Sent home from work for climbing
As many of you know, I am a climber. When I look around me, I see one huge world filled with playground equipment. Before I could walk, I could climb onto the breakfast bar in our apartment. It’s only fitting then that I found Parkour. Parkour is the art of getting from point A to point B in the most direct graceful manner you can. Obstacles do not exist. When you come to a wall, you climb it, when you come to a ledge, you jump off of it. It is freedom in movement. The popularity of the art of Parkour is growing everyday. Common in Europe, its followers are springing up every day in The United States. YouTube and the internet as our guide, we learn through study and application. Today I applied my skills in the art of Parkour and I found that not all objects in my path are made from concrete.
I am employed by Best Buy, teaching its patrons the ways of Home Theater. I do this from the same store everyday, located by the Superstition Springs mall. Every now and then a project will arise that requires more help than the “Project Team”, whose sole purpose is to handle all re-arrangements, can handle on their own. In this situation they will pull people off of the sales floor and have them come in while the store is closed to help with the task at hand. One of our stores recently undertook the adventure of moving down the street to be attached to the Fiesta Mall, some 13 miles from my home. I was called upon for assistance with said adventure and reported for duty with honor. My labors included such assignments as placing all of the movies and video games from boxes to the shelves and taking all of the extra stock off the floor.
Arrives lunch time. While my duties were not strenuous by any means, the shifts lasted onwards of 10 hours so the break and nourishment this meal provided was invaluable. A healthy one hour was provided to get our meal and calm our weary minds. What would ease my spirit more than the practice of a discipline centered on over coming any challenge that might befall me than Parkour? To my ultimate zeal the surrounding environment was fruitful with uneven terrain. Rather than walking down the stairs of the upper level food court and around the corner, I decided rather to trapeze across the top of a brick fence, some 15 feet off the ground. This would center my mind on balance; not only physically, but mentally. An unbalanced mind is the catalyst to an unbalanced life. Around the corner I came to a leap of faith. A metal roof, added to the side of the building, provided shade to those in need. This awning would be my next destination! A well placed jump took me from the top of the wall to the roof of the awning. Thin steel support beams spanned its width to add support to the rectangle roofing. With the grace of a ballerina, I gingerly hopped from beam to beam as I made my way across its length. Upon reaching the other side, my spirits had reached Nirvana. I had just strolled with ease across the top of a 15 foot fence. I had leapt from ledge to roof and spanned its length with ease. I felt as powerful as a lion, and this urban playground was my jungle. I hung from the ledge of the roof, rocking back and forth, until I dropped to the ground, finishing my journey. So I thought…
It was at this time I met my adversary. One of the crew from the project team, self-assigned leader to all in his sight, thought it his duty to reprimand me for my irresponsibilities. Empowered, I retorted and swiftly ended what would have been a pointless interaction. The crushing blows of defeat can wear on us all and this foe was no different. He sought out the true Leader of the project team and poisoned his thoughts to turn him against me. With the stress of the store transition weighing on his shoulders like the globe of Atlas, The Leader broke under the added weight of this predicament. After a quick group meeting a minion of The Leader lured me into a corner where he could trap me for his prey. He opened his mouth to speak but all that flowed from his mouth was self defending nonsense that would precursor his death blow. “I am sending you home for the day.” Their image of conformity and safety had been threatened by my free spirited journey and they could not allow it. Like chaff they rid themselves of me and all that I stood for. Disappointed in the outcome of this adventure, I was. Defeated though, I was not.
I am employed by Best Buy, teaching its patrons the ways of Home Theater. I do this from the same store everyday, located by the Superstition Springs mall. Every now and then a project will arise that requires more help than the “Project Team”, whose sole purpose is to handle all re-arrangements, can handle on their own. In this situation they will pull people off of the sales floor and have them come in while the store is closed to help with the task at hand. One of our stores recently undertook the adventure of moving down the street to be attached to the Fiesta Mall, some 13 miles from my home. I was called upon for assistance with said adventure and reported for duty with honor. My labors included such assignments as placing all of the movies and video games from boxes to the shelves and taking all of the extra stock off the floor.
Arrives lunch time. While my duties were not strenuous by any means, the shifts lasted onwards of 10 hours so the break and nourishment this meal provided was invaluable. A healthy one hour was provided to get our meal and calm our weary minds. What would ease my spirit more than the practice of a discipline centered on over coming any challenge that might befall me than Parkour? To my ultimate zeal the surrounding environment was fruitful with uneven terrain. Rather than walking down the stairs of the upper level food court and around the corner, I decided rather to trapeze across the top of a brick fence, some 15 feet off the ground. This would center my mind on balance; not only physically, but mentally. An unbalanced mind is the catalyst to an unbalanced life. Around the corner I came to a leap of faith. A metal roof, added to the side of the building, provided shade to those in need. This awning would be my next destination! A well placed jump took me from the top of the wall to the roof of the awning. Thin steel support beams spanned its width to add support to the rectangle roofing. With the grace of a ballerina, I gingerly hopped from beam to beam as I made my way across its length. Upon reaching the other side, my spirits had reached Nirvana. I had just strolled with ease across the top of a 15 foot fence. I had leapt from ledge to roof and spanned its length with ease. I felt as powerful as a lion, and this urban playground was my jungle. I hung from the ledge of the roof, rocking back and forth, until I dropped to the ground, finishing my journey. So I thought…
It was at this time I met my adversary. One of the crew from the project team, self-assigned leader to all in his sight, thought it his duty to reprimand me for my irresponsibilities. Empowered, I retorted and swiftly ended what would have been a pointless interaction. The crushing blows of defeat can wear on us all and this foe was no different. He sought out the true Leader of the project team and poisoned his thoughts to turn him against me. With the stress of the store transition weighing on his shoulders like the globe of Atlas, The Leader broke under the added weight of this predicament. After a quick group meeting a minion of The Leader lured me into a corner where he could trap me for his prey. He opened his mouth to speak but all that flowed from his mouth was self defending nonsense that would precursor his death blow. “I am sending you home for the day.” Their image of conformity and safety had been threatened by my free spirited journey and they could not allow it. Like chaff they rid themselves of me and all that I stood for. Disappointed in the outcome of this adventure, I was. Defeated though, I was not.
posted by Mark The Man at
10:44 PM
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