Hello, friends. It’s a lovely Fall day here in Brentwood, TN, where I’m sitting at a coffee shop, enjoying some “me time” before I work my shift at Fleet Feet. Thanksgiving is right on the horizon, and then Christmas comes a few weeks later. As a church musician, this means one of my busiest times of the year is happening right now. So I think it’s important to just take a few minutes to not be busy when it’s possible.
I’ve largely been staying away from the news lately. Oh, I catch the occasional post on social media, and I do my best to move on. Despite the chaotic times in which we’re living, I notice life going on around me, pretty much as normal. Here in the coffee shop, sipping my hot beverage and taking bites of my blueberry muffin, it seems like just another day here on Planet Earth. People are chatting with each other, some are on their computers (like me), and others are checking messages or social media on their phones. The hysteria that keeps showing up in the daily news doesn’t seem to be having much impact in the real world at the moment.
Meanwhile, I’m happy to report that, in the past couple of weeks, I’ve done some of the most enjoyable running that I’ve done in quite some time. This past Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, in particular, were just excellent: weather was conducive to comfortable running, and on Friday I even managed to do my best time ever over the first 5K (3.1 miles). I’m right at my target weight these days (175 lbs.), and I haven’t been drinking as much. So even though the season is getting fairly busy, and I could feel extremely stressed out, I actually feel as healthy, mentally and physically, as I’ve ever been. Oh sure, I still get the occasional aches and pains; I’m 55 years old, after all. But I can’t complain.
I guess the point of this post is this: even though things in the world can seem absolutely insane at times, life can go on. You can find solace in the midst of chaos, if only for short periods of time. You can be healthier, mentally and physically. Life goes on, as it always has. Find the time for self-care, and enjoy those little moments of joy or peace or serenity, where you can find them. And keep moving forward. Thanks for reading.