Yep, I want to write more. So here goes. The wheels are ungreased, but maybe I can slowly work back to where I was when I loved sharing the story by writing. I sometimes wonder if the stress and business of the last many years is having a long-term effect. There hasn’t been the space to write. Life has been one thing after another, often overlapping in ways, and too many things have been sacrificed or postponed – writing projects, photography prints, electronics projects, friends and family visits, the list goes on. I’ve not who I’ve wanted to be. So I’m finally cutting the cord to the ice. Two months left and then I’ll be a free man. Back to contract life where I have a lot more say in my month to month plan. It’s time to tackle the list and go back to what I call my art.
A few things I’ve learned over the last year:
1. The Stoics had it figured out a long time ago. One of my favorite of their philosophies is imagining you have returned from the future to right now. You are here for a reason – as if at some point in the future, you wished to go back to that time, this time, to experience it once more – for whatever reason – and here you are right now. You have the body you have, you have the friends and family who are with you right now. Soak it in.
2. Martha Beck and her book The Way of Integrity. It’s a good one. All about listening to our true selves. If you want the Cliff Notes version, listen to her podcast with Andrew Huberman on his podcast. I’ve also been working with a friend who’s becoming a personal coach through Martha Beck’s coaching certification and she is helping me find my way. It’s been a very powerful experience. (If you want to try having a coach, let me know and I can tell you more about it and share contact info. It’s better than therapy!)
3. A bad approach generally makes for a bad landing. This one from the flying community. In my non-aviation world, I realized that I was often coming in half-cocked, busy/distracted/etc. to too many things. If you want a good landing, you got to get setup with plenty of time. Ducks in a row, so there’s time to adjust, feel which way the wind is pushing you, get it all lined up. After making some changes to my approaches, things improved. I apply it to everything now! It takes more time, but the results and reduced chaos and scramble are highly worth the extra time.
4. Paraphrased rom Jack Kornfield’s podcast: Sit still, quiet the mind, open your heart, hold all that you have to heal with compassion, bow to the truth that is the present moment, and know that you are a part of humanity with all the joys and sorrows that humanity holds.
The above flowers won top prize for best flower in my last departure from Antarctica. I’m home now for a few weeks, then back to Antarctica mid January for one more month. Happy New Year!
Great to have you back!