When is the last time you washed your hands? As a culture, we're going to come out of this crazy Corona era with an overall cleaner lifestyle. This is a good thing.
Something I enjoy doing when I wake up is washing my hands. Not that I think germs have made residence on my hand phalanges but symbolically, I'm reminded the day is a clean slate.
Unrelated at this point in the blog, I like to compost my food throughout the year. I think everyone should. It reduces trash and adds nutrients back into the soil when used properly. Identifiably, I consider myself a compost-ologist. *steps off soap box*
When the time comes in early spring to add said compost to my garden, I generally will lay down the food compost before putting a layer of yard waste compost on top of it. This creates a bed of success for any seed. Following my nerdy garden speak still?
Inevitably when the soil temperature starts to rise, I see plants come up from the soil that I didn't initiate myself. Most of the time, these are from the seeds of the food I've eaten over the past year. In the spirit of sustainability, I normally will let a handful of peppers and tomato plants come to maturity from this and carry on the circle of life. These plants are unexpected but great surprises.
While there is a sense of light at the end of the tunnel in certain parts of the country, many of us are in a state of limbo having lost our jobs or from being fur-lowed. While financial stress is a very real and vibrant factor, take a trip down opportunity lane with me.
When looking for new employment, it's easy to silo yourself in your current industry. Simply by updating your resume, your brain assumes you'll take a job similar to one of those listed. While that may have the least barriers to entry, simply as a mental practice, I encourage you to think outside your experience and be open to other industries/interests you have.
I'm not a big "follow your passion" preacher. Good on you if you do, but you can be just as happy or happier in a job and still maintain your passions as a hobby.
My words of provocation here are a simple reminder that your skills are most likely transferrable outside of your previous jobs. Don't get too caught up in the bustle of updating your resume and scouring LinkedIn to find an old high school acquaintance. Take 30 minutes a day to not be on your computer or phone and let your mind wander.
Similar to the current unforeseen vittles growing in my garden, you'll find your personal career brainstorming will produce some unexpected surprises. Lean into those even if it's just for kicks. Yep.
New in my life: I'm changing my oil and polishing my camping supplies for a trip. Home is where you make it. The blog may get a name change. Jack London made a fire.
Keep smilin'
JM
Monday, April 27, 2020
Sunday, April 5, 2020
Retirement Rehearsal
According to the CDC, the history of quarantine is as follows: The practice of quarantine, as we know it, began during the 14th century in an effort to protect coastal cities from plague epidemics. Ships arriving in Venice from infected ports were required to sit at anchor for 40 days before landing. This practice, called quarantine, was derived from the Italian words quaranta giorni which mean 40 days.
This strange time of life has brought up some human dynamics that we're all adjusting to. We're having to learn simple contentment in a crash course timeframe. Typically this is developed over decades.
For our days to feel productive now, we're having to dust off our stored away hobbies and develop out older methods of communication to keep up our human connections.
The most impactful activity that has been removed is our gatherings. Having a beer with a buddy after work, having people over to bar-b-que or date night to try out a new trendy restaurant. These have always been uplifting staples of our ordinary. This is specifically tough because of how social we are as a species and current culture.
While there are much larger negative impacts that are very real and very unjustifiable, I wanted to highlight the hopeful piece of my brain. This chapter isn't fun, but it is a chapter. We're in the thick of it right now, but the pages will keep turning.
Additionally, I hope there will be good byproducts that come from this. Get to know your family better. Spend time honing in your hobbies. If you don't have non-Netflix hobbies, get to know yourself better and develop some. It will help you in retirement.
With so much uncertainty in the air, we're looking for answers that have yet to be found. One certainty though, is that time will win and our species will adapt like we historically have.
In summation, take this seriously. Don't be selfishly flippant about your routine. Stay home and outdoors. Spread love, not Corona. Yep.
New in my life: Having to cut my own hair and my dream of having a mullet are coinciding nicely. Turkeys are smart. I'm building and writing to show affection and looking forward to same-siding.
Keep smilin'
JM
This strange time of life has brought up some human dynamics that we're all adjusting to. We're having to learn simple contentment in a crash course timeframe. Typically this is developed over decades.
For our days to feel productive now, we're having to dust off our stored away hobbies and develop out older methods of communication to keep up our human connections.
The most impactful activity that has been removed is our gatherings. Having a beer with a buddy after work, having people over to bar-b-que or date night to try out a new trendy restaurant. These have always been uplifting staples of our ordinary. This is specifically tough because of how social we are as a species and current culture.
While there are much larger negative impacts that are very real and very unjustifiable, I wanted to highlight the hopeful piece of my brain. This chapter isn't fun, but it is a chapter. We're in the thick of it right now, but the pages will keep turning.
Additionally, I hope there will be good byproducts that come from this. Get to know your family better. Spend time honing in your hobbies. If you don't have non-Netflix hobbies, get to know yourself better and develop some. It will help you in retirement.
With so much uncertainty in the air, we're looking for answers that have yet to be found. One certainty though, is that time will win and our species will adapt like we historically have.
In summation, take this seriously. Don't be selfishly flippant about your routine. Stay home and outdoors. Spread love, not Corona. Yep.
New in my life: Having to cut my own hair and my dream of having a mullet are coinciding nicely. Turkeys are smart. I'm building and writing to show affection and looking forward to same-siding.
Keep smilin'
JM
Saturday, March 14, 2020
Social Probiotics
There is a shortage of eggs and toilet paper right now. Who knew eggs had so much fiber in them?
One of my favorite things to do is grow my own spicy peppers, dehydrate them and then muddle them down to a homemade spice. Seeds included. Those are the personality of a pepper.
By inserting extra inflammatories into my body it adds unnecessary stress to my digestion of food. But life is too short to not add extra spice and extra guac. Plus, the heat makes me feel superior to my northern friends who have less hair on their arms.
I'm definitely not a gut-healthologist but simply by experience, I feel like I have a strong gullet. The science behind my ability to consume trivial vittles are mainly opinions but I've narrowed it down to 2 things: 1. Generations of good family breeding 2. I consume probiotics on a somewhat consistent basis. Through practice, I've made my gut accepting of most food products.
Contrarily, as I've settled into my 3rd decade, I've lessened the type and amounts of humans in my social circle which I believe is a natural evolution over the span of a life.
We start off on a volunteer basis accepting applications from all walks of life to determine what kind of personalities we jive with the best. From what I've observed, this evaluation period generally lasts from grade school age through our mid-twenties. Then through a combination of busyness, nesting, and social bandwidth, we come to the realization that you only need a handful of genuine friendships to emotionally navigate this earth. My mother says "You only need one good friend". Wise words madre.
In our 30s, I've noticed that it's harder to make new friends. Mainly from our own accord, you just have less of a need and energy to exert what it takes to blossom a new healthy friendship. We save that energy for romantical endeavors and for our ride or die posse.
Not saying it's impossible to build great friendships in your mid-life, but at that age generally, people have a quick sense when meeting someone new. We have a gut feeling quicker than our teenage self would have. This speedy evaluation frees up our brain to then worry about other adult things which is enjoyably efficient.
No specific call-to-action here. Simply words of observation. Be a kind human and love on people. Yep.
New in my life: I have a Corona-free garden growing and a freezer full of organic grass-fed venison to endure this chapter. If you need a place to rent in Nashville, I'll go camping. I don't make bat houses often.
Keep smilin'
Joe
One of my favorite things to do is grow my own spicy peppers, dehydrate them and then muddle them down to a homemade spice. Seeds included. Those are the personality of a pepper.
By inserting extra inflammatories into my body it adds unnecessary stress to my digestion of food. But life is too short to not add extra spice and extra guac. Plus, the heat makes me feel superior to my northern friends who have less hair on their arms.
I'm definitely not a gut-healthologist but simply by experience, I feel like I have a strong gullet. The science behind my ability to consume trivial vittles are mainly opinions but I've narrowed it down to 2 things: 1. Generations of good family breeding 2. I consume probiotics on a somewhat consistent basis. Through practice, I've made my gut accepting of most food products.
Contrarily, as I've settled into my 3rd decade, I've lessened the type and amounts of humans in my social circle which I believe is a natural evolution over the span of a life.
We start off on a volunteer basis accepting applications from all walks of life to determine what kind of personalities we jive with the best. From what I've observed, this evaluation period generally lasts from grade school age through our mid-twenties. Then through a combination of busyness, nesting, and social bandwidth, we come to the realization that you only need a handful of genuine friendships to emotionally navigate this earth. My mother says "You only need one good friend". Wise words madre.
In our 30s, I've noticed that it's harder to make new friends. Mainly from our own accord, you just have less of a need and energy to exert what it takes to blossom a new healthy friendship. We save that energy for romantical endeavors and for our ride or die posse.
Not saying it's impossible to build great friendships in your mid-life, but at that age generally, people have a quick sense when meeting someone new. We have a gut feeling quicker than our teenage self would have. This speedy evaluation frees up our brain to then worry about other adult things which is enjoyably efficient.
No specific call-to-action here. Simply words of observation. Be a kind human and love on people. Yep.
New in my life: I have a Corona-free garden growing and a freezer full of organic grass-fed venison to endure this chapter. If you need a place to rent in Nashville, I'll go camping. I don't make bat houses often.
Keep smilin'
Joe
Sunday, February 16, 2020
Your Socks Don't have to Match
The outline of your hand on a paper plate made into a turkey is the first symbolism that we have of celebrating Thanksgiving in our youth. The pilgrims would be honored. But that is a great 'learning is fun' intro to history for a youngin' at that age.
As little kids, everything is an adventure. Trying to grasp the complexity of this world day by day, we learn how life works at an incredible rate for a short period of time. I remember coming home telling my parents about how I saw a frog and picked up pinecones for hours. That was a pretty big day.
But then there comes a point where we become routine with our habits and surroundings and when mom would ask "What did you learn at school today?", we'd simply respond with a shoulder shrug and a somber "nothing".
Later down the road as the pace of life quickens and we're paying our own bills, we build chronic activities and our brain forms habits to save energy. With those habits come normality and consistency so when we find ourselves catching up with an old friend they'll ask what we've been up to, it's easy to say "not too much".
The inner adventurer in me is self-conscious when my answer in that situation isn't grandiose enough. In a big way, I think that it is healthy to keep yourself striving to have interesting current events and have all the stories at the dinner party. In other ways, it's healthy to have habits and be routine. Not every day has to be exciting, but every day can be productive. And that's an okay thing. Normal isn't a dirty word.
I'm arguing both sides here. Don't let routine be an excuse for becoming boring, but also allow yourself to form normal healthy schedules in your life. Just because your bones stop growing shouldn't stop you from planning your next adventure. Get out there. Yep.
New in my life: I have 3 beds. Compartmentalizing is great for Tupperware leftovers and work life. My favorite inner persona is biologically abrasive to the opposite sex.
Keep smilin'
Later down the road as the pace of life quickens and we're paying our own bills, we build chronic activities and our brain forms habits to save energy. With those habits come normality and consistency so when we find ourselves catching up with an old friend they'll ask what we've been up to, it's easy to say "not too much".
The inner adventurer in me is self-conscious when my answer in that situation isn't grandiose enough. In a big way, I think that it is healthy to keep yourself striving to have interesting current events and have all the stories at the dinner party. In other ways, it's healthy to have habits and be routine. Not every day has to be exciting, but every day can be productive. And that's an okay thing. Normal isn't a dirty word.
I'm arguing both sides here. Don't let routine be an excuse for becoming boring, but also allow yourself to form normal healthy schedules in your life. Just because your bones stop growing shouldn't stop you from planning your next adventure. Get out there. Yep.
New in my life: I have 3 beds. Compartmentalizing is great for Tupperware leftovers and work life. My favorite inner persona is biologically abrasive to the opposite sex.
Keep smilin'
Saturday, January 11, 2020
Trees Give us Structure
Pirates and soldiers of the past often times walked with a limp. My eye kind of pulsates from looking at a screen all day. Would I consider myself a modern-day pirate? Probably.
I often come home from work, take off my boots, throw on some comfy pants and wool socks. The American dream amiright? I've heard of people who even go so far as to take a shower as soon as they get home from their occupation just to mentally compartmentalize their day.
"How to live a stress-free life" is a catchy title and good clickbait for self-help resources, but in reality, even if you sat on a large cushion and had people feeding you grapes all day, you'd still have stressors. It's just how our neurons fire.
If you ask me how I define maturity, I'd say the biggest indicator is how someone handles themselves in times of stress. If you're the type of person that is big into dramatics, I probably don't drink beers with you on a regular basis. Approaching the situation, I prefer to think nothing is either good or bad, it's just a thing to figure out. Whether that's true or not, it helps me remain even keel.
Self-management in relation to stress is what I've been pondering a lot these days hence the surfacing of a blog. Having coffee this morning, I'm sitting here watching the leaves fall through the sunshine in the cold silence. It's peaceful and it separates me from the areas of life that add stress.
It's not necessarily the processing of issues or stress that I focus on, but more so, the detachment from them. I seek out opportunities and situations that separate my mental space from the responsibilities of being an adult.
Something my father taught me growing up is about trees. I don't think he is an arborist or tree enthusiast himself, but he knew enough to get me hooked and instill an appreciation for the individuals that make up the forest. Now I find myself looking up as I walk amongst trees to identify species, look for acorns and evaluate the soil quality based on these variables. Another thing in relation to trees that I learned as a chico is about the pruning technique.
Pruning is a simple, but fascinating concept. The gist of it is, if you trim the lower branches of a tree, the plant will allocate resources to the top, therefore, promoting height growth and a straighter middle of the arbol.
We as humans do the same pruning on an annual basis. Every year we set fresh goals and trim our lower branches in hopes of bettering ourselves. It's one of my favorite habits of humanity. Self-improvement.
This year I'm planning on getting even more in sync with the earth. Whether you're fueled by the outdoors or not, there is something innate in us that recharges when our lungs fill with mother nature's oxygen.
Even if you have chosen to spend a majority of your time in a concrete enviroment, make time and effort to find some green leaves to remind yourself of nature and pruning. Go look at a tree and give your eyes a break. Yep.
New in my life: Transmissions are better than car payments. My yard being a destination for deer is a 2020 stretch goal. "Young and Dumb" is getting harder to justify. Yellowstone or bust.
Keep smilin'
Joe
I often come home from work, take off my boots, throw on some comfy pants and wool socks. The American dream amiright? I've heard of people who even go so far as to take a shower as soon as they get home from their occupation just to mentally compartmentalize their day.
"How to live a stress-free life" is a catchy title and good clickbait for self-help resources, but in reality, even if you sat on a large cushion and had people feeding you grapes all day, you'd still have stressors. It's just how our neurons fire.
If you ask me how I define maturity, I'd say the biggest indicator is how someone handles themselves in times of stress. If you're the type of person that is big into dramatics, I probably don't drink beers with you on a regular basis. Approaching the situation, I prefer to think nothing is either good or bad, it's just a thing to figure out. Whether that's true or not, it helps me remain even keel.
Self-management in relation to stress is what I've been pondering a lot these days hence the surfacing of a blog. Having coffee this morning, I'm sitting here watching the leaves fall through the sunshine in the cold silence. It's peaceful and it separates me from the areas of life that add stress.
It's not necessarily the processing of issues or stress that I focus on, but more so, the detachment from them. I seek out opportunities and situations that separate my mental space from the responsibilities of being an adult.
Something my father taught me growing up is about trees. I don't think he is an arborist or tree enthusiast himself, but he knew enough to get me hooked and instill an appreciation for the individuals that make up the forest. Now I find myself looking up as I walk amongst trees to identify species, look for acorns and evaluate the soil quality based on these variables. Another thing in relation to trees that I learned as a chico is about the pruning technique.
Pruning is a simple, but fascinating concept. The gist of it is, if you trim the lower branches of a tree, the plant will allocate resources to the top, therefore, promoting height growth and a straighter middle of the arbol.
We as humans do the same pruning on an annual basis. Every year we set fresh goals and trim our lower branches in hopes of bettering ourselves. It's one of my favorite habits of humanity. Self-improvement.
This year I'm planning on getting even more in sync with the earth. Whether you're fueled by the outdoors or not, there is something innate in us that recharges when our lungs fill with mother nature's oxygen.
Even if you have chosen to spend a majority of your time in a concrete enviroment, make time and effort to find some green leaves to remind yourself of nature and pruning. Go look at a tree and give your eyes a break. Yep.
New in my life: Transmissions are better than car payments. My yard being a destination for deer is a 2020 stretch goal. "Young and Dumb" is getting harder to justify. Yellowstone or bust.
Keep smilin'
Joe
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)