mindfulness

Walking Into The Unknown

09/14/2017 by John Leave a Comment

Tonight, I am taking a red-eye flight into the unknown. I am going to Everglades City to do what I can to clean up my parent-in-law’s house in the aftermath of Hurricane Irma. Will there be electricity? Running water? Gas to put into the rental car? How bad will the damage be?

The unknown fills me with anxiety and dread. I don’t like not knowing what I’m walking into, especially when I have to face it alone. The thought of all that needs to be done and the obstacles I am likely to face is overwhelming. I am going to have to continually remind myself to just keep putting one foot in front of the other.

Radiate

08/25/2017 by John Leave a Comment

This energy burns on. It radiates off the surface of the moon and spills in my window. It emanates from the bulbs ringing the trim of the dining room. This force never dies. It merely changes. Where once we were, a light shall shine.

Based on a journal entry from 4.20.14

A Tired Dog is a Good Dog. And I Am a Dog.

08/11/2017 by John Leave a Comment

Yesterday, while out for a trail run, I was reminded of the old saying “a tired dog is a good dog”. For some reason, I always forget that I need physical exertion daily in order to be somebody worth being around. In the absence of making time to be alone outdoors, I can easily become a very bad dog. I become cranky and irritable and then proceed to bark at people, saying things I later regret. But the warm, settled feeling of a well-earned fatigue always takes my edge off, allowing me to be the person I would rather be. Maybe running is not your thing, and that’s okay. Any intentional, well-chosen effort can lead to a satisfying fatigue that can calm the wildest of beasts.

So what about you? How do you keep your inner dog at bay?