Since I started my challenge some weeks ago, I’ve come to appreciate the absence of tv. Don’t get me wrong, there are still programs I like to watch - I just don’t turn on the tv by default, at least not most of the time. What I found, among other things, is that I really like early mornings and twilight.
It is with great pleasure that I announce that I’ve had another article published in Ave News, a bi-monthly metaphysical newspaper published locally in Columbia, SC, and surrounding areas. Unfortunately, the article I wrote is not available online - they only select 3 articles from the issue for online publication, and mine is not among them. However, if you are in the Columbia, SC area, please pick one up.
This is my second article published in Ave News, and I had several published in a now defunct paper published in Pensacola, Fl, called The Light. Perhaps I’ll run a series of posts that are reprints of the articles I’ve had published. For now, I’ll just celebrate getting an article published again. Hopefully it’s a sign of great things to come.
For anyone who doesn’t know, yesterday was Mabon, a Wiccan holiday that most people in the northern hemisphere know as the autumnal equinox. Mabon is a harvest holiday, a celebration of the bounty of the fields. It’s a time to acknowledge the things we’re harvesting in our lives for the year. Except this year was a little different for me.
This past Saturday night was my 25 year high school reunion. Since that was about 1,500 miles or so from my house, I didn’t make it. I actually wanted to go, but things just didn’t work out. When I found out about it three months ago or so, I thought I’d be in the middle of getting ready for my black belt test, but it didn’t quite work out that way. It would have been nice to see some of my old friends from high school, just to see how their doing, but maybe it’s best not to look back - school was a pretty turbulent time for me, and I have no desire to return to that time. Still, I do want to go back sometime to see my family, if nothing else.
Like many other millions of people, every week I go to Walmart to buy various things. The last couple months though, I’ve been re-thinking that decision. The reasons behind it might be a bit surprising, but they make a lot of sense to me.
Today is Day 10 of my 28 Day Challenge. Things are going ok - some habits I haven’t been able to establish consistently, others I haven’t been able to give up except for a few days, though the frequency is decreasing, and others need some tweaking. Overall, I’m noticing a change for the better. Given that I changed so many things so quickly, it should come as no surprise that some things would need adjustment.
Last night I bottled my latest beer, a new creation I decided to make in honor of my latest martial art promotion, which the guys have already dubbed Two Stripe, since I got to take a strip off my belt. As usual, there was a little too much to fit in the last bottle, so I put the overflow into a bottle of its own and stuck it in the fridge as usual. After it got cold, I drank the 3 swallows or so. It came out alright, but the cherry flavor got completely buried - serves me right for adding it to primary fermentation. Next time, I’ll add it when primary is complete. I didn’t notice much of a honey flavor either, though it lightened up the body considerably for a dark beer. Well, the experimenting continues. Gotta start planning my next one, a stout that I will brew and age until I’ve taken and passed my black belt test, so it’ll be nice and mature.
This morning I was at the gardens as usual, which is where I seem to do my best thinking. I’ve been giving a lot of attention lately to the things I’m bringing into my life, and how I’m bringing them in. This morning I finally made a connection about how things come to us, something I hadn’t really seen before but had puzzled over in various forms for quite a while.
It’s interesting, the things you think about when you don’t have a stream of constant input mainlined directly your brain like television. It is to me, anyway. For instance, I’ve discovered that I crave food that really isn’t that good for me, at least part of the time. Actually, I knew that already, but without the distraction of tv I’m more acutely aware of it. That’s partly what prompted me to start my 28 challenge. That discovery is actually a smaller one compared to the one I’m going to tell you about right now.
I went to the gardens last Monday when I was on vacation, as I do every Sunday, but that day held a rather big surprise for me. I was taking my pictures, as I do every week, and after a couple hours, I found myself feeling rather tired, wanting to sit down and less than motivated. And that’s when I flipped the switch.