Day 2
Gratitudes
I’m thankful for my biological siblings, they are so amazing and supportive. It’s been a trip watching them grow-up.
I’m thankful that I live in California. The west coast is the best coast...most of the time.
I’m thankful for my friends. They love me unconditionally. There is something wonderful about the deep respect and commitment found between friends.
Exercise
- 40 min sunrise run
Meditation
15 Mins of Meditation
Random Acts of Kindness
Complimented a friend.
I woke up parched. Grabbed some water and look at the clock. It was 3:30 in the morning except this Thursday, I had nowhere to go. So why on earth was I awake at this ungodly hour? I spend the next few hours trying to sleep before grabbing Dom and heading to the pool deck for early morning water polo practice. I fully intended on crawling back into my comfy bed but driving back home I realized I had a choice. I could choose to be happy or at least complete one of my “happy tasks,” before 6:30am.
I have battled serious depression and burnout in the past. The kind of depression where I don't want to leave my bed for days. Over the years, I’ve come up with a few different mantras to coax myself out from under sheets. One that often comes to mind is an Elizabeth Taylor quote:
“You just do it. You force yourself to get up. You force yourself to put one foot before the other, and God damn it, you refuse to let it get to you. You fight. You cry. You curse. Then you go about the business of living. That’s how I’ve done it. There’s no other way.”
One foot in front of the other.
This morning I felt my insomnia and my depressive tendencies tag teaming me into crawling back under the sheets. But I made a choice. I threw on my workout clothes and just drove. The sun was rising as I picked my trail, and I ran until depression and insomnia became yesterday’s problem.
We can’t alway choose. There are times when the sadness is so deeply embedded in our brain chemistry that we stay in bed, cry and ignore phone calls.
However this morning I was able to choose, empowered by the first choice I made that kick started my day. Did I forget my computer charger at home? Yes. Did I spill all the quarters from my wallet onto the coffee shop floor while wearing a slightly-too-short sun dress? Yes. Was the internet not working at coffee shop number one? You guessed it! Yes.
Do I care? Not today, because I watched the sunrise over the Auburn Folsom River as I ran along the canyon walls. If everything goes wrong later on, at least I exercised. More importantly, I’m training my brain to keep making positive decisions.