Coffee Grounds in My Oatmeal: The Quest for Mindfulness Continues

My morning routine in the fall and winter starts by putting a kettle of water on to boil.  I then create the most incredible oatmeal that I can with ingredients from our cupboard and pantry.  Apricots, apples, coconut flake, almond butter, walnuts, berries, flax seed, chia, whatever I can find.  It is kinda like playing Chopped for breakfast.  Then I add two scoops of fresh ground organic coffee to my french press and usually have a few moments to brush my teeth before the water boils.  At least, this is how I used to do it.

On more than one occasion, (yes I just admitted that) as my mind raced through the upcoming events of my day, a heaping table spoon of coffee grounds has gone directly into my amazing oatmeal creation.  You cannot salvage the oatmeal after this happens. Especially when their is honey involved.  Trust me on that one.

I have solved this problem by changing the system.  I now prepare the french press and set it aside before I begin to create the oatmeal.   Easy fix, over and done, right?  Did I really solve the problem?

What is the real problem that causes me to be so careless one instance with something that I have been so careful with the moment before.   I would never consciously ruin my breakfast in such a manner.  The problem is that I am acting unconsciously.

Even as I tap out this article, I find myself drifting away and thinking about problems that are coming my way.  Or potential problems that my mind has created.   My mind creates reality over and over again every day.  That sounds profound and strange, but it is true.   The vast majority of problems that I face in my mind never happen in real life.  They are fiction.   

It is amazing that I am able to dream up so many variations on reality, but is it really useful?  Is it productive when these fictional representations of reality cause stress, worry, anger or grief?  Is it worth it when I get so distracted with them that I ruin my oatmeal?

Mindfulness is the practice, or art if you prefer, of controlling our mind. Sounds easy.  Give it a shot for a few moments.  Unless you are actively training your mind through meditation, it is amazingly difficult to control what the mind is doing.   If you can hold an empty mind for five full minutes without getting distracted by thoughts (fictions) about your day to day life, you are far further along the path to self realization than I am.  You are probably also a pretty happy person.

Used to be that when I thought of meditation, I saw visions of sitting on a yoga mat deep in the woods with a peaceful smile on my face.  That sounds nice, but it is a fiction too.   Truth is that you don't need to go be an aesthetic in the woods to find the benefit of mindfulness meditation.  For me, I simply work to put 100% of my focus on the preparation of my morning coffee and oatmeal.  Working gently to stay in that moment even when my mind starts to wander.

Not only do I get a calmer mind from practicing these five minutes of being present each day.  I also get to eat great oatmeal without coffee grounds.
   

2017 High School Volleyball Monroe at Glacier Peak: Mati Bishop Broadcasting

The first five set match of the 2017 broadcast season was amazing!  Tons of great play.  Set five (played to 15 win by 2 points) finished 26-24.  Take a few moments and watch this match! 

2017 High School Volleyball Lake Stevens at Jackson: Mati Bishop Broadcasting

A great early season Wesco 4a match up between two unbeaten teams with amazing Senior setters.   Check it out! 

2017 High School Volleyball Monroe at Jackson: Mati Bishop Broadcasting

The Jackson Timerwolves and Monroe Bearcats always put on a show.  This time it is on STSPN.com! 

2017 High School Volleyball Kamiak at Monroe: Mati Bishop Broadcasting

Kamiak and Monroe open their Wesco 4a season at Monroe high school on STSPN.com! 

Dog Walking Through the Transition

Use the Code MATI1385 

To get $20 worth of free dog walking, boarding or pet sitting at WagWalking.com

We live in a really cool day in age.  When I decided to leave my previous job, I knew that there was going to be a need for me to generate some income while I got UprisingSports.com off the ground.  Enter the age of the connection economy and enter Wag.com, the Uber of the dog walking World. 

It's a pretty sweet gig walking dogs for a living.   They all have their own personalities and needs just like the people that I have been working with.  WAG promotes available walks and I decide when and how much I want to walk dogs.   Most of the time Ace Doggy Dog gets to come along as well. 

It's not a forever job, but it is super cool to live in a time and place where making a little bit of money is so easy.  Make it much easier and less stressful to start something new and meaningful when you know that there are ways that you can provide yourself a cushion. 

Thoughts on The End of My Time at Puget Sound Region Volleyball

Thursday Aug. 31 was my last day working for the Puget Sound Region of USA Volleyball.  I am extremely grateful for the time that I spent there and very proud of what was accomplished by the Region during that time.  Here are some very specific things that need to be mentioned:

The Region office is in very good hands with Robyn Williams.  She has done an amazing job over the course of the last season.  She is passionate about developing and growing the game and has shown her ability to develop programs by building her mini-volley program with PTA support at schools in the Shoreline area.   I am looking forward to seeing what she will bring to the table as she moves into a more prominent role within the Region. 

Dragan Karadzic will continue to be the backbone of the Region as the Operations Director.  Somehow he was deemed as not the best option to be the new commissioner, but likely that is because the work that he does is nearly impossible to replace.   I have learned so much perspective and patience from him and feel blessed and better for the opportunity to work alongside him for the past four seasons.  So much of the success of the Region is a direct result of his efforts and management.  He has played a large role in my development as a coach and a person. 

I am very proud of the work that Jen Baklenko and I have accomplished in the past four seasons of building the Region's Beach High Performance Programs.  Together we have developed one of the top Beach HP programs in the country and inspired and ignited the imaginations of athletes who just a few years ago would never have dreamed that there is a path to compete at the highest levels of beach volleyball for a kid from the Pacific Northwest.  Jen has worked selflessly and been not only an amazing head coach for the program, but also an advocate for beach athletes from the Pacific Northwest at the National level and within the Puget Sound Region as part of the Junior Advisory Board.   Keep up the great work Jen.  I can't wait to see where this program goes next. 

The biggest impact on my during my time at the Region was made by my friend and mentor, John Bryant.   Together we have brought the Region into the 21st century.   We have standardized many of the office procedures, created manuals for the office processes, developed a score of programs, navigated through the ever changing USA Volleyball landscape and waded through a variety of sticky situations within our Region.  I have learned more than I can mention from John.  I have a ceaseless admiration for his thoughtful and complete decision making process.  He was taught me that it is far more effective to take a little longer reaching the right decision, than it is to rush to the wrong one.  It has been an honor and privilege to work with John.  Over his career, he has made a huge impact on the local volleyball community and the National USA Volleyball processes and procedures.  I learned from John that the obstacle is the way and always admired his focus on the process.  He worked selflessly and was never one to showcase his own accomplishments. John's last day with the Region was also August 31.  I am looking forward to seeing where his next adventure takes him. 

Thank you to everyone who I got to work with during my time at the Puget Sound Region.  I am sure that I will see you somewhere down my path. 

I will continue to reach towards my mission of creating a better World through the game of volleyball as the director of Uprising Volleyball in Mukilteo.  I will also be working to further develop UprisingSports.com as a provider of support for sports organizations and small businesses.  

Thank you again for everything and good luck going forward.  

mati

Fire and Floods and Proving You're Right

Montana is burning, Houston is flooding and people are fighting to prove that their reason is right as to why. 

Nobody understands the Earth's climate and how it functions over long periods of time to know for sure that climate change is caused by humans.  Both sides of the arguments have evidence in their favor, which side of the argument you end up on depends largely on which side you choose to put faith in. 

Humans do not understand forest ecosystems well enough to effectively manage them.  There is evidence that humans could reduce fire risk with certain logging practices, but fire is a natural way for the forests to regenerate and replenish.  Only when humans are in close proximity does this become a real problem. 

Whichever side of these arguments you end up on, it requires faith.    You have to have faith that your side is right and when that is a factor you will not be proven wrong, even if you are. 

Rather than pushing propaganda about things that we do not understand, now is the time to come together and help those impacted by these events.   We won't move forward until both sides set aside their need to be right and just concentrate on doing what is right. 

Rediscovering Yellowstone National Park: 3 Favorite Places

Love this capture of Opulent Spring.  Look for it as a poster and canvas soon at UprisngSports.com

Over 20 years have passed since my first trip to Yellowstone with my Grandma.  I returned both excited and anxious.  Recent Yellowstone news has been dominated by tales of large crowds and low budgets.  Despite the struggles to contain the visitors, Yellowstone is alive and well as an adventure destination.

Favorite Spots:
Lamar Valley for Wild Life Viewing
Town of Cooke City Just Outside the Northeast Gate
Black Tail Ridge Drive

My next trip will involve much more backpacking into the core areas of Yellowstone to avoid the crowds.