Bloemendaal aan Zee and Kennemer Dunes 360° today. Break the chain [ free the mind ]

Min/max temperature: 3°C/12°C; humidity: 63%; precipitation: 0 mm; sea level pressure: 1013 hPa; wind: SSW 9.0 km/h; visibility: 10.0 kilometres; Clouds: Mostly Cloudy 2346 m., Mostly Cloudy 11887 m.

"Angst essen seele auf' ("Fear eats the soul.")

Rainer Werner Fassbinder (1945 - 1982)

"Everybody is looking for an out clause."

Téa Leoni as Jilli Hopper in director Daniel Algrant's 'People I know', written by Jon Robin Baitz, photographed by Peter Deming, first released in 2002 trough Miramax Films

"[F]ear comes from a lack of training. [Y]ou must have a confident mind; then you will not be in danger. If you learn [ to strengthen ] your sensation of vital energy, you will never make a misstep."

Miyamoto Musashi, in Kenji Tokitsu's 'Miyamoto Musashi. His Life and Writing', page 385, first published in 2000 by Editions Desiris in France

"To empty one's mind of all thought and refill the void with a spirit greater than oneself is to extend the mind into a realm not accessible by conventional processes of reason"

Edward Hill as quoted by Betty Edwards in 'Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain', page 88, first published in 1979 by Jeremy P. Tarcher/Putnam, New York

Kennemer Dunes Parallel Universe in 360°, today. Go slow [ never quit ]

Above: Photosynthesis, respiration and refueling after trail training. Training fueled by breathing air, drinking enriched H₂0 with Mg and C₂₃H₃₁NO₆ and rest in darkness and silence. Post-training: salmon, carrots, Brazilian nuts, garlic, ginger, red pepper, olive-oil.

Min/max temperature: 8°C/15°C; humidity: 69%; precipitation: 0 mm; sea level pressure: 1011 hPa; wind: NE 25.7 km/h; visibility: 10.0 kilometres; Clouds: Few 762 m.; Moon: Waxing Gibbous, 83% illuminated.

"13. Do not pursue the taste of good food (mi hitotsu ni bishoku o konomazu)."

Miyamoto Musashi in Kenji Tokitsu's 'Miyamoto Musashi. His Life and Writing', page 223, first published in 2000 by Editions Desiris in France

"Among the various human activities that are the subject of attention, none has aroused deeper concern than man's aggressiveness. […] People are not born with preformed repertoires of aggressive behaviour; they must learn them in one way or another. Some of the elementary forms of physical aggression can be perfected with minimal guidance, but most aggressive activities -- duelling with switchblade knives, sparring with opponents, engaging in military combat, or indulging in vengeful ridicule -- entail intricate skills that require extensive social learning. […] Examination of the origins of aggression must consider not only the behaviour of free-lancing aggressors, but also that of professionals who are authorised to use aggression as a means of social control or who are officially trained for mass destruction in the service of national policies. Societies rely on military training establishments rather than on innate [ i.e., originating in the mind ] response repertoires to produce good fighters. It requires a great deal of complex learning to develop efficient weapons of destruction as well as technical skills to use them."

Albert Bandura in 'Agression, a social learning analysis', page 1, 61, 62 First published in 1973 by Prentice-Hall, Inc., USA

"A cloud pattern in the sky may fit in well with your daydreams, but you do not usually conclude that the daydreams were its cause."

Ulric Neisser in 'Cognitive Psychology', page 158, first published in 1967 by Pretice-Hall, Inc., Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey 158

Kennemer dunes 360° today. Catch [ the edge ]

Min/max temperature: 4°C/12°C; humidity: 55%; precipitation: 0 mm; sea level pressure: 1028.33 hPa; wind: SSE 22.0 km/h; visibility: 10.0 kilometres; Clouds: Few 426 m.

"Lucid dreams are also symbolic -- yet in quite a different way […] Their symbolism takes the form of beautiful landscapes -- different luminous phenomena, sunlight, clouds, and especially a deep blue sky. In a perfect instance of the lucid dream I float through immensely wide landscapes, with a clear blue, sunny sky, and a feeling of deep bliss and gratitude, which I feel impelled to express by eloquent words of thankfulness and piety. Sometimes these words seem to me a little rhetorical, but I cannot help it, as it is very difficult in dreams to control emotional impulses. Sometimes I conceive of what appears as a symbol, warning, consoling, approving. A cloud gathers or the light brightens. Only once could I see the disc of the sun […] I awoke fresh and cheerful, better in spirits than I had been for a long time."

Frederik van Eeden in the first extensive English-language scientific report on lucid dreams 'A Study of Dreams', published in the 'Proceedings of the Society for Psychical Research', Volume 26, 1913

"[T]here is the story of the great Taoist master Chuang Tzu who once dreamt that he was a butterfly fluttering around. In his dream, the idea that he was a person was alien to him: he was only a butterfly. Suddenly, he awoke and found himself lying there, a person once again. But then Chuang Tzu thought to himself, "Was I before a man who dreamt about being a butterfly, or am I now a butterfly who dreams about being a man?"

Manfred Kets de Vries in 'The Hedgehog Effect', page 53, first published in 2011 by John Wiley & Sons Ltd., United Kingdom

"In whatever the domain, the movements of a good, accomplished practitioner do not appear fast. For example, there are messengers who cover forty or fifty leagùes at the run in a single day, but they do not run fast from morning till night. Whereas, a beginner cannot cover such a long distance, even if he has the wind to run the whole day. […] Whatever the domain, the movements of an expert never appear hurried."

Miyamoto Musashi, in Kenji Tokitsu's 'Miyamoto Musashi. His Life and Writing', page 192, 193, first published in 2000 by Editions Desiris in Francepage

"[A]thletes need to gird themselves against […] contamination. Humility and gratitude seem to be the only effective shields against the onslaughts of […] exploitation. Athletes in the traditional martial arts employ specific exercises to overcome any tendency towards egotism. The dedication of one's skill, performance, or career to a higher principle provides the only absolute protection. [P]ower is characterised by grace, sensitivity, inner quit, and paradoxically, gentleness in the non-competitive lives of even fierce competitors."

David Hawkins in 'Power vs Force', page 182, first published in 1995 by Hay House UK Ltd

Haarlem, today. Flow [ focus ]

Above: Four days after surgery (EVLT: Endovenous laser treatment) there already is improvement in the treated varicose vains-condion (compared too what, you may ask? True, nothing to compare it with, you will not find one post-training-picture -- PGIA -- without long-trousers on this website -- too anxious to show that, I was). Though, under the knee and above the ankle varicose veins are still visible -- it can take up to 6 months to finally disappear -- 4 days after surgery there already is -- apart from the tension/pain relief -- also visual improvement. Visible is the vain in the upper part of the leg (on the shadow-line). Initially a thick, snake-like tube, laying like the root of a threesometimes surfaces trough a road cracking the asphalt, appearing from underneath the skin -- now looking more like a scar. Right beneath the knee brushes have shown up, caused by the operation. Both the 'doable' experience of the operation itself and the results, make the treatment (EVLT) -- when 'suffering' from the disadvantages of varicose veins and the potential risks that come with them -- a highly recommended undertaking. Despite -- or even better: just because -- all the horror stories people will find when searching the internet (it seems the whiners have a monopoly on populating all the -- medical -- fora, complaining about just anything). Love, trust and make friendship. Overcome anxiety, go where the fear is, learn to feel at ease.  (topic to be continued)

Min/max temperature: 9°C/18°C; humidity: 64%; precipitation: 0 mm; sea level pressure: 1020.88 hPa; wind: North 9 km/h; visibility: 10.0 kilometres; Clouds: Few 914 m .; Moon: Waning Gibbous, 89% visible

During the operation I enjoyed a pleasant conversation with both the surgeon and the well-educated nurse. I asked the surgeon whether he was -- and if so -- where his fascination for vascular surgery came from:

"Yes. If you know the way of the blood, you know where to find everything inside the human body."

Dr. A. Rijbroek, surgeon, personal communication during EVL treatment in Haarlem, 10 May 2017

"The meaning of emptiness is space where there is nothing, and I also envisage emptiness as that which cannot be known. Emptiness, of course, is where there is nothing. Knowing that which does not exist while knowing that which exists -- that is emptiness… He should know that true empty space is there where the clouds of uncertainty have completely dissipated… Think of the void as the way and see the way as the void. In emptiness the good exists and evil does not exist. Knowing exists, the principle exists, the way exists, and the mind -- is void.

Miyamoto Musashi in Kenji Tokitsu's 'Miyamoto Musashi. His Life and Writing', page 328, first published in 2000 by Editions Desiris in France