Things I need more of in my life:
- Vacation days – weekends just aren’t enough it seems. Well, they would be if everything in this awful state wasn’t more than 3 hours away
- Good beer – I was reminded of all the good beer that every other damn state has to offer on my recent trip to Minnesota. Texas has some good beer, but it doesn’t seem to be as big of a deal here.
- Isolation – almost 4 days without the ability to connect to anything besides a Bluetooth speaker (against my will) is something I try to do without being in the middle of nowhere anyway so I can always use more of it.
- Camping trips – this will happen on more weekends until it’s too hot, since weekends are about all I have the rest of the year if I want any time off to visit Alaska this summer or Michigan this winter.
- Fresh air – again, the recent trip reminded me of how smelly the city (and Texas in general) is and how much I miss clean air
- Live music – this will be remedied soon. Weekends here offer all kinds of shows, don’t require much travel, and are relatively inexpensive.
- Books – I’m listening to books almost exclusively on my commutes, but I need to read a few too.
- Social interactions – less facebook, more face time (so cliche it hurts). My twitter is mostly preaching about saving public lands, my facebook is a collection of nature photos, and instagram is just more or less the real life stuff. I don’t get too political but this past weekend I did in person and it was much more rewarding to have an actual debate vs one on the interwebs.
- Hiking – I know, I’ve committed to the 52 hike challenge. It’s time to step up my game and make these hikes more involved and at least a few more miles each.
- Water – I’ve been slacking on my water intake. Hydration is key to healthy weight and digestion.
- Exercise – between hikes, I need to be doing more little hikes or getting my running more consistent. I am going to work on this; trying to find the motivation.
- Porch time – either at our apartment or visiting friends and family, porch time is usually relaxing and it’s a good way to incorporate social interactions.
- Positive energy – the world is kind of on fire right now with politics, war, deforestation, and dying oceans. I need to refocus on what I can do to help these causes, and others, while remaining positive and upbeat. The increase in exercise and hiking usually helps boost my mood and keep it level – as does the disconnecting, good beer, and fresh air.
It’s been the little things that make life so great, despite all the despair. This past weekend I heard the wolves howl – that’s an intense and fantastic experience. I drank ice cold water from a lake in Northern Minnesota. I came home from a long vacation to love. I heard some comedy that put things in to perspective and made me laugh. I remembered I had a snack left in my still-packed bag from vacation that I get to eat when I get home. Sometimes the little things are all I have to hold on to, and it’s really just as simple as that. My recent weekend away, disconnected, reaffirmed the plans my better half and I have set in motion to get out of Texas and live mindfully of spending and consumption.
Current songs that I recommend: (mostly indie vibes)
- Said The Whale “Step into the Darkness”
- Knox Hamilton “Never My Love”
- Ryan Adams “Do You Still Love Me?”
- Yukon Blonde “Saturday Night”
- James Reed/Christopher Norman “Drip Dry Gloves f/ Silas Green”
- Geographer “I Want it All”
- Saint Motel “Born Again”
- Arkells “My Heart’s Always Yours”
- The xx “On Hold”
- Kings of Leon “Waste A Moment”
- The Lemon Twigs “I Wanna Prove to You”
- Boy & Bear “Limit of Love”
- Bishop Briggs “Pray (Empty Gun)”
- Kopecky “My Love”
- Christopher Norman/James Reed “Haunting”
- Said The Whale “Heaven”
52 Hikes With Mike 