I was at dinner the other night celebrating a friend's birthday and included in our group was our friends' newborn baby boy. Naturally, the baby drew lots of attention but when the baby smiled he really had us captivated. Throughout the night whenever somebody went up to the baby it was all about making him smile. Every time I saw the baby smile I couldn't help but feel a surge of happiness and hint of fascination. And it got me wondering: Why is a baby's smile so awesome?
When an adult smiles people don't react with such excitement. Sometimes people react with suspicion. Similar reactions are given when a kid smiles. When a teenager smiles...well come on, who believes anything a teenager does anyway?
I read a book on body language and it had a whole chapter about identiying fake smiles and genuine smiles. In my experience, fake smiles seem to run rampant among adults and teenagers. Gossip, lies, powerplays, persuasion all utilize fake smiles. A smile turns from an expression of joy to a useful tool to get somebody on the same page as you. I think this is why a smile could lose some of its value, if you will, as we age. We've learned that they may be fake or accompanied with ulterior motives. Even a genuine smile may be blurred by the currents of emotions and stresses that linger in our heads. And this could have affect the way a smile is given and perceived. The stresses mask the happiness that a smile is meant to project.
So this brings me back to my original question: Why is a baby's smile so awesome? The way I figure it, babies don't have that added baggage. They haven't learned about lies, about persuasion, about fake smiles and ulterior motives. A baby's smile is straight up happiness. And that's why it's so awesome! It's a portrait of pure joy, which is rarely seen in the adult world with all its added stress and complexity that comes over the years. A baby's smile is a simple glimpse of something pure and a perfect reminder of how great hapiness is. It's refreshing - even touching...whoa I think I just had an emotional moment...scary.
Monday, March 28, 2011
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Gas Tank on Empty
As far as fitness goes, one of the things I pride myself on is having endurance. I think my cardio is pretty good. That is until I hit the wall three times this past week. And I don't mean I got tired and winded. I'm talking gas tank completely empty. Lying on the ground sprawled out realizing that I don't feel sore because I'm too numb to feel anything but knowing all too well that I'll be feeling it later.
This all happened during jiu-jitsu training this past week. It started last week Sunday. I rolled with a guy bigger and much stronger than me. Now granted jiu-jitsu is designed to let the smaller person take on the bigger, stronger person but my technique isn't there yet. Having this guy's weight on me while trying to defend myself was really draining. I gassed out bad. So what did I do after training? I caught my breath and then ran 4 miles. When I finally got home and sat down, I didn't move...at all...for the rest of the day.
The next day I went to jiu-jitsu training and gassed again. I was really sore from the previous day and I was partnered up with another guy larger, stronger, and this time more experienced than me. When we rolled I managed to get a few dominant positions but as training went on I slowed down...a lot. Again I found myself on my back defending submissions and giving up position. At one point I found myself in a really good position to take the guys back and go for a choke. All I had to do was shift myself to the side a little bit and I would've had the position but I was too tired to move (those few inches seemed really far). Instead I flopped over and lost the match. It wasn't long until I was flat on my back gasping for air barely able to move...and that was during the water break.
I went to training again on Wednesday and this time I was partnered up with somebody stronger than me (again) but this time he wasn't bigger and I had a slight edge on experience. I was looking forward to seeing how we'd match up when we rolled. But when it came time to roll the Professor switched up our partners. I was matched with a guy my height but thicker, stronger, and heavier than me. I noticed the rank on his white belt was below mine so I thought I may have an edge in experience and technique but as soon as we got to rolling I could tell he's trained before. He moved and maintained positions very well and defended every attack I went for. He's done this before. It wasn't long until I was on my back defending against a guy that felt 210 lbs...and a muscular 210 lbs at that. Several times I found myself in turtle position (sort of a duck-and-cover position with your knees and elbows on the mat) trying to sweep the guy but he simply put his weight on my back and I was stuck. When our training session was over I was once again flat on my back panting for air, too weak to move.
It's kind of crazy to think I can run no problem for over an hour but 5 competitive minutes on the mat kills me. Just shows how conditioning varies among different things. But on the bright side, I didn't get tapped out and training with those guys should help me improve that much more. Right?? Otherwise, I'm just getting beat up and that'd be a bummer.
This all happened during jiu-jitsu training this past week. It started last week Sunday. I rolled with a guy bigger and much stronger than me. Now granted jiu-jitsu is designed to let the smaller person take on the bigger, stronger person but my technique isn't there yet. Having this guy's weight on me while trying to defend myself was really draining. I gassed out bad. So what did I do after training? I caught my breath and then ran 4 miles. When I finally got home and sat down, I didn't move...at all...for the rest of the day.
The next day I went to jiu-jitsu training and gassed again. I was really sore from the previous day and I was partnered up with another guy larger, stronger, and this time more experienced than me. When we rolled I managed to get a few dominant positions but as training went on I slowed down...a lot. Again I found myself on my back defending submissions and giving up position. At one point I found myself in a really good position to take the guys back and go for a choke. All I had to do was shift myself to the side a little bit and I would've had the position but I was too tired to move (those few inches seemed really far). Instead I flopped over and lost the match. It wasn't long until I was flat on my back gasping for air barely able to move...and that was during the water break.
I went to training again on Wednesday and this time I was partnered up with somebody stronger than me (again) but this time he wasn't bigger and I had a slight edge on experience. I was looking forward to seeing how we'd match up when we rolled. But when it came time to roll the Professor switched up our partners. I was matched with a guy my height but thicker, stronger, and heavier than me. I noticed the rank on his white belt was below mine so I thought I may have an edge in experience and technique but as soon as we got to rolling I could tell he's trained before. He moved and maintained positions very well and defended every attack I went for. He's done this before. It wasn't long until I was on my back defending against a guy that felt 210 lbs...and a muscular 210 lbs at that. Several times I found myself in turtle position (sort of a duck-and-cover position with your knees and elbows on the mat) trying to sweep the guy but he simply put his weight on my back and I was stuck. When our training session was over I was once again flat on my back panting for air, too weak to move.
It's kind of crazy to think I can run no problem for over an hour but 5 competitive minutes on the mat kills me. Just shows how conditioning varies among different things. But on the bright side, I didn't get tapped out and training with those guys should help me improve that much more. Right?? Otherwise, I'm just getting beat up and that'd be a bummer.
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