Jams and a Lesson from Tony

For the last few months, I’ve been working out sans music.  I enjoy getting lost in my thoughts, and my shoulders and neck never appreciate the strain that gripping an ipod puts on them.  Yesterday, though, I broke out the ipod and was pleasantly pleased with how much of a boost it gave me! Hills on the bike to the chorus of ‘Last Friday Night’? Bring it. Two minute planks as JLo and Pitbull get on the floor? Done and done. I’m going to have to focus more on my form and stretch more thoroughly if I’m going to keep the ipod around for workouts, but I think it’s worth it for the extra motivation. 

 On a completely different note, CP and I enjoyed an evening with Anthony Bourdain last night.  Bourdain has been on the road with his Guts and Glory tour, and I had purchased tickets a few months ago for Valentine’s Day.  Neither of us were quite sure what to expect, but it turned out to be a great show.  If you’re not familiar with Anthony Bourdain, he tends to be pretty vulgar and blunt and his show held up to those expectations.  He did hit on a point that, although infused with humor, was pretty darn thoughtful. He was describing an episode of ‘No Reservations’ in which he was spending the afternoon with an extremely polarizing individual.  Bourdain explained that he received a plethora of hateful responses after the episode aired and had many viewers vow to never watch the show again. Bourdain’s response? Good riddance.  If you can’t accept that fact that regardless of political, social, or religious beliefs there is still often some sort of common ground or interest to find with others, be gone.

Even though this concept of acceptance and tolerance is by no means a new one for many of us, it’s one that we often neglect for many reasons – some justified, and others not so much.  We live in a world that is filled with divisions, violence, and fear.   In many cases, we’ve allowed those fears to sequester us and prevent us from finding commonalities that can not only open the lines of communication and trust, but can also lead to a new understanding and appreciation for one another.  I guess what I’m saying is, we’ve become so closed off. We’re not as willing to listen to the opinions of others and find compromise, both on a small and large scale.  Am I guilty of this myself? Absolutely. However, I’m hopeful that with acknowledgement comes growth and progress.  So, thank you Mr. Bourdain for both some hard laughs and some weighty reflections.

Any good tunes you're listening to that wold be worthy of adding to the shuffle? Leave a comment with them. I'll be thanking you as I'm plugging away through a circuit!