School year started, schedules changed, and then COVID

Once school started, I was able to continue with much of my idealized sabbatical schedule. But, as we all know, real life expects us to adapt, and we all have to be like Gumby.

However, in spite of the shift, I have been able to do some interesting projects --and even had a couple paid commissioned pieces. I may have already posted some of these items already, but some are new.

These are two leather bracelets with riveted, engraved stainless steel plates. They feature a bear print in the backdrop, with an oak leaf (bottom) and a flame (top) engraved. They were requested after I made the first of these for my friend Coach Kevin at Level Up. Kevin is a Boxing coach who also has his own training business outside of Level Up called "Black Bear Boxing". I designed and made his bracelet as a gift.

His bracelet features the bear print ("Black Bear Boxing"), with a triskele--a symbol meaning balance. When two of his students saw it, they requested their own, and Coach Kevin insisted they pay me for the work.

Because I was in a creative kick that was inspired by friends, I also made piece for Coach Jason, who owns Level Up. It is engraved stainless steel on a black leather lace.

On the face is a Celtic-inspired boar design. I got the idea from a Celtic god of War called Moccus. Apparently warriors would wear his image, which was that of a boar. On the reverse is the name Moccus in Ogham script, the writing convention of ancient Celtic peoples.

I've also been working on another, larger commission that has had some challenges. Stainless steel is not very forgiving when it comes to engraving, and that would be enough except that everyone (except one of the boys) at our house came down with COVID this week. So, a challenging project has been postponed until I recover and am no longer a plague monkey.

I did complete one cool thing right before I got sick. It's a fairy door that can be placed at the foot of a tree, on the side of a hill, a lig--whatever. It's meant to look like someone lives there. The materials are wood, pine cone, tree bark and recycled materials.

It was relatively easy to make, and when I make others, I plan to work smarter. I also plan to continue to dial-up the whimsy for more similar pieces.

I've continued to think up new projects and designs. I am thinking through some particulars for everything from earrings, necklaces, garden decor and furniture to wooden swords and weapons (for kids). Even if I had every day of my sabbatical to commit to all of these projects, I could still only get a fraction of them completed. Between the time it takes to craft these things, and the fact that I'm learning most of it as I go, the production simply cannot keep up with my ambitions. But I hope to keep trying.

Muay Thai and Boxing

I have really loved investing more time in training. I can honestly say that I've learned more, developed more skills and improved. I dipped my toes into sparring again last week after not doing it since the very end of the pandemic. I'm getting more comfortable with the new stuff I'm learning in Boxing, and I'm increasingly becoming convinced that a club (or something) that would teach some of these things (among other skills) could be very helpful.

One of the things I keep returning to in martial arts as well as in spiritual life is the idea of integration. In the case of Boxing and Muay Thai, this looks like drilling and practicing techniques until one develops muscle memory. But this isn't integration --although it can be the beginning to integration.

Instead, integration begins when we find flow with technique. We don't have to always think through where or how things fit together, but can trust that the flow of movement will naturally guide us to the next "right" movement.

But developing integration requires paying attention to how things fit; how they are alike; how they complement or even contrast one another in just the right way. For example, I would not incorporate the basic punch technique used in Karate in Boxing, or Muay Thai. However, understanding the kinetics of the way one throws a Karate punch allows me to throw a solid punch at shorter range in some Muay Thai combinations. Or, it's not likely that I would survive very long in a Muay Thai match throwing Taekwondo style roundhouse kicks. (The kicks in Muay Thai are heavier and do more damage.) But, I would consider using some Taekwondo-type head kicks and body kicks to interrupt an opponents rhythm.

All of this is to say that integration can include weaving together things we could not otherwise imagine could compliment one another, but in so doing, we find a better mastery, or a deeper connection to our particular discipline.

I won't lie and say that I haven't tried to bridge some of these gaps myself specifically between church and art/creativity and martial arts. I've postulated ideas, and toyed with some ridiculous possibilities --but that's nothing new for me. I can't say that this is a new revelation that I've gained from my sabbatical time. Instead, I think the lesson for me has been two-fold. First, I shouldn't feel so anxious about sharing my (albeit, sometimes crazy) ideas with the church. It could very well be that I am thinking about something that someone else has been pondering as well. It may even be something that (no matter how ambitious it may seem) the Spirit is trying to encourage us to explore.

Secondly, I need to trust that, even if I don't know how everything would work for an idea, there may be someone else better suited to help me figure those things out. Or, if someone else has a part of an idea, it may be that someone else, or even I have some thoughts about how to make an idea a reality. It shouldn't be any one person who is responsible for the dream, the articulation and the execution. That's not what we believe the Church is about.

All of this is to say that I want to encourage an inspired environment where we can dream big, and discern together the possibilities and realities. Honestly, this makes me excited to get back to St. Paul's to see what God might have in store for us.