Take out the Trash.

I watched the movie Peaceful Warrior the other night. It's based on the book 'The Way of the Peaceful Warrior' by Dan Millman. The caption at the beginning says, 'based on actual events' but it feels more like a spiritual adventure than your typical sports movie. Speaking of good sports movies, check out 'We are Marshall' sometime. That's a good sports movie. Don't mind the critics' grades. It's about rising from the ashes of tragedy. Their entire team, coaches, and a number of fans are lost when their plane crashes on the return flight from a game. I guess I'm just a sucker for a good underdog-makes-good true-life sports movie, ala Hoosiers, The Natural, and Rudy.

Peaceful Warrior is a little annoying to watch in spots. It's about a cocky college gymnast and his equally cocky teammates all trying to make the Olympic gymnastics team. The movie tries hard, perhaps a bit too hard, to make them unlikable and in need of a good spirtual cleansing. Along comes our imaginary spirit guide (or is he?) in the form of one old and beat up Nick Nolte, a most unlikely Yoda. He tries to instill his zen-like ways on the kid, but he's just not ready to hear it. Until the obligatory life-changing event occurs when the mad-at-the-world kid drops his motorcyle and shatters his leg. You can probably guess how the rest of the story goes.

The movie isn't great, but I did get a few good nuggets out of it I thought I'd share with you. Here they are. Get your yoga mat ready...

A warrior does not give up what he loves. He finds the love in what he does.

Life is a choice. You can choose to be a victim or anything else you'd like.

Warriors act.
Only a fool reacts.

Accept that you don't control what will happen to you.

There is always something going on. You just need to pay attention.

Empty your mind (take out the trash). Be in the moment.

The journey is what brings us happiness, not the destination.

Tasty.

Namaste' to you and yours.