Moving

We were built and engineered to move, use our muscles and our own power, travel from point A to point B (a long time ago solely to find a shelter or catch a food/animal).

We are still built the same, except we don't have to move that much as before. We've built all of our conveniences - indeed, we succeeded. I certainly love it that way because all of that enabled me to see the world and get to places where our ancestors couldn't. At the same time, I still wish I could travel and transport myself as people from the future, from the envisioned world of Jean Luc Picard.

However, I continued moving as people were a thousand years ago. I've been walking, as much as I could, and I've been running as much as I find it possible.

I always walked a lot, since I was a little boy. I inherited that love for walking from my father. He would take me by feet to all the Sarajevo mountains, and I also walked to my elementary school every day.

I even walked during the Sarajevo siege (well, that was the only method of transportation :)), always thinking that grenades would be falling somewhere else in the city.

I've kept walking, everywhere, even in North America, where very few walk, and where everyone drives. 

It helps me keep fit and healthy. It helps me get exposed to the sun, to the light. It helps me boost my immune system.

Moving is one of the ingredients that help me help society. Someone else can use my hospital bed and help from health professionals that I would need.

I am racing again

It felt out of this world to be competing again. It was not a long ago when I thought that I won't be able to do it again.
And then somehow, I did it.

I thought that 2017 would be the first year since last century in which I wouldn't do a race. Well, I was running, getting back in shape, regaining my confidence. I was doing hills again, pushing, puffing, feeling my lungs complaining, my legs disobeying. Perhaps procrastinating, especially before interval training and no surprise, punishing hills.
Or before working on my core, and realizing that there was not much core left.
But I didn't race. I was scared. I thought that everyone would know that I was that guy who didn't believe that he could do it.
And I wasn't a professional athlete. I didn't have a team.

I missed that racing excitement. Racing high. Going through all the routine before the race. Breathing, trying to relax, and thinking about the crux. Knowing that it is going to hurt on the hills. Knowing that I will be without breath and that my muscles will be choking.
But also knowing that others will be hurting too.
Knowing that I've seen and felt things that they haven't.

I used to race a lot. During all seasons, and the harder the track, the more demanding weather, the more remote area were, I would feel better about it. I would strive on a steep, single track uphill battle grounds, how I called them. Hills were my friends. Each one of them thought me something about myself, the most, how not to quit, ever.

I learned about a second wind. How it always comes, inevitably. When there is only one thought left  - to stop, and to quit pain. And then, that feeling of adrenaline....rushing, and feeling that I move again, using my own power.
Or was it just confirming what I always knew, or perhaps what I learned during Sarajevo siege?
When there was no time to quit. When there was no option called quitting.
At that time I wasn't given that comfortable option, to be able to quit, to simply leave, or to stop.

And somehow now, after 25 years, I got so spoiled, I got so weak, that I couldn't race. Because I was afraid that I would quit, that I would hurt, and that I would fail. What a problem!

It was pathetic - no race can be that tough or comparable to Sarajevo siege. And yet, it took me so long to do it again. Yes, my arm is still not good, but it is not essential for running - why would such thoughts froze me?
I wasn't frozen a quarter of century ago, when I didn't have a choice.
I don't know how I pulled it then - but it seems it got engraved in whatever is that being that is me.

The butcher and his armada who bombed us for 1425 days and who just got sentenced in the Hague taught me invaluable lesson - Never Quit. Race Again. Be Patient. Forgive. Love. Never take anything for granted.
Who would ever think and believe that I could learn such things from a war criminal?

1425 days was a long time. Only people who lived through it do understand it.

Back to racing - When I crossed the finish line, I felt happier, perhaps then ever - I knew that I was doing it again. I was simply doing it, and that was again the only goal - to run.

I am playing tennis again

I haven't written for a long time. But this only applies to this blog - I almost forgot I have it.
I did write though.
This year, 2017 was a year of doing many things for the first time, again. Learning how to do these things, again, and experiencing most incredible joy that was triggered just by doing things I loved to do, and now I was able to do again.

Again

I did go running again, I did go swimming again, I did go skiing again, I did cross glaciers again, and I did work again.
It took some time to do all of it again, and required a lot of patience.

During last 13 months I have worked quietly on my left arm, enabling it to function normally again. All occupational therapy, all physio, and all alternative methods I applied in Japan and China helped to return majority of functionality and mobility to my arm.
Comparing to a year ago, my arm is like a new.
But it will still need some time to return to a pre-accident state.

But then, there has been so much excitement, when doing things for the first time again.

I experienced such an excitement on a tennis court.
The game of tennis was one of the things I enjoyed to do - mostly in a recreational way, but still competing, in order to become a better player. It is indeed a beautiful game that allows you to improve at any age.

Awesome

When I stepped on the court after more than 13 months and when I hold my racket - it felt, I I can say AWESOME. I can use that overused word to describe it 😂
It felt fantastic to be on the court with 3 people who sailed with me during that big storm that happened more than 13 months ago. That was even more special than hitting a ball.
These three beautiful souls were with me again, not at the hospital, but this time at the tennis court where we all enjoyed game of tennis. Exactly how we did it before.

This game of tennis on this day had so many "first" ones. When I hit the first return, when I served for the first time, when I won the first point, when I won the first point on the net....When I won the first game, when I won the first set.....So many first ones.
When I made my first error, when I missed the return, when I missed a volley......
Amazingly, I didn't have any double faults :)

I felt free and I felt happy. I didn't care much if I'll miss my shots. I was beyond that. I knew that I will be forever beyond that. I knew what I didn't want.

Twofers

There are days when I am inspired to do more. On those days I feel lighter than usual, but there are days when I feel tired. However, I still do more.

It is not that I don't do enough, I am quite productive (well, I still have slacker days) - it's when I feel the absence of physical pain that I obtain when doing my sports. Obviously, things are not same as they were 15 years ago - I need more time for recovery, and I need more time to warm up.

I learned to warm up properly. I remember, some 11-12 years ago while playing tennis with my mentor Jack, I was quite impatient - as he would take his time to warm up and get going. I was eager and ready to hit hard from the very start but Jack wasn't. He took his time, and I was annoyed by that. At that time I didn't know that I would be applying the same "technique" in the future.

So, yes - I do take my time now, and I do warm up properly  :)

But, I still do more, when I am inspired. There are days when I do two things - I go running and then I go to the yoga class. Or I go running and then I play tennis. Or I run, I cycle, and I play tennis.
I often do more than one activity during the day. And I really do it, I push hard. That means that if you see me during or after my activity I will be sweaty and my heart rate will be elevated. When I have fun, I really have fun. Even when fun is running or cycling uphill.

Of course, in many instances "less is more", and I apply that too.

Not until a month ago did I know how to call such endeavors. I didn't have a name for the days when I was doing more than one activity.
And than, after reading a book by an iconic mountain climber Ed Viesturs "No Shortcuts to the Top", I learned a great way to call these activities.
As a high mountain climber, Ed Viesturs would sometimes climb two 8000 meter peaks during one expedition. The first climb would be used for acclimatization, and that enabled him to climb the second one easier. He called it a "Twofer", and he did quite a few of them. Climb two 8000 meter peaks during one trip to Himalayas.
That is indeed such an effort that I guess, only him and his partners (and few others who did it) can comprehend. I guess, it gets "easier" when you do it once, or twice :).
I recommend reading the book, and perhaps reading his other books. Even if you don't hike, scramble, climb, or even if you are not active. It will inspire you to become better.

So, let's get back to twofers.
Well, I am also tough :) as I do my twofers too. They are of course quite different than Ed Viesturs twofers (and much easier  :)), but as my friend Stephane says, all of us are at a different level, and each one of us has his/her own zone in which we operate..
So at my level, I do two and sometimes three activities in a day. For example, I will go running 10 km today, and in the evening I will go to do yoga.
When in the office, I will ride my bike to work, go running while there, ride my bike home, and then play tennis in the evening. Or will do yoga.
That means I would do almost a double twofer in a day. Or just a twofer.
It does feel good when I do it using only my power. When I am not stuck in traffic. When I run for 60 minutes and I don't see anyone.
When I don't have a smart phone.

In the right place, at at right time, with the right people

Many times we search for something and it is said that we are on a journey. That being such an inevitable truth, "searching" has become a cliche. However, there are instances in which we were simply shown the way, we were directed towards something, we were helped to start our journey even when we never thought about it.

We were in the right place, at the right time, with the right people.

During one of charity events that Bob helped organizing

Five years ago I was exactly there. My good friend Bob Ascah came one day to my office at work looking for somebody on my floor. I don't recall who he was trying to find. But, haven't seen him since late September, I asked him how's he been and what he's been doing lately. Bob said that he was "attending this club" at Shaw Conference Centre. He also asked me if I wanted to join him the following Thursday, as the club was meeting on Thursdays.
I simply said "yes".
Oh, he also said that these meetings were early in the morning, at 7 AM (I must say that 7 AM was a bit of turn-off, awfully early for me :)).

So, I went with him to the meeting I didn't know anything about, except that it was "structured". While we were walking towards the meeting salon, Bob asked me how I wanted to be introduced. I said: "Bob, you know a lot about me - so you can improvise".

Bob in action

When we arrived, there were already ~15 people, half of them in suits, with no hair, with gray hair, and somehow it felt serious during the first contact. But then, everyone approached me and greeted me, so I immediately felt better.
Bob helped me to sit down by his seat and explained that we were at Toastmasters meeting. Until then I haven't heard about Toastmasters. I didn't know it existed, even though, this organization just turned 85.

That was a start of my Toastmasters journey.

Five years after that cold and significant December morning I am still on that journey. It has never ended. There was Boris before that day and there is Boris after that day.

I could write a book about this excursion, but perhaps I am not a writer. I can only say that I am more complete thanks to this extraordinary journey that started quite accidentally and quite impromptu.
I am happy to think that I was open minded to accept Bob invite in December 2008.

I have completed 34 speeches so far

I will write about it in the future as I believe that everyone should try it out, to gain knowledge that is not that easy to gain. I can share that knowledge.
It is a great way to become more complete and to become a real player, someone with credibility and someone who will be taken seriously.
And best of all, by having fun and by meeting extraordinary people.

Boris