"Advertising has us chasing cars and clothes, working jobs we hate so we can buy shit we don't need." Tyler Durden
Ironic... the week I remove the blog for being "too personal," is the week I find the need to write something really personal. Often, and I've hinted or maybe flat out wrote it, that these are directed back at me at times. So when reading this, don’t take it personally... I'm also talking to myself.
That quote at the top popped in my head today and maybe I shouldn’t admit that they often do. Fight Club quotes? Kinda weird, no? But it fits.
We're very busy people these days. We're working overtime or 2 or 3 jobs. “Stay at home,” moms are nearly extinct. Prices are going up, yet our wages are staying nearly the same. I was talking to a man who has been driving a semi for nearly 30 years. His son is graduating high school in a few weeks and then off to college. We somehow got to talking about school funding and how horrible he felt voting down his local levy. "I make the same amount of money now as I did in 2002... But everything around me is more expensive." So he needs a second job.
There are people I don’t see in the gym as often as they'd like to be there. I ask "where are you?" and they're busy... and they are. I know it’s not an excuse. I know they're not blowing me off, it really has zero to do with me or the workout... they're just flat out busy. School, work, the 2nd job, then errands and managing life, kids, dinners, little leagues... then we get a free second....
...and that’s where my mind is. What are we doing with the free moments? When the day is finally coming to a resting point... what are you doing?
It's 11:43 pm right now... My resting point began about 90 minutes ago where I wasted some time watching a sitcom and Greys Anatomy (and what a waste that was! Terrible season finale!). I'm not overly thrilled about wasting my time in front of the television right now... I never really have but it’s kind of been automatic, and I'm working on changing that.
I went on a vacation a couple weeks ago and had some excellent time to read and write. I remember sitting there thinking something along the lines of how amazingly ironic that I had to fly to another country to find time, to force myself to find time, to sit down with my thoughts... and do nothing but stare into space... and that’s exactly what I did.
I sat. I read some. I wrote some notes and observations... random thoughts. It helps clear my head and put everything in line.
Then I got home and thought "That habit isn’t lost in Mexico... I need it here." I need to find time to stop and breathe. We all need that time. We all need to find a way to sit down and do absolutely nothing.
No television. No computer. No cell phones. Sit and breathe and that is all. Does that sound crazy? What if you showed up to an appointment with me... and instead of heading to the treadmill, we sat in a quiet room... and did nothing but breathe? For 30 minutes, you will sit there and breathe as slow and as deep as you can... would you be mad at me?
What if that was the best part of your day? 30 minutes of turning the world "off." What if you did that every day? What if I told you, you'd start to feel less stressed and that you'd start to see things differently?
I get it... but I don’t get it. The car that you thought you needed to make you happy, is the reason you need to work 2 jobs... still happy?
I talk to so many people everyday... all week and everyone is stressed. Right now as I write this, I'm thinking of someone who works too many hours... someone who is in school and working two jobs.... someone who is so stressed they can’t get their thoughts straight... someone who sits up til midnight working on a website, emailing, facebooking, and writing crazy blogs that only his parents read :)
Hi Mom
Take a break... the weather is going to be beautiful this weekend... go to a park... go sit down and be alone for 30 minutes.... and do nothing but breathe.
Trust me. You won’t regret it.
New part:
What if I left the door open to the yoga room? And bought a bunch of pillows to sit on... Would you go sit down? No charge. Just a room, an open door and comfortable place to sit quietly, would you go?
What we started a class like that? Or ended like that? 20 minutes or so of nothing but deep breathing… so deep you forget where you are… so deep, 20 minutes felt like 5. And you want to go back and do it again because you actually cleared your head and it felt unbelievable.
Side note:
Things are headed in a direction, I think you see that. The current classes are strong and feel really solid. Everyone is getting stronger, looking good and having a good time. And very, very soon it’ll be time to add some new elements. You will be meeting a few new faces, very good people, with fantastic intentions and a gift and an insight to share.
As more classes are slowly added and new people are with us, the entire concept will come to light.
I hope you enjoy it.
