shiny holiday lights do not prove that you are in some positive spirit, but only  a willingness to electrically decorate. Loving kindness is a state that can only be shared.  This year as you budget your end of the year donations, find willingness in your practice to think kindly of others you have never met.  Do your part to keep the nation from hurdling off the charitable cliff.  I am not asking you to do the difficult job of thinking kindly of people you know and think are incredible jerks.  Start with something easy, like political parties, Europeans, the Congress of the United States,or other groups of perceived enemies about which you honestly know nothing.  Just love them up and start to bring the concept closer to home as you get stronger in your ability to be patient and kind.

The Essence of Beauty is Truth

November 8, 2012

I will have one pass to make an impact on a group of 13 year old young ladies soon. I have given so much thought to this presentation that I wondered if the end result might be a big fat flop. My theory of how to reach them has changed along the way, and drastically recently. I have received guidance with some first hand information on the realities of being teen today. I chat on twitter with Emme, Super Model, who is all of that and an advocate for healthy body image and healthy living. She covers subjects from make-up technique and selection to healthy living. I was lucky to win the prize on #Emmetalks after a wonderful chat with Marci Warhaft-Nadler who wrote the book The Body Image Survival Guide for Parents. Her book arrived in the mail just in time to both shock and inspire me.

Both Emme and Marci are parents who strive to model a healthy lifestyle that includes appreciating and nurturing one’s own body. They understand the culture of bullying and shame that is prevailing. They know that boys suffer from body image issues that are compounded by the fact that they believe those issues are strictly for girls. They suffer the shame of being ashamed in what they think is an unnatural manner.  Both the mom of our featured teen young lady and I are veteran spa culture fitness instructors.  We have witnessed the crazed disconnect that can and does happen between adults and the image they hold of their own appearance and its importance.  In the book I learned that things have gone from bad to worse with parents now imposing very unhealthy thoughts about adequacy and appearance, even recommending plastic surgery to very young kids.  Although learning how hard the kids have it today was very rough on me, I am very pleased to know that the dignity and well being of children is supported in this book with practical suggestions for parents.  These concrete suggestions are very much needed for kids to be guided to healthy love, care and respect for the body they have for this lifetime.

When in doubt, scarf dance.  That is my teaching creed  and I am sticking to it for this lesson.  The group of six girls have all known each other for years, growing up on the beach.  In fact, I clearly recall monitoring a play group at the beach back when they all ate sand and toddled.  I plan to bring back the carefree days of playgroup one last time with a lavish prom dress scarf dancing on the beach extravaganza.  We have a professional photographer lined up to record this.  I am not sure how each of these young ladies feels about her image, but I am collecting cold hard proof of the artfulness and beauty  that results from purposely sharing  joy.  Pictures do speak louder than words. I look forward to this shoot with 6 supermodels on the beach.