not many people just talk into nothing

not many people that I know in real life anyway. Of course the internet is filled with people talking into nothing. But I don't actually know them. It's probably because most people I know use that time and energy to talk to people they know. When I say talk into nothing I mean something like blogging. Putting your thoughts and feelings out there for anyone who comes across it to read or watch. 

But I think even the people who are really good at it, the professionals, I'll never meet them. And I really enjoy spending time with people but I think there's something unique and special in hearing another person talk to themselves or talk to nothing.

On social media people either like what they think is funny or interesting or cute or use it as a platform to show what they think is important and that's what it's for but some people use it to narrate their lives almost. Like you get a picture of who they are. And that will never not be interesting to me.   

I don't know what this post is. This is me doing a nothing and saying I like it when other people do this thing too. As if that should be a surprise to anyone. I don't know. Do it.

One thing I've been working on is doing things that are special for myself. And doing things to make days and moments special. And the way that manifested itself today was I gave my plants plant food. Every two weeks I mix a teaspoon of plant food into a gallon of water and I water all my plants with it and they're looking a lot greener and happier than they have been. As I've said many times I love my plants and I really make an effort to take good care of them but to me and my simple brain 'plant food' felt like a complicated thing. Anyway I'm glad I got some and took the time to do it because my plants look better and that makes me happy. 

Something I really value is consistency and showing up and doing the things I committed to doing and I think I avoid going above and beyond sometimes because in my mind it's like now that's where the bar needs to be and if I go all out one time  but it's not repeatable then I'm letting others down. So I just try to do what's manageable every time and do it well. But maybe that's inflexible thinking a little. Do a good job and then sometimes do a great job. And sometimes do a bad job and feel bad and then do a better job. Yeah. Anyway if you've read this far as always I love you and wish a million blessings upon your head.

How do the trees know that it's windy?

Today I was coaching at a climbing competition and fueled by lack of sleep and overstimulation I said to one of the climbers I coach,

"Look out the window. See the trees? How do the trees know that it's windy out?"

How do the trees know that it's windy??

Because, because because

Right? Because the trees don't know that it's windy out. Obviously. It is windy out and the leaves are blowing in the wind. It's humans that are always trying to know if it's windy out. Not windy--like windy--but like 'oh me oh me oh my what should I be doing? Am I doing the right thing? Am I doing it the right way?" We're always trying to figure out how windy it is and if our leaves are blowing too much or not enough or the right way or the wrong way. 

How silly would it be for a tree to be anxious or uncertain about the wind. A tree just trees.

But what about all my precious choices and decisions??? You cry.

Nah. If it's calm-be still. If it's windy-- sway and rustle. Make fruit and grow.

Yeah but trees don't really do anything.

Trees do so so so much! All the time. Just most of it isn't labor that can be exploited efficiently. Or confer status. Trees do real stuff that make the planet habitable and nice to be in. Nerd. 

Anyway there you go there's your discount Alan Watts and Ram Dass for the day I'm gonna go eat potatoes.

sometimes I feel like I get messages that are meant for me to see

and even if they aren't

it's an experience worth having

worth sticking around for

what I did today

 Today I woke up and then went back to sleep. Overall a pretty good slumber.

Then I got up and made my usual smoothie with canned mandarin oranges, protein powder, vanilla Greek yogurt, banana, and frozen berries. I did the sudoku in my sudoku book and watched Youtube. I'm on them medium difficulty puzzles now and they take twice as long to do. I also made coffee. I was noticing a lot of noises happening outside and I was trying to concentrate at the same time and I didn't want to sit in silence but also I couldn't find anything to play in the background that wouldn't start giving me a headache. But I powered through and solved the puzzle anyway because I'm a champ like that I guess. Then my friend stopped by to give me some eggs and we made a little zine about eggs and hung out and then I went to the track and met up with my other friend and we did a sprint workout that went pretty dang good! I was happy.

I showered and ate plant burgers and then I went to the gym and did squats and hung out with folks there. Squats weren't feeling great but then I did 195 and 200 and it started moving pretty well so I went for 210 which would've been a 5lb new best and got stuck about halfway up and fought for what felt like a really long time but was probably only 2 seconds at most. It was really close though. On a day when I actually feel good I can definitely get it. 

My thought of the day is this:

As the sweet apple reddens on the highest branch,

high on the highest branch, that the apple pickers forgot-

no, they didn't forget; that apple they could not reach

scanner guys

 

oorbs mcgoo and duckthony quacktano

front desk guys

 

From left to right: Lil' Big King Rashes, Belt Sander, Oofus Wainwright, Cindy Clawford, Lt. Dan, and Booki Boomaj

april chalkboard

 

can you solve it?

march chalkboard

 

 Pixar movie called 'Doors' where the people is doors and keys are their food and this one mean door--everyone thinks he hates keys but then, um, it's just the one specific key that unlocks him and he never really hated keys at all. 

Right? Will this heal our wounded soul? What if we pretended to not understand the relationship between doors and keys and then solved it with the plot of a movie? Couldn't we all stand around then and pat ourselves on the back over the triumph of understanding and emotional growth?

Doors!

who wants to be my FOOL?