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Showing posts from November, 2019

How I learned to enjoy the imperfect

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I realized that I really had no control over how fast Life offered up its goods when death came. At least, I realized it for a brief time. Old habits die hard- no pun intended.      When I was just a boy, I recall wanting everything now. Now, now, now. For everything I found interest, I really went for it. I wanted to be the best baseball player without ever swinging a bat. I wanted to be the fastest runner without ever competing in track. I wanted the newest, best toys, without ever doing my chores.      As I aged into my teens and began working a part-time job, this ignorant desire for instant gratification followed me. I spent money as fast as I made it, and even money I had not earned yet.      My abundant desire for more was nothing to be ashamed about, as I look back, I can see that it was simply a desire for a more full experience  of what life had to offer; a yearning for some perfection.      I would ask myself, "How come anyone would buy a car like that? Why would

Living Against Your Likes can Lead to Liberation

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Have you ever heard of someone feeling better because they have been taking a cold shower every morning? Has a friend or family member ever told you how great they feel after cutting sugar out of their diet? I think we all have witnessed how amazing people begin to look when they dedicate themselves to an exercise regimen. Are these things just better for us, or is there a secret behind doing things that we really, would just rather not do?       I had been working as an EMT for the better part of ten years, and had become quite use to seeing and doing things that nobody would rather do. The horrific and stressful experiences I placed myself in at work, more than one hundred hours a week, had in turn caused me to produce a home-life that was pretty cozy. Thus, when I changed jobs to a less stressful one, I started gaining weight and became much more volatile. Why, when I had much less stress in my life, was I declining physically and emotionally?      Yes, I had begun drinking m