Hey people. Today's Fav Music Friday pick is one I've been saving since I first found it back the the warm months. Some of you know I like me some Weezer once in a while. Their song, "I am the greatest man that ever lived" never fails to lift my mood. The unabashed, tongue-in-cheek swagger of it makes me laugh the same way the book title, "A heartbreaking work of staggering genius" does (and if you can picture a woman in her forties stomping around her welding shop singing along, that is pretty funny too.)
Enjoy the amazing, gravity defying skiing in the vid. More on that after.
I love watching footage of people doing things like this. For one thing, they have to be a little crazy, but it's way more than that. I see the same essential thing when I watch really talented boarders, skaters, riders, and surfers--
They have internalized the physics of their bodies falling through space. They get how they are weighted, and have an internal clock ticking off their hang time. In many cases they understand this intellectually-- they have to, to some extent, to be able to self-correct etc, but I suspect that knowing, pales in comparison to the inarticulate certainty inside them. They go by feel I think.
A couple other things- They've shed their fear. I'm sure it's still there to some extent, but they're so focused on chasing the high of when it feels totally perfect- that overrides it. The joy/energy buzz is stronger than their fear.
Also, they look where they're going or where they want to go. Look at some of the footage again. Their heads turn very decidedly in the direction they want their bodies to go.
Warren Miller (entertainment) shot this footage. He's a ski film legend who spent his whole life skiing and surfing, and making one feature length ski film a year since 1950. He's been indie the entire time. Now he's in his eighties and isn't really involved in doing the films anymore, but his company, now run by his son, goes on, documenting amazing skiers and boarders.
All this-- following something you love doing, sharing it with the world, feeling yourself falling through space and time, trying to let your joy override your fear, trusting your instincts, and looking where you want to go, all sounds like really good advice on how to live your life to me.
Fire nipples
2 days ago
4 comments:
Yeah!! But, we don't all do this with our bodies!
QiCathy-
Was that you behind those rad goggles?
(hee)
Now I am powder hungry!!!
My riding instructor used to always yell that at me, "Look where you want to go!" I hadn't thought about it but you're right - totally could be applied to my current "situation".
But those stunts, they look impossible! There must be so many steps to prepare to do something like that! Finally, it does come down to feel though, and when you feel it, you're too absorbed to think about fear.
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