Day 8 - Progress/Adjustments

Fart nuggies,

I'm realizing as I update this blog that the only thing more boring than listening to your now-old man pontificate on the wisdom of the ages is to read his diary of self-help mediocrity. But the wheel is turning - so we must press on.

Firstly, I'm not hitting 100% success rate - I blame lack of accountability. No one knows what I'm doing and I have nothing to lose if I fail.

Morning routines - pretty much rocked out but was consistently late on my way out the door (too many dank meme breaks). Also, I hate working out in the morning. It really sucks to strap on shoes and go to 100 degree garage, alone and tired, and I would really prefer to enjoy the golden hours of morning.

For the night-time routines, I have also sucked. I think I hit double meditation twice. Journaled only electronically (including this). Meal preparation I'm 2/2 on and I have read every night. Some nights I read for over 2 hours which is intoxicating (currently reading: Atlas Shrugged - if one of you is named Atlas it will have been a contributing factor). Dishes? Eh. Definitively better, but I think we let them stack one night. Electronics fast has been a big win- I'm sure you'll have cybernetic implants or something and won't be able to separate but it is such a relief if you can. Silence is golden - occasionally I will just sit and think - very strange feeling.

How do I feel though?

Pretty damn good, actually. I can stay up all day without missing a beat (for comparison I would be fully out of commission without re-fueling by about 3pm) am no longer missing caffeine, although I thirst for the taste of coffee from the depths of loins. I've considered dabbling in decaf - which is ironic because I remember scoffing at patrons of P.F. Changs when they would order their stupid decaf coffee thinking it was so pointless.

Meditation wise - loving it. I have reduced my structure significantly and have several 2 minute blocks where I attempt to fade into nothingness. In fact the only thing that has remained constant is the slot for gratitude training. Never a shortage of people/things to be grateful for.

So here's the deal - revamping the schedule just by moving stuff around.

Weekday morning schedule: (note: not allowed to touch your phone until after meditation from now on)

• 5:20 am:         Wake up
• 5:20-5:30 am: Restroom, drink ice water, make bed
• 5:30-5:50 am: Read
• 5:50-6:05 am: Eat breakfast (while reading!) (rice, broc, bean)
• 6:05-6:15 am: Shower, dress
• 6:15-6:25 am: Meditate
• 6:25-6:40 am: Walk the Nixi
• 6:40 am:          Go to work

Weekday evening activities:

• Meditate (10 minutes)
• Journal (5 minutes)
• Meal preparation (if necessary)
• Exercise (minimum of 20 minutes or 2 miles ran)
• All dishes done and put away

Okay stinky-diaper-fillers, signing off because it is my bed time. Don't worry - with no electronics I will make up the 10 minutes or reading time lost (in case you were counting).

Love always,

Dad

P.S. I totally neglected almost everything today because I tried to take my GMAT after studying between 6-10 hours (which is not enough). I did okay but the chances that I have an MBA as I sire you into the world are very slim.

P.S.S. Your uncle Andrew showed up this weekend unexpectedly and we got the crew together to go see your great grandparents. You guys are going to be coming into a great (extended) family.

Song of the week: CROSS MY MIND - A R I Z O N A - It's sort of like Toto Rains in Africa meets modern day pop goodness. Living in AZ gives me a bias as well even though they're from New Jersey.

Your hot mom - no reason. Just because.

Day 3 of 28 - Check-in

It's Wednesday my dudes,

HOLY SHINTO! I utterly failed to comprehend the effects of the caffeine fast. I read about it after the fact and apparently there is a smart way to ween yourself off the juice but I went full cold turkey and Monday was actually one of the hardest days (first-world problems) I can remember.

Me on Monday: Splitting headache, lethargic and generally worthless.

I did actually complete the morning routine set out in the last post (except I ran about 10 minutes late because of some windshield wiper installation on your mother's vehicle). Then at work - had to give 110% as always but was running on fumes at by 10am. Your old man just took a new job and it's very demanding - lots to learn.

After work I drop off  the dry-cleaning and drive, in a haze, home. I nap on the couch while your saint of a mother prepares dinner which was an orzo pasta dish with loads of delicious fresh vegetables. I stayed awake just long enough to murder 2 bowls of the pasta and consume way too much bread. Then I did the dishes and told her I was going to lay down for 20 minutes. This was maybe 7pm or so. I woke up at 9pm and went to sleep and slept through the night.

Overall, not bad but was so far I am not accomplishing everything on the action list. Tuesday at 5:20am came and I was able to muster the strength to conquer the morning although while I was lacing up the Nikes I asked myself "is this really worth it?" and "do I actually need to be healthy?". The headaches were more bearable and I made it through the day. Carolyn got home after me and told her I would take her out to dinner so we wouldn't have to cook and clean that night. We were in bed asleep by 8:20pm and it was GLORIOUS.

Today felt much better. I didn't feel like death was creeping behind every corner and I actually felt a strange energy that I cannot recall feeling in ages. Last night I dreamt for the first time in recent memory. Read a little bit of "Atlas Shrugged" and ate vegetarian enchiladas that your mother makes. (I wonder what will be in her rotation when you read this) Did round 2 of meditation for the day a few minutes ago - it was nice but I didn't develop a third eye or anything. Popping this off in lieu of an actual journal entry. It's 7:23pm and the bed is screaming my name already.

Love always,

Dad

On Trying Something (that you know you will fail at)

Dear Kiddos,

I've noticed that as I write these entries I desire to appear indestructible to you. It's easy to write prose on the death of dreams and pretend to have unlimited inspiration and motivation when you look at a snapshot in time. So this time I'm going to mix it up write about something I intend to do but that (for me at least) will feel like a mammoth task.

I don't think I have the fortitude to commit to this for life but want to try a four week sprint - this is my version of living a life of intent, at an elevated level. From diet and substance intake to exercise and meditation. Fasting from electronics and desire.

Daily commitments:

• Caffeine fast (green tea during week 1 if "necessary")
• Electronics/television fast (on weekdays excluding business)
• Sugar fast (except Saturdays)
• Track progress on this experiment
• Eat meals at the table (not in front of TV)

Weekday morning schedule:

• 5:20 am:         Wake up
• 5:20-5:30 am: Restroom, drink ice water, make bed
• 5:30-5:50 am: Exercise
• 5:50-6:05 am: Eat breakfast (rice, vegetable, bean)
• 6:05-6:15 am: Shower, dress
• 6:15-6:25 am: Meditate
• 6:25-6:40 am: Walk the Nixi
• 6:40 am:          Go to work

Weekday evening activities:

• Meditate (10 minutes)
• Journal (5 minutes)
• Meal preparation (if necessary)
• Read (non-work related for 30 minutes)
• All dishes done and put away

Task completion:

• Construct a bucket list for life
• Tidying up completion (through sentimental and then get rid of it)
• Fast (only water) on Sundays - donate approximate food cost to charity
• Construct and organize "to-do list" utilizing 4 quadrants (7 Habits)

So that's what I'm going to try to do for the next 4 weeks. Stop wasting time doing things that don't seem to add much value to life. It's reasonable enough that I won't feel like a martyr but certainly a higher standard than I've grown used to lately. I get horrendous headaches right now on days when I don't have excessive amounts of coffee - not to mention I spend a fortune on it every year. I want to read more and eat healthy food that gives me nutrients like eagle's eggs (ask your uncle Andrew about this sometime). 

I'll let you know how I do - maybe this will be easy and I will do it for the rest of my life. Maybe I'm as weak as I fear and I won't even be able to wake up the first day. Wish me luck.

Love always,

Dad

On Mindfulness Meditation

Dear kiddos,

I have been practicing mindfulness meditation for the past few months. I feel like someone introduced me to a version of this via Catholic faith practices but hearing it from the more secular view has somehow proven to be different (and then later the same).

What is it?

Mostly it’s just sitting and thinking. There is a lot of breathing exercises and focusing on the minute sensations that your body feels. There are some amazing (free) apps for the iPhone called “Calm” and “Headspace” that I found particularly helpful when I started.

Initially, I really enjoyed the guided meditations where someone leads you through what you should be thinking about and focusing on. Lately, I have been setting up to listen to basic soundscapes with a bell going off in the background once every two minutes.

I’ll start by taking large, deep breaths and think “in” and “out” coinciding with the direction of the breath. Then I’ll go through a body scan and focus in on all the things you usually wouldn’t recognize. Next is my favorite part; gratitude training. I think I already wrote about achievement and fulfillment but have been led to believe that you cannot live in a negative place when you are conscientiously grateful for all that you have. So for 2 minutes I say “thank you” to the powers that be for all the gifts of my life. I run out of time every day.

I always start thanking my lucky stars for your mother but the rest can go anywhere. Today I thanked the Creator for having fully functioning senses (taste, touch, sight, hearing, and smell) and then made my way through my family. Yesterday I was thinking of my friends and the day before I was thankful for my troublesome employees for making me better at my job and helping me to grow. I imagine I could spend a day being grateful if I was smart enough to realize all the blessings I have. I couldn’t help but notice that this feels an awful lot like the prayers I grew up with by the way. 

The last two minutes is just counting to ten and then starting over (over and over again). Just a way to wind down the practice.

I’m sure there are better ways to do this and I’ll continue to sort out the details as time goes on but I would highly recommend incorporating this into your daily routine.

How does it feel?

Amazing. But do it for a month to feel full effects.

Love always,

Dad

Song of the week? Leave a Trace by Chvrches

your parents - very grateful for you even though you aren't here yet