Sometimes You Simply Need to Stop the World, Inhale, and Take a Therapeutic Break Just for Yourself to Realign

I suppose the 14-hour days were destined to burn me out. Class went well, although the emails poured in causing massive frustration of addressing the impossible, so after the joy of teaching, I needed emotional eating (an Italian Chicken Club from Sorrento's Import...to die for) and then a return home to put the backpack to the side, the laptop on the charger, and get the dog for one of the better Stratford hikes. 

I didn't sleep at all Thursday night. Running on empty, I drove Karal to Short Beach, laced her up, and trekked a five mile loop along the ocean. Aging means that it feels that there's a mini-rodent drilling its teeth into your hip bones, but when the weather man said, "It's one of the last summer-like afternoons," I knew I needed to go for the adventure. No radio. No technology. Just me and the dog.

I am grateful and thankful that I'm disciplined enough to know what I need when I need it. 

Tanya and I recorded the first of Write Out guest of this year's event, Awaken the Senses, or National Writing Project's The Write Out. It's always exciting to launch the two-week October event with the network, another series of days I thoroughly enjoy. I also am trying to embrace the metamorphosis of the adult male dad bod, wondering what to do now that I can't run like I used to. I look at food and pack on the pounds. I feel like I eat less in adult life, but it doesn't matter. Movement was always my way to counter it all, but I can't push the way I used to, and psychologically it perplexes me that I'm not my younger self, when I wasn't even award pain could exist.

Varian Johnson, the incredible writer, posted a photo of himself icing a knee and wrote his daughter wondered how he hurt himself. He simply responded, "I got old." I get it, Varian. I get it. 

And I hear it gets worse. All prayers for those older than me already contending with the cramps, aches, stomach issues, and muscle collapse. 

That's why I needed a long walk. They say it's the best we can do midlife, so it's what I did. 

I needed it more mentally than physically, however, but wish it didn't come with ankle throbbing and hip brutality. 

It is what it is and today is Friday. I am thanking God. Adding that 'o' - what can we do put keep good in our view.