We got a ride up with Chris and met up with Zach and Alex there near the beach. They took us to this really great wooded trail that wound along a stream and up to a couple of really great schools with a lot of stuff to play around on. We made camp on the football field and went through some gung fu warm ups, startling, fook sao, and all the components of flow drill #1.
After that we pulled out the soccer ball, frisbee, rope dart, and nunchucks and spent the next hour or so just having a good time out in the sun running around and playing.
We decided to pack up and scout out the rest of the school which had a ton of stairs and ledges for climbing/jumping, rocks to play on, basketball hoop tower things to climb on, and a beautiful view of the Olympic mountain range to top it all off.
 |
| Climbing up the basketball tower. |
 |
| Zach crawling down the stairs head first. |
We then headed back the way we came and checked out another playground that offered a decent amount of climbing and balancing equipment. We got to play around on the parallel bars and balance beams, high bars and monkey bars, and I demonstrated a few high jump roll landings that we will go into further next week.
After we walked back down the trail, we went for fish and chips at a place called Sunfish and it was really great food. I highly recommend it to anyone who finds themselves in the area. We even ran into some old friends from high school who just happened to be biking along Alki beach that very day, so that was cool.
Next, Alex had to take off for work so Chris, Sara and I walked along the beach to kill the time. We ended up seeing a baby sea lion on the steps of the beach. It had been taped off with signs telling people not to touch or feed the sea lions, so we couldn't get too close, but we did get a couple of good pictures of the little guy.
 |
| chillin'. |
We hit up starbucks until Zach got back with stuff for jalapeno bacon poppers and gin and tonics. We retreated to his moms house to watch the Giants beat the Patriots and grub on some primal (more or less) fare.
This was by far the best get together we've had, thanks largely in part to the weather, but also thanks to the spontaneity and variety of what we did. It was a blast kicking the soccer ball around, or tossing the Frisbee, or seeing how high or far I could jump on the platforms. We even got a chance to play around with some strangers dogs for a second, and we were treated to some killer bagpipe music out in the forest. The whole day was filled with gems and surprises that just kept popping up out of nowhere and it made me appreciate what life has to offer when you take the time to go out and experience it. I am so glad I didn't stay home and veg out all day like I used to do on my Sunday afternoons. The world has so many amazing people and places and serendipitous events that you will miss completely if you shell yourselves inside your day to day comfort bubble.
There was a really good quote that I heard while watching the movie 180 Degrees South. In it, the narrator explains that he has always dreamed of going on a trip from California to Patagonia, and after he had saved up the money, he happened to hear of a sail boat in Mexico that was headed to Chile and in need of crew. He said "If I don't get on that boat, I know exactly what I'll be going home to. If I do, my future is unwritten."
That strikes such a profound chord within me. How many times do we succumb to our fear of the unknown and miss out on amazing, life-changing events? I think we owe it to ourselves to explore and live our lives. As far as any of us know, it's the only life we'll ever have.
"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover."
-Mark Twain
No comments:
Post a Comment