Climbing: Fam, Friends, Kids

When I was young, my friends and I had ways of sealing our bond of friendship.  We would exchange friendship rings, notes, and heart lockets pledging our undying loyalty to one another.  A few of us became blood sisters -- literally.  My sees'tahs would make a small cut on their finger and then we'd mingle our blood to signify the unbreakable bond between us as “blood sisters.”  

#thatwasthen

Of course these days my friends and I don't prick our fingers to seal our bond - we profess our friendship in other ways like in . . . 

Pads. 

Rock.

Kids.

Here's what went down this weekend.  Two days of climbing at Governor Dodge and a clothing swap at Molly's (dangit, meant to get a picture of the climbing group).  A first time babysitting job for Misa and Jada.  

Climbing: 30 seconds of letting go

Set the timer to 30 seconds and gave myself #30secondstospillthebeans . . .

John-Pio's been practicing w/the #realcam

sleep
space
rice
tea not coffee
sleep
united nations 
funny people
media
deep thinking
instruction
lessons
beyonce
emma watson
urban art
sweat
outside
sun
what's right
brad breakdancin'
people watching 
taffy

And climbing.

Here's what went down today on sandstone rock with the fam and Lisa and Tom ...

 

#savorit  #taketimetospillthebeans

Kicked My Ass

I'm not going to lie about the last two weeks.  My students . . .

kicked

my 

ass.  

For reasons only the public can't even imagine.  Can't even imagine.  Adolescents, in the period of storm and stress, just by the very nature of their beings and being around each other are high maintenance.  I won't go into detail - some of you live with them, some teach them, some hang out with them, some of you are still them - it's just good to know I'm not alone.  And while they kicked my ass, I'll also admit that they also . . .

kicked 

ASS.  

They did.  We're in the midst of teaching an integrated Language Arts and Social Studies unit called "Warriors: Stories of Struggle and Triumph" and while I led discussions and lessons on Michael Brown and Ferguson, students also studied Ana Tijoux (check out her music, especially "1977" and thanks Ms. Jorgensen for the intro), a Chilean hip hop artist who represents everything warrior-like on the political and feminism spectrum.  They're answering essential questions like, In what ways do others stories and experiences help deepen your understanding of yourself and others? What makes a warrior?  It's no walk in the park - these kids are f'in deep. Which is what makes working late on a Friday night, Saturday and Sunday morning okay - they challenge me to keep it goin' on.  At least that's what I think for now.  All I really wanted though - really, really - was to get outside on this beautiful fall weekend to climb. Thanks to Jamie and Tom, and Misa who wanted nothing more than to hang out with Jada, we made it to Governor Dodge.  And bonus was running into Katie and crew!

SO fun.  Here's what we did.

We bouldered on sandstone. 

Jamie so strong

Tom getting ready to dyno

Which he did really well :)

So many reasons to love climbing outside with this fam. 

She's got the boulder pad hang out thing down. 

These two . . . best friends.  

Jada exploring the forest. This is fall in WI.  

Back to Basics

I'm feeling it - the responsibility of being a teacher.  And a parent. Yesterday after John-Pio and I had a little argument I said with finality: You're gonna get the second to the last word on this one.

#thatwasthat  #parentwin 

Misa and I also battled yesterday and when we finished our talk she hung out by the bookshelf that houses parenting and education books and pulled How to Parent So Kids Will Learn off the shelf. She reminded me that she'd spent a lot of time looking at the pictures in that book, cause the time-out space as a toddler and pre-schooler happened to be in front of that shelf.  She asked, "Do you really believe this stuff?" Cracked me up cause I really don't - I mean, I get why there are a host of parenting books out there, but if she were to reframe the question as,

"Do you really value this stuff, Mommy?"

Then that's a whole different conversation cause deep down, I don't value structural parenting based on prescriptive advice most especially because so many of those books fail to acknowledge culture and the narratives of cultural roots - the stuff my ethnic family and generations of cultural traditions were built on.  So many of those books teach discipline and parenting in ways that are not relevant - in ways that turn people (like me) off because they make me feel like I should be able to relate and do parenting and teaching like they say, but deep down it's discomforting and sometimes I don't know why.

#unabletoescape #whitepeoplevalues #complexities

Those two conflicts with John-Pio and Misa alone were enough to take me back to the basics.  The notion that I am responsible for everything I do, and everything I don't do and that my teaching and parenting must be rooted in my values and the historical traditions and narratives that shaped me, not the values of systems or privilege or entitled attitudes that outnumber me.  So in the spirit of school which starts in a few days - both for me as teacher and parent, no matter the pressures of Common Core State Standards or the upcoming standardized tests or lesson planning, or the stressors related to Brad traveling and having to problem solve child care, anticipate family food prep, listen to the kids' ordinary pains and joys that come from newness, I have to always - always

Remember where I am from, and

Remember where you are from.

#neverdismiss #thesethingsmatter

On a side note, here's a video and story of an administrator makin' it relevant for his students!

Verve

One of my first ever climbing bottoms was branded Verve and I loved them - they were green, tailored for my bod, and comfortable; I snagged them from one of the early clothing swaps hosted at my place.  I still have them, but two babies later and a change in taste to cut off jeans, not to mention a little peri-menopausal action (and okay, there's rice, quesadillas, and nachos to factor in too), my first few pieces of Verve clothing wear are tucked safely away in a drawer with marked memories of places like Wild Iris, Sinks, Spearfish, Shelf Road, Red Rocks, American Fork, Maple Canyon, Devils Lake and my beloved Boulders Climbing Gym - all areas that carry strong memories of really fun climbing.

#fortherecord

Tomorrow I start my official teacher contract day and lately I've been thinking about teaching and verve.  Verve is that spirit and psych for life that makes its way into teaching- it's the enthusiasm you bring and foster because you just can't not be psyched!  It works the other way around too - when a teacher is just so psyched about teaching that it makes its way into their personal life because the two transform and enrich the other.  As much as I've basked in a premium summer filled with good quality days and relationships, it's time.  Time to make the 12 week re-charge go to work.

#verve

So here are my top ideas for promoting verve as a parent, educator, as a citizen and most definitely, in our kids.

1) Be fresh.  If you're not feeling it then for sure your kids aren't either or they're not maximizing it - yet. In the hip-hop world, being fresh is flipping something out of nothing.  Help your kids blend their instincts with ingenuity and create masterful stuff to get them psyched.  And while you're encouraging them, you may as well do it too - dust off that journal and make your next page a scrapbook of doodles, cut-out pics and quotes from magazines to help raise your verve meter.

2) Ask yourself, what is my new iteration as an educator, parent, student, athlete, friend and colleague? To quote Bettina Love, one of my all-time favorite and dopest hip hop scholars I've learned from to date, "Let the trends of the times be damned.  Ask yourself: How are you going to improve your greatness?  How are you going to promote and tell new stories, stories of yourself that will end up being a gift to others?"  To that piece of verve, I say, don't be shy or subdued or hesitant or locked-up.   Find new ways to represent yourself or uncover what you've been hiding and let it out - every role we play can inform and enhance who we are.

#takeyourgeniousoutofyourpocket

So get your verve on. To start, right now, make a realistic, attainable, fun goal that will be vital to your life, long or short term.  Mine is to climb with a focus for 4 days a week even though I'll be hammered, stressed, sleep-deprived, and lonely for summer, for the next 3 weeks.  Write down yours and tell someone about it!

#thatsmyverve #befresh #newiterationofself

50 year Birthday Challenge Down

I'm wrapping my head around the concept of warriors because it links me back to my heritage, particularly Sanglo, a Chamorro warrior and it reminds me of different people who matter - warrior type people, people who change or influence me because of who they are.  I've always loved the original Birthday Challenge website and visit it often to reignite my stoke.  I recently went to it as I was planning my next curriculum unit on warriors and was once again inspired by all the people on that site along with the likes of Jack LaLanne and inferences to Bruce Lee - two historical warrior figures in my mind.  Most people who know even a little bit about me know that I've been doing Birthday Challenges since I turned 40, and y'all know I just completed another one having just turned 50.  Above most things, and I mean most of my fitness goals, it's my annual Birthday Challenge and BC's of others (check 'em out here) that keeps me psyched!   

So here's the recap of how my 50th went down.  The tally list.

And here's why I do them . . .  

1) I look forward to that single goal that falls on the same day every year.
2) It's creative.  I take the age I'm turning as the base, think up physical and mental challenges and plan different things in decimals, halves, multiples, fractions - whatever makes it hard and fun. 
3) I want to train. 
4) It brings people in my life together and I get to see the best ones in-person. 
5) It's hard and painful and it's good to model recovery from all things hard and painful. 

Hardly recovered.  I wasn't supposed to run my 5th half marathon 6 days after my 4th, but that's how it worked out.  Ideally, doing 5 half marathons in 50 days put each one 10 days apart which was possible if it weren't for vacations and traveling, not to mention some lazing around which made for some recovery glitches. Thankfully each run was better than the one before and it's what I felt really well-trained to do so I was pretty psyched to end it on a high note. Plus, with my sister Geri and brother-in-law Dan flying in from San Diego to run it with me, I had a bigger stake in it because I wanted it to be fun. And it was! 

After the run and while my dad was prepping traditional celebratory Chamorro food, we headed to Boulders Climbing Gym to climb 50 routes and 50 boulder probs, do 150 pull-ups, 150 push-ups, and five 5-minute planks.  It went as expected which was

long and 
semi-hard

Semi-hard.  That's right.  The hardest things were the pull-ups and the 2nd and 4th planks.  Climbing was hard but it wasn't because the grades were particularly difficult, it was because it was more of a volume rush.  That played on my mind because it seemed to take forever.  The push-ups were more a rest and probably the most enjoyable.  By the end I was wondering if I did more of a workout and not so much a Birthday Challenge!

So what does that mean for next year? It means I get to up the ante.  Admittedly, I realized once again, that I can do more than I think I can.  Vices and all things drinkable, I got to my 5 white sangrias, but not to my cheesy quesadillas which I blame on my dad who made this goodness.  

The week leading up to my Birthday Challenge, I remembered a post about Jack LaLanne that I read a few years ago when he died.  It's such a great read, especially in the end where the author, Steve Edwards, included a list of all Jack LaLannes Birthday Challenges.  Man if you want stoke and psych, go there to get it.  That guy is a true-to-life warrior.  In the end, I did feel super strong and motivated, and I loved having Brad, the kids, and my closest family members right there to witness me living my life so that this birthday was more memorable than the last which is why I started doing these Birthday Challenges in the first place!   

PS:  It's not over 'til it's over right.  My son, John-Pio added 50 free throws to my challenge which arguably was where I felt the most challenged.  Here's a video after I got warmed up . . .



Birthday Challenge Free Throws from Vera Naputi on Vimeo.

Warriors: Choosing the Right Battle

I've been thinking a lot about inspiring people - particularly about Bruce Lee whose wisdom and practices are inspirational, not to mention, one of my guiding forces growing up. I didn't do martial arts. Bruce Lee was just a popular guy in my environment and his films dominated our household as I was growing up.  My favorite quote by him, "The successful warrior is the average man, with laser-like focus," is how I think of Sue, my good friend who just completed a helluva Ironman and who not only had a laser-like focus on her training but who did it all in the style of a warrior.  So being fresh off the Ironman course in Boulder, CO, I asked her to write about her experience and here's what you get: an honest recap of an amazing performance.  Enjoy!  --Vera
----------
When Vera asked me how my Ironman went, my reply was, "Ugh, I hated it." I love Vera for the fact that she knew exactly what I meant when I explained it to her.  Of course, Vera gets me like few people do.  When she asked me to write a blog on the experience in the context of being a warrior, my first reaction was that well, my thoughts mid-race weren't very warrior-like.  But, really, we are all warriors in our own way at the things we care about.

Given what I've read about others' experiences, I had a perfect race: I met my time goals, was comfortable 95% of the time, finished healthy and strong, and my recovery has been smooth.  But, when I crossed the finish line, I said to my handler and to my husband, "Never again." I should have nothing to complain about.  So, why the negative reaction?

It comes down to what is the best fit.  I'm happiest in small events when my competitors are friendly and chill.  Where I have my own space and can just compete to my level of fitness.  I could never be a road racer, and I'm not suited to big mountain bike events like the Leadville 100 or the Firecracker 50.  Give me a small local race any time.  I don't want to jockey for space or be affected by the safety or the behavior of my competitors.  Ironman brand races are the opposite of this; you are beat up in the swim, and have to be on constant watch for other bikers either for safety reasons or for race-related reasons like drafting. The run is less stressful, but by that time the race has taken its mental and physical toll and you are still running amongst 2400 other athletes.

So, what lessons can be learned when you are in a situation where you just have to grind it out?  How can you be warrior-like when you don't feel like you are a warrior?  These are the ones I learned.

1.  Be graceful even when its hard.  The coach I worked with to prepare for the race said, ''Don't be that

person." Meaning, don't be the person who brings people down with your woes.  I made sure to be positive to people on the course, thank the volunteers and cheerers, high five the kids, stop for pictures and hugs with friends, and not mention to them how awful I felt.  Of course it's hard, everyone knows it!  It's just hard in different ways for different people.  It's an easy thing to be graceful;  it pulls you out of a funk for a short while, and helps other people have a good experience.

2. Smiling makes everything better.  On the run course, people cheered for you like crazy if you smiled.

 I'm not sure whether I was smiling for joy, smiling to make people feel good, or out of embarrassment.  It didn't matter - as I found out when I smiled, running felt tons easier and was fun as a result.

3. Quitting is worse. Quitting loomed on my mind repeatedly on the swim as I was pushed, pulled, and smushed.  And, it loomed early on

the run when 26.2 miles seemed impossible.  But, I knew I could finish and that quitting meant I'd have to do this all over again.  I'm so grateful I pushed through and had a strong race.  I am one and done - nothing to improve on; a future race could not go better!

So, with IM checked off the bucket list, my training season is over. It is time for fun.  My friends are already looking ahead to next season for races but I'm just going to play.  The thought of racing holds no appeal.  I'm sure that drive will return, but I will be sure to look for events that challenge me but are also a much better fit.  Part of being a warrior is choosing the right battle, isn't it?

Hate the role or love it, Sue Lottridge is a psychometrician. She leads the efforts at her company to develop and use an automated scoring engine which employs computer programs to score test-taker responses to constructed response items, essays, and the like. In short, she is a geek, but reasonably pleasant to hang out with in spite of it. She loves rock climbing, mountain biking, trail running, and open water swimming and just completed the Ironman Boulder.