Each day I wake up I find it is less and less of a challenge to get out of bed. I know there are those days when it is cold, overcast, or your bed feels like the best place in the world; but how can one know what is out there if we become confined to pillows and blankets? I cannot stand before you and say that I am the social butterfly that I used to be. I am a loner and I keep to myself for the most part. My parents and my four-legged lady are my world. The track and running shoes come in a close second. Is it a negative to be connected and engaged when at work and be an outsider looking in when in leisure? Some might argue, well a great deal of people will argue, that humans need to be social creatures. I happened to watch a film a couple semesters ago about how detrimental it was on the human body, mind, and spirit to not communicate with others. This does not define my situation. I spend forty or more hours a week communicating with patrons that come into my place of business and I spend countless hours taking part in classroom and online discussions for my college courses. Within the confines of my house, my family and I are open books. We love to discuss what events had a significant impact on our day and offer a support system for one another when stress becomes a joint venture. Our level of disclosure is amazing because I still respect my parents as the people who gave me life and the foundation upon which I stand, that I presume is that of a good person. What is holding me back from wanting to be with others and spend time outside of my routine.
I come back to the words I used earlier, which are challenge and comfort. A year ago I was confined to my bed. Not for any medical reasons, but because it was my comfort zone where challenges had little significance. I would come home from work or school and escape to the land of dreams in order to close my eyes upon reality and forward momentum. Now I find that sleep is a luxury and the relationships we have with others are of greater value. Once time allows, or I stop making excuses, I will go out and become social again. I re-opened my facebook account to connect with old friends and those who live cities, states, and continents away. One must admit that I am off to a start, but I will not start something I do not intend to finish. Excuses are such an easy way out of doing. Before I began my lifestyle change in respect to my mind, body, and spirit I made excuses not to exercise, meditate, or expand my consciousness. Today I just ran over four miles and it feels great. The body fascinates me on a daily basis and will continue to do so in the future. Life really is a set of choices, decisions, and a result of action or inaction. Everything we do has a ripple effect. We can cast a stone into a still pond and we will never see the end of the ripples from that first impact rock and water. This analogy makes me choose action and being proactive because I might not see the results of my decisions until a later date. I want to be the driving force in my life and eventually I will find my soul mate who will help me along my journey.
This Spring I I plan to do quite a bit of traveling. First stop is going to be to Miami, Florida for a reunion with the Winter Music Conference and Ultra Music Festival 2011 towards the end of March. Next I will make it a point to go visit my friends in Portland, Oregon and enjoy the beauty of the city nestled within the forests of the Northeastern United States. On my way back I plan to visit friends and family in Colorado and then make a Journey to Europe. Here is a question I would probably ask while reading this: "Is he going to take someone with him or is he going alone?" Each destination is a must and I will not allow another person's schedule interfere with my exploration. Also, this will be a great opportunity for me to meet new people because I cannot enjoy myself if I am an antisocial part of the scenery. What I have realized is that no matter how comfortable I am in bed; or no matter how appealing it sounds to hit the snooze button I will be up and ready to take on the new challenge that I like to call today. Life is too short to be comfortable and we need to sometimes step outside of our comfort zone in order to learn more about not only ourselves, but also our surroundings and the people that make up this beautiful planet. Are you up for the challenge?
(Thank you all for reading and I really appreciate the feedback I have received thus far. Please feel free to comment if you would like, but I am grateful that my words are being seen by many, versus being heard by a few.)
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