Hey all, it's been a minute. I hope you had a great weekend, and you're tackling this new week head-on, whatever a derpy platitude such as that might entail.

Here are some Monday Musings, a thing I literally just thought of, and might do regularly, if only because it'd be an awful waste of alliteration otherwise.

As I have mentioned (only once, I think), I have a random side hustle of selling and trading items (digital guns and armor) in an Xbox game for real US dollars. You'd be amazed the money people spend on this stuff... seriously. Anyway, often times the opportunity to acquire or trade these items occurs within a small window of time, which usually translates into me completely falling off the map during that small window. Last week was one such occasion.

This is always a double-edged sword. The upside is that I often make in a few days what I make in a month at my regular job (this isn't a difficult bar to meet- I work in education). The downside is that I get behind on what I really love to do, and want to be my full-time job, which is creating content for you. I have a piece I've been working on for a few weeks now, and the longer I take, the more pressure I feel to "get it right." I think it'll be done tomorrow, but who knows. The point is, I like (and need) the money that comes with the Xbox stuff, but I hate the fact that it typically means throwing off my sleep schedule with 16-18 hour work days, and puts me out of sync with my content creation.

I tell you this to give some context to my weekend. I had planned to spend all day Saturday & Sunday catching up on my writing. When some friends invited my wife and I to go camping in the mountains with them, I didn't want to go. When they told me there was no cell service where we'd be, I really didn't want to go. However, something told me I should still do it. Despite being behind on my content, and getting about 11 total hours of sleep in three days, I still needed to go. So I did.

I'll skip the details, and let the pictures speak for themselves. But it was beautiful, and so remarkably restful. Friday night, after everyone had went to bed, I was left alone watching the fire turn to coals. I had set up my hammock nearby, right next to the river, and was really just killing time while finishing my whiskey. We were located in this picturesque valley, surrounded on all sides by mountains, hills, and rock formations. As I looked up at the stars (not a cloud in the sky... it was seriously perfect), I saw a glow cresting the eastern mountain ridge.

I don't know why I found this to be so meaningful, but there was something incredibly tranquil about seeing the moon slowly rise above the landscape, gradually illuminating the area. I watched its reflection sparkle on the surface of the river, further lighting the world around me. "The world keeps on spinning," I thought.

I'm acutely aware of how trite these kinds of "epiphanies" are, and it's not like this realization was something I found to be utterly earth-shattering. But it was still a necessary reminder to keep things in perspective. In my experience, we humans have a natural tendency towards tunnel-vision. Our ability to hyper-focus on what is right in front of us has brought everything from the greatest innovations and technology we've ever seen, to the very survival of our species in the harsh environments of the untamed world. Tunnel-vision can be a good thing. I want my doctors and pilots to be hyper-focused on their immediate surroundings, and the task at hand.

But, we can't only exist in this state of mind. The tyranny of the urgent, the 24-hour news cycle, social media, and perpetual state of crisis we're presented with keeps us shackled to the events and zeitgeist of the "now, now, right now, only now matters" kind of mindset. Focus is a good thing, but it's not super useful without being complimented and informed by perspective. I don't want my pilot to be so focused on landing the plane that he fails to hear alarms go off, or forgets where he's supposed to be landing in the first place. Perspective is what helps inform our priorities.

That's my encouragement to you: get away for a day or two (or twelve). Unplug for a bit... I promise, this mess isn't going anywhere. Cook some good food. Make a fire. Sharpen your knives (this is more important than you realize, but that's a conversation for another time). Connect with people. Leave that freaking phone somewhere else. Watch a sunset, a moonrise, or both. Sip some wine (Malbec if you're my wife), or some whiskey (Evan Williams Honey is my current favorite, but Wild Turkey American Honey is a fine substitute if necessary).

Yes, things are messed up right now. I talk about this often. But we can't expend energy that we don't have. Recharging our batteries and engaging with the beauty and serendipity of life is how we remind ourselves why we care about all that other stuff in the first place. The time I spend with my family uniquely enervates my desire to create positive change in our society, in a way that nothing else can.

"Returning to Reason" isn't just about how we think about things, or engage with others. Obviously that's a large part of it. But "reasoning well" necessarily includes self-care that gives you the ability, energy, and motivation to engage in rigorous thought in the first place.

That concludes my stream of consciousness for the time being. If you feel so inclined, I'd love for you to share what brings you perspective, relaxes you, or recharges your batteries 🤙