Tuesday, June 1, 2021 (Day 152)
Meditation Music for the week: In the Fields of Peace: Liquid Mind (8:06) – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JiUnxwRh1iw
Question: How satisfied are you with your social life?
Answer: This month starts the questions on Relationships – and I know this will most likely be a challenging one for me. But I’m ready to take on the challenge!
How satisfied am I with my social life? On a scale from 1 to 10, with 1 = I have NO social life to 10 = it’s awesome!, I would probably rate it a 6. It’s a funny question for me, because I think it was probably a 4 or 5 before the pandemic. I’m not a very social guy, except when I’m around my tribe and my daughters, when I’m a totally different person. Although I’m okay in a room full of people, I have a tendency to be more of a wallflower than the life of the party. Anyway, since the pandemic, I made it a goal to get 10,000 steps a day, which meant that along with my morning workout, I had to take our dog Laci out at least twice a day. I started taking her out for longer walks around the neighborhood and to the neighborhood across the street. Laci is a very beautiful dog with eyes that just melt your soul and has a very sweet nature about her (she’s an English Springer Spaniel). So, after a few walks, I met a couple who had just recently lost dogs and enjoyed hanging out with Laci, then another neighbor, and another. And now, we’ll have small gatherings of people around homes just because of this wonderful dog. I know that if I didn’t take her out for walks, I would know very few neighbors; now, I have a small social group of neighbors that I get to hang out with several times a week. And that didn’t happen before the pandemic. In fact, a few of those neighbors have now become golf partners and friends, so that’s been the BIG plus, since they didn’t close most of the golf courses around here during the pandemic. So, our dog Laci has been the key to me creating a bigger social life. And I thank my lucky stars that she’s a part of my life.
Other Stuff
I was trying to decide which of the articles to post today…so I decided to post all three. All three had a theme of making change, but each had a different spin on making change that I just found fascinating. Here are the articles:
- (From the section, How to Build a Life) A Once-in-a-Lifetime Chance to Start Over – https://www.theatlantic.com/family/archive/2021/05/happiness-end-pandemic-start-over/618870/
- Identity-Based Habits: How to Actually Stick to Your Goals This Year – https://jamesclear.com/identity-based-habits
- The joys of being an absolute beginner-for life – https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2021/jan/07/the-joys-of-being-an-absolute-beginner-for-life
The first article addressed provided strategies on how to deal with post-pandemic life, looking at it as a chance to start over. The second article was on goal-setting; but instead of focusing on the outcome and the process, which halts most people, spend your time defining the identity you want to have when you’ve incorporated the habit as a part of your life. Then take the steps to make it happen. The last articled talked about living your life with a beginner’s mindset, which is useful in seeing the world in a totally different way. All three were fascinating…and all I could do is smile as I read them. Might be something to check out if you’re interesting in learning and growing.
The Dream Dean 