Scrolling through the news I’m often drawn to articles about traits of successful people in business, relationships, or spiritual, they usually catch my eye with 7, 10, or 5 homerun hitters that are the foundation of achieving the discipline. Yesterday my best friend said he almost died in a car accident. Since he wasn’t in need of medical care I thought not much of it, until I saw the picture of a broken windshield on the passenger side from the tree that almost crushed him; the Telsa was totaled. The front was pushed in beyond a fat front tooth gap but the driver and him both walked away without any major concern. Amazing! So I thought I should reflect on what is so fragile but also so resilient in 12 for the seasons; lessons, mantras, and understanding I’ve experienced.
- Everyone is gifted with the same amount of time in a day, 24hrs, 1,140 minutes, and 86,400 seconds. There’s simply no way around this! Isn’t that something in a world of have’s and have not’s? I think so. I don’t want to get started on how time is man-made but rather embrace the second hand, sun-up to sun-down, and special dates on a calendar.
On the Appalachian Trail 9pm was known as Hiker Midnight and we always had time for a safety meeting, (you know what I mean, you feeling safe Wahoo?). On the AT our quest began at sunrise and ended miles further North at dusk. Our circadian rhythms were locked in along with our stomachs! We knew the time, let’s eat, hike, and sleep.
The time we committed to depart society for a journey, an adventure, a pilgrimage took immense courage to forgo time in our routine and break what had broken us. Time flies or stands still but instead can we accept that perception is all an illusion? It is our mind that determines the feeling of time wasted or vanished. Everyday the bank account is refilled with the hours, minutes, and seconds. Spend them because they don’t accrue to extend vacations.
2. Failing is ok and actually I encourage it because real failure is not trying! Plus, when you really screw the pooch, you know exactly what not to do next time. Nobody ever got worse at something they pursued who was consistent.
I’ve failed at many, many things from guitar to selling vacation packages when everybody thought I was a fool. But I gave it a shot and the time and money did give a ROI, it just wasn’t in zeros and ones in my bank account then. It’s called life experience, priceless! We’ll get them next time.
I failed the AT. I only did 813 miles in 3 months suffering an MS attack but I had never hiked in the mountains before. I went solo but as the books I read foretold, all will find their place and people, and I did. Those that aren’t failing spectacularly, aren’t stunningly succeeding either.
3. I always hear Willie Nelson’s quote, “When I started counting my blessings, my whole life turned around.” For me it started on the way to golf outings, I would try and go the whole ride through what I was thankful for and its carried over ten-fold. Today I find it easy to give recognition to what may seem ordinary and mundane. Just to be able to communicate this to you is astonishing! I couldn’t do it years back, didn’t exist and I couldn’t write. I still can’t spell and my grammar is suspect at times but this has become a huge part of my life; I’m thankful!
Again, to number 1 take a little time and create the aura through a vibration of living with too much! Because I’d say most are experts at the opposite. So if one can master one side why not the other? And yeah, I get this is not easy when an individual has been fired, divorced, or has a death in the family because the time spent on these conquers the bank account with feeling reinforcement but there you go, understand?
4. When you walk with an open heart, you start to realize you’re running, a mantra that came to me when writing my last book; Thought Outline the Vision Emotion Colors It In. I started writing it on the tickets of my guests at the restaurant and at times it hit hard. Other’s hearts were struck with the genuineness on display. The 18yr old training me was adamant I draw a smiley face but I couldn’t come to grips with that, but he inspired me to reach out subtly; it opened hearts without walls in my guests. They saw me as them.
5. When we encounter negativity, aggression, fear, anger or anxiety one must have this rule at top-mind awareness because I think it’s the most important for a human to navigate through decades of shit, the only reason they act this way is lack of love; so give them some. It costs you nothing but the renewable bank account and choking of ego. Thinking of the movie Moneyball, “the nice way to say it is he lacks confidence. We’ll give him some” Brad replies. How easy it to say to a stranger, “Wow. I like your shoes.” And shouldn’t it be even simpler for a loved one, friend, co-worker, or neighbor?
The first real estate guru I discovered was an old man named A.D. Kessler and his philosophy was, “find a need and fill it.” Think about when friend has called to unload a wrong never seeing the lack in the root cause and instead waiting for a ‘you’re right’ fuck them. I’ll ask the friend, “what do think caused that person to do or say such and such?” This causes a break in their pattern and they usually spout some bullshit but then do a deep dive. You can see them quiet the emotional disorder as their eyes pierce past you.
If one can master DEAFCON 1 to instead not defend and launch but ask, why are we at war? And if I was in wrong let’s take care of it. I can’t waste the account on being too proud. Seriously this is an ongoing struggle for me. I stumble at times and need my best friend to check me, remind me. Our inside joke is, “you’re right. Tell me again. You right!” Ha!
A thought, an emotion, a trigger lived in or an acknowledgement with passing. An acceptance of I can control if I choose. Yeah, that was really shitty and unsettling but if I let another or circumstance drain my account it also drains my mind, body, spirit as well. No need when one is sitting on an unlimited reserve of Love, the highest emotion. Easy to share when you never run out.
6. To quote Tenacious D “Always record. Fuck Kyle!” I realize Jack Black was referring to inspiration but recording wins if it gave you a moment of joy, accomplishment, self-worth, or mundane checks on a to-do list, Mark the Board! Make it real! Skeptics need to see it to believe, and I might be the biggest skeptic of myself. So, I ask the
mirror, mirror on the white board
did I do it all
or do you stare
with an unsettling glare
red swoosh, marked
finally free
it’s been caged in my mind awhile
check it off
proud I stand
spirit always good
but now the physical
real proud
real sure
If one has 70,000 thoughts in a day some should come out so the vehicle drives better, smoother. Keep a journal, get a white board, or like me just freestyle your life away in an audio diary. Actually switching to a voice recording helped so much on the AT. Gripping poles all day didn’t aid that chore. But again I’m thankful I realized after so long. Just like many other experiences on the Appalachian Trail which I cataloged in White Blazing An American Pilgrimage my 3rd book. Here’s a preview if you want.
This will be part 1 of the 12 seasons. A life through a year. At what points are we almost destroyed or reborn? Thinking of the accident with my buddy I hear Matias De Stefano from Gaia, “Angels whisper but demons put up roadblocks on their behalf.” It’s the only way to get through. Break the pattern. The Glass.
Life, the real world, can kick your ass! And what was precious after a close call becomes an ongoing wreck after a week passes. Instead of relieving that experience of escape without scratches we fight, why not live in its better half more of the time? Logically it makes sense but it’s a journey for those that choose for them, us. Because when you can see through John Malkovich eye’s there’s no longer separation, lack.
