General well-being for me... cannot wait until New Year's Day. So despite considerable gravitation pull to stay one, with the Lay-Z-Boy; I busted out, got on my bicycle, and rode an indirect route, to the very coffee shop, I'm now visiting. I've taken note of the various perspectives regarding - not feeling compelled to be doing, maintaining the pinnacle of productivity and social calendar this time of year. Yesterday I was the embodiment of inertia - with the exception of bookending the day with meditation, a stretching routine in the a.m. and a some walking - not much happened.
I understand the value of honouring this time of year (the darkness/void) a time of introspection - not getting too wrapped up in the "Christmas crazies." I also need to remember, that I am given to be introspective all year round ... it is my default lens. Bigger picture views ,I have to work at to consider. Introspection, to the point of becoming inactive, don't serve me. There has been a vast amount, of emotional processing for me throughout the year. I am therefore on all levels, rebuilding. As such, driving myself, at this time, is not conducive to well-being either.
I sat with my nose in the "social" media for a while. The "phone" saw fit to affirm for me, my screen time was up this week, and on average, my day to day walking was on par .... but I have walked more overall in past weeks.
I don't go looking for this information ... it just arbitrarily presents. There was a time I was tracking my walking - I was jump starting a fitness program, and I wanted to make sure, I was achieving a minimum activity level, every day. I needed the push then, I was suffering the consequences of too much inactivity, the monitoring was helpful in staying pro-active. Now, I can just tell within myself, if I'm active enough. I love to be active, I love the feeling of being fit. I'm not keen on the feeling of restoring fitness, when I've become de-conditioned.
I puttered around the house some, recycling and such, taken out. Rooting through stuff, continuing to compile that which is to be purged. Which is one of my intentions .. but I had to keep it in check or I wouldn't have got out the door. Wrongly place activity, can quite readily become, a distraction or avoidance.
There hasn't been much in the way of "seasonal indulgence" for me (in terms of consumables) so I don't have that deficit to over come. I don't drink, no baking (haven't felt like it) a few bags of cheesies and slipped back into a little caffeine consumption - my body let me know in short order, it's displeasure with my choices, and I've discontinued.
The route I rode getting here, took me around part of the "water-front;" a pleasant scenic distraction to the "exercise," albeit the road is still in pretty rough shape, as the work continues to install, a sewage treatment plant, and pipelines to transport the discharge, to a secondary treatment facility. This is the longest ride of I have under-taken since resuming riding a few weeks ago. I feel good about that, although whether I need to adjust the seat, replace it, or just get accustomed again; I'm not enamoured, with the mashing of my gonads whilst riding.
I'm sitting at a table on the patio of this coffee shop, the overhead radiant heaters making it pretty comfy. I'm intermittently over-come with the glare of my "cycling" jacket. I decided soon after resuming riding, to attend to my visibility in traffic. I took note of various riders, pedestrians, road-work flag people. Though gaudy, these jackets are, unquestionably visible. I've always had lights (except on those occasions when they were stolen) but even in daylight hours, this time of year (rainy or low light) I noticed, that I could see those wearing the reflective clothing, before I could see their lights. So it's quite possible the only time I will wear it is riding, but I consider it would be an unfortunate irony, to resume riding for my health, and get creamed by a car (the most common cause of which is drivers say: "I just didn't see them!!") As a driver, I can say, I have encountered situations where that was true - until I was nearly upon them, they were virtually invisible. Of course the jacket doesn't override the need, to ride safely and be alert.
I don't place a great deal of stock in "the New Year," there are things I have in mind to do, but not because it's a new year - but, that I have a want to do them, and the time is right. I haven't trashed myself through the holiday, so I don't need to resolve to live"better."
I have a wide range, of "wellness" experience, from trying so many different approaches myself. I could be helpful in coaching others. I don't have the cookie cutter paradigm for anyone... a lot would depend on where they're at & what they hope to achieve... Much of what I'm doing, has been arrived at through trying it on, seeing how I respond to it, achieving some continuity (check in again)... how do I feel, when said activity, has been let go for awhile.. Adherence, while once all about "discipline" has softened to include - that the maintaining of certain "habits;" is a self-loving thing, for me to be doing. This includes doing what feels right for me (not what someone else "tells" me, I "should" be doing...) I'm not advocating the renouncing of discipline .... it has it's place and can be seen in the light of self-love as well - if it isn't inflexible and tyrannical.
My experience tells me, few people (myself included) respond well, to anything being enforced upon them - even if they are their own enforcer....
For me, wellness is a process, that happens within an over-arching intention of self-love (which in itself is an organic undertaking)... "Resolutions" - enforced, rigid, expectations, annually imposed -are I would say, part of a patriarchal mindset, that ignores a significant part of being human...
How can that be considered wellness?
R. O'Neill (December 29, 2019)
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