Originally posted on Facebook HERE
Sun’s just now starting to come up. I’ve been awake for a while now. We have a lot going on here these days. My job is pretty much always hectic – and it’s the type of job that requires a lot of thought as well. So there’s always things on my mind that are there whether I’m working or not. Maybe all jobs are like that, I don’t know because I can only relate to the one I have. But compound whatever you have going on at work with whatever family obligations you have and any outside activities and projects and the thoughts in your head can really just kick in and take over. Right now we just had landscaping done at the house, resolved an issue (for now) with our garbage pickup, got a new bed and a new stove, and have people coming to start a project on our deck tomorrow. On top of that I’m working on getting my next book out and a CD release from my band The Fusion Project as well. In the meantime I’m trying to do all the things I like to do daily to keep myself mentally and physically fit – write, read, yoga, meditation and running. I try to really stay in touch with what my body and mind are telling me at any given time. It seems like life comes in waves – right now we’re riding a crazy crest of activity. But my body and mind are already giving me signals that I need to take some time to relax as well. It’s so easy to get caught up in the everyday business of life that you forget that just doing something for the fun of it, whatever that is for you – camping, going for a walk, taking a vacation, heading to the family cabin for an extended weekend, biking, motorcycling, playing music… can really be beneficial. We usually take several vacations a year, but since COVID we’ve backed way off from that and I can totally feel it. Vacations are extremely good for me, I can let my mind relax and just do nothing for a while. No schedules. I almost always get eight hours of sleep every night on vacation – usually 5-6 hours per night during a normal week at home. It’s amazing what the healing properties are of just getting that extra sleep! At home lately, I usually wake up around 4am and that’s it – my mind is off on all the things I need to do and there’s no going back to bed. That’s a sign. I normally would sleep until 5am or later, but when I start getting up that early it’s a sign I need to back off. I know from my own tracking that 6.5 hours of sleep or more is where I function best. That extra hour from 4-5am is often the difference. So – taking a long weekend and hitting Sheboygan tomorrow for a “spa” day I guess – massage, hyperbaric chamber and and other oxygen therapies. I’ve begun to schedule those days biweekly now. Two weeks ago when I left after a similar day I felt as good as I have all year. Just amazing. So important in the mayhem that is life on this planet to see the signs your body and mind are giving you and take time for yourself.
