Iowa to Florida to Iowa to Italy

"My" heated lap pool at Shingle Creek in Florida!

Nothing big to blog about but am just chilling in the hotel room in Florida before going out for a bit with a friend from Forest City who now lives in Orlando. Thought I'd kick out a blog entry real quick.

I'm down in Orlando for a conference for work -- primarily focused on digital marketing. I've been learning a lot and it feels great to finally be over the cold that had been lingering for about a week.

The hotel is awesome! Shingle Creek outside of Orlando.

When I got to the hotel on Monday night, I dropped my bags in the room and went down to the heated lap pool for a long swim. It had just stopped raining and was about 10:00 pm so no one was in the outdoor lap pool. Got in about 2600 or 2700 meters -- around an hour of swimming and it felt GREAT!

Tuesday was the start of the conference and got some really good new ideas and met some vendors at the exhibit. Did a 30 minute run and 30 minute swim on Tuesday and just chilled the rest of the night.

I'm reading a really good book that I picked up at the airport called "The Year of Living Biblically." It's by an Esquire magazine writer who tries to live as biblically as possible for an entire year. It's funny but also very insightful. Some of the rules he's following are ridiculous but at the same time he is also learning some profound lessons. I'm excited to keep reading and see how his year develops.

You can't believe how crazy some shit is in the Bible. Glad I'm not a fundamentalist!

Today was more seminars (not as good as the ones yesterday but still interesting). Had a long lunch break today and did a 9 mile run through the nature trails around the hotel -- only ran past 1 alligator/crocodile? Yikes! Then finished with a 20 minute swim.

Then back to the conference for more seminars and a final trip to the exhibit hall. Talked to some people with similar positions to mine and also some knowledgeable vendors. I'm excited to put some new ideas in place when I return to work.

Back to Forest City tomorrow night - work on Friday and then am going to spend all weekend riding my bike and continuing to train for the half ironman coming up in June -- scary how close it is!

Also amazing that in two weeks I'll be traveling to Florence, Italy for a 10-day trip through Italy and Barcelona. It's going to be a great vacation!

Biking through the chianti region of Tuscany, hiking the hills of Cinque Terre, bellinis in Venice, and tapas in Barcelona.

I have some deeper blog entries developing in my head but for now I'm just....

Enjoying the ride,
Damm

Buddha?

Maybe not coincidentally, I spent this evening riding my bike on the trainer watching the conclusion of the first round of the Masters golf tournament -- Tiger Woods's return to the game of golf after the scandal that we all know so much about.

I was also in the midst of watching a documentary that I had begun the night before about the life of the Buddha.

In Tiger's first press conference following the scandal he mentioned that he had strayed from his Buddhist principles. At first I remember thinking, "I wonder what the PR people at Buddha International are thinking right now!"

Tiger's sins are tough to forgive. And many probably won't forgive him. "Cheetah" jokes aside -- the pain that he has caused his wife, his family, and his fans has been enormous.

But as I watched Tiger complete his round of golf, and then continued to watch the documentary about the Buddha, I understood the connection.

Maybe viewing these two things at once wasn't coincidence. It was a chance for me to forgive Tiger.

In the documentary, one of the poets that helps recount the life and teachings of the Buddha talks about looking for the Buddha in everyone. She describes walking down a busy street and looking at each passerby and asking, "Buddha? Buddha? Buddha?"

So as Tiger walked up the 18th fairway on a beautiful Thursday at one of my favorite places in the world, I looked at him and asked myself...."Buddha? Christ? Me?"

I believe the answers to be yes, yes and yes. My reaction to Tiger Woods is ultimately a reaction to myself -- at least, according to my beliefs.

An angry reaction to Tiger puts my mind in a state of hatred, aggression.

A forgiving reaction to Tiger puts my mind at peace and in a state of awareness.

His actions against his wife were harmful and wrong. But many of my actions are harmful and wrong as well.

Now, in Tiger's life, he has a chance to find peace and calm again. But his harmful actions will make this peace much more difficult to come by. That is his punishment I suppose. But it is not my punishment to dole out.

My reaction must be one of forgiveness. To look at Tiger and ask, "Buddha?"

So I may find the Buddha within him and separate the Buddha from that which is not Buddha.

So I may find the Buddha within myself and begin to eradicate the sin and suffering in my own life.

Aware and with equanimity I look at you, reader, and ask, "Buddha?"

Enjoy the ride,
Damm