As I predicted a couple of days ago: the two pounds I gained were simply candy induced water weight! My poundage is back under control and heading in the right direction. Today is also a milestone. I’ve hit 150 days of consecutive mindfulness meditation. Meditation helped me personally overcome my marijuana dependency and reduce my alcohol intake substantially by RAINing on my addiction.
Zero+ ; Nickel ; M: 150 ; C: 111 ; P/U: 70 ; W: 5mi
Health R.O.S.
- Weight: 204.9
- BMI: 27.7
- Fat %: 21.0
- Water %: 57.6
It’s hard to believe that I just hit 150 consecutive days of meditation. But there you have it! I feel like a new person in so many ways. I am more patient. I am sleeping soooooo much better, better than I have in years. Because I stopped smoking pot, I’m dreaming again and in technicolor! I’ve lost 25 pounds and two pants sizes. I’ve gone from drinking all the time to just a couple times a month and a lot less in a sitting. I’m more productive, am reading a book a week, started this blog (this blog marks 101 posts!), and my knee and back pain are gone.
Sh*t, I’m up to 70 push ups and 60 crunches a day! I’m hiking something like 120 miles a month! Not bad for an old fart.
Raining Creativity
Feeling rested and with my brain fog dissipated, my creativity is suddenly off the charts. In addition to journaling, I’m writing songs, poems, and enjoying my adult coloring book (no, not that kind of ‘adult’).
Daily meditation practice has been a real blessing. It’s substantially enriched my life, first by removing those negative habits that commanded my attention, and then by replacing those things with productive and life affirming activities. Meditation has left me happier, healthier, and more generous with both my time and money.
Creating Necessary Space
Contemplative tools, specifically R.A.I.N. (Recognize, Allow, Investigate, Non-associate) have created a necessary and important space between thought, emotion, or desire and taking action (or not, if that’s the preferred outcome).
Your ability to create space allows your rational mind to make a decision. Otherwise, whether you want to believe it or not, you’re going through life on autopilot. Because I’m able to create space, I continue to more consistently (I’m not perfect, you know) make the right choices. And those choices are starting to show real world results.
All of this stuff works together: mindfulness, meditation, RAIN, exercise, The Plant Paradox, and patience to turn impermanence to your advantage. Now that I’ve getting in flow with it all, I feel I am creating a healthy mind, body, and soul ‘ecosystem’.
I do not believe I would be experiencing the results I’m experiencing if I ceased practicing any one of these things or gave up on my all too impactful morning routine.
There are no silver bullets and everyone approaches life’s challenges differently. Some of us seek help. Others enlightenment. Many have yet to admit they have a problem in the first place. Whenever I’m facing a seemingly impossible task, I often remind myself of Teddy Roosevelt’s immortal words: “Do what you can, with what you have, where you are” or as I often paraphrase: Do the best you can with the resources at hand wherever you happen to find yourself.
Onto Day 90
