Things I've learned
Here’s a scattering of random thoughts I’ve had lately that have been dying to get out into the world...
Don’t meal prep while hungry. The amount of food that looks “normal” when hungry will be disproportionately larger than the size of your stomach when you are not hungry.
Losing weight is a contradiction in logic. I must eat MORE, to gain MORE muscle, which burns MORE energy, which makes me lose MORE weight FASTER. It doesn’t make sense at first, but trust the system, it works.
You don’t find your worth in a person. You find your worth within yourself and then find a person who’s worthy of you. –Unknown
Trust nobody. Not even your gut. That sketchy gas station burrito from last night is giving you the wrong idea of what you are or are not capable of today.
I’ve always worked under the assumption that I wasn’t “enough” for anyone, hence why nobody has ever chosen me in life. But more and more, I am realizing it’s not that I’m not enough, it’s that I am too much. I am too much to handle for all but the bravest, strongest, smartest, and most sincere of souls. It’s not that they didn’t chose me, it’s that they gave up and admitted defeat. And it’s high time I stop apologizing for being so much. I like me. I don’t need others to make me happy. I ride a Harley. I smoke cigars. I lift weights. I hike. I draw and journal and watch birds and do yoga and take photographs and get lost inside my head more than I care to admit, but I can also hold a conversation about the cosmos if I am challenged, I can investigate a theory all night long if I am engaged properly, and I can move heaven and earth for someone I love when I feel the juice is worth the squeeze. If you can’t handle me, then that is on YOU, not on me… I quite like me, and I am fine with the company.
Finally I realized, I was never asking for too much, I was just asking the wrong person. –Anonymous
The only way a dream becomes reality is to take the first step, then the next, and to continue taking small steps each and every day. You will occasionally fall behind and slide backwards, like walking up a sand dune, but with every step forward, you get closer to that goal. Don’t stop trying.
I’m at a point in life where I don’t really know who I am. For years, I identified myself by what I was, not who. I was an architect. I was a paramedic. I was a biker. I was a boyfriend. I was an asshole. Ok, well maybe that one still applies to both who and what I am… but you get the idea. Now that I am hardly any of those things, I’m not sure how to identify. I feel adrift. It’s somewhat scary, and fairly freeing. Where I used to live by an adopted code of conduct – a paramedic should act X, a biker should act Y – now I get to define how I act, what I do, and who I chose to spend time with. And let me just say – it is VERY surprising when you draw that line in the proverbial sand, and realize that nearly everyone you consider close to you is on the wrong side of that line. Ce la vie. We all make choices. We all must live with the consequences of those choices. Sadly, the inaction of many has prompted my own level of action, and I won’t apologize for that, either.
I’m also at a point in life where I am done begging people to be a part of my life. I’m done putting in any level of effort that is not reciprocated. Texts. Phone calls. Emails. Checking up on you. Offering to help. Giving congratulations or wishing a happy birthday. I’m just done. It’s amazing how much free time I have now that I am only spending time on the handful of people who actually care whether I am around or not.
Of course I changed. That’s what happens when your world breaks, your heart shatters and the future you planned is destroyed. The old me died years ago. And this new me IS ME – REBORN. –John Polo
When you stop drinking alcohol regularly, you become a very cheap date for yourself. Two beers at the brewery and I need to call Uber.
Be careful who you look up to. Social media is not real, maturity does not always come with age or experience, and good intentions can be shadowed by poor decision-making.
“Solitude is dangerous. It’s very addictive. It becomes a habit after you realize how peaceful and calm it is.” –Jim Carrey
I don’t know if I believe love exists anymore. I want to believe, but in this world of instant gratification, endless choices, and five second attention spans, who has a chance at REAL love? Why would anyone put in any level of effort to make a relationship work when all they have to do when things get tough is turn around and the “next best thing” is right there waiting. People have this Hollywood notion of what love looks like, that it’s all dreamy and smooth and perfect, but in the real world where we don’t have fiction writers dictating our every move, nothing is perfect. People makes mistakes. We say the wrong thing. We do the wrong thing. But when nobody is willing to roll their sleeves up and deal with tricky and sometimes painful issues, there’s no real chance for love to grow. I weep for the future of today’s youth.
Three years is a long time. A lifetime, really. Because it seems a lifetime ago…
Don’t save the good tea for a special occasion. Enjoy it whenever you feel like it. You never know how long you have, and it’s always better fresh than years later. Same with the fine china - pull it out and use it.
There’s a difference between being happy and being distracted from sadness. –Stephanie Bennett-Henry
You never can tell who will become a great friend, a huge supporter, and trusted ear. I have recently found one such person, and I am forever grateful.
The past has a way of sneaking back around on you. Sometimes this change is unwelcomed, but once in a while, that past may be just the light you were looking for. And maybe that past can become your future.
Maybe it’s not always about trying to fix something broken… maybe it’s about starting over and creating something better. -Unknown
That’s enough babbling for now. Remember to always Spin the Compass!
