I read my book this morning, I took a run, and I prayed. I also sat down to write to you about my cognitive dissonance and how big of a hypocrite I am.
I am a big proponent of getting back to the basics in life as a way to get yourself back on track, feel healthy, get your mind straight. It is something I have noticed incredibly impactful in my own life and others around me.
Running is one of my basic elements. It was everything for me at one point, and seemingly zero part of me during another, including recently. But, I grew up on it. I centered my life around it. Sometimes it doesn’t feel that way, but it is an integral part of who I am, because it was a part of the foundation of who I was growing up. I’ve gone through year long periods without taking a run. I’ve also gotten into the groove of running 40 miles a week. My life is better when it is a part of my day.
I love to read. My life is better when I am in a great book. It’s a palpable feeling that guides me to better days. I feel sharper, healthier, more in tune when pages are turning left and right. This is a feeling I got when I was younger. I vividly remember reading “A Series of Unfortunate Events” with my brother in our living room when I was probably 10. It was a riot of a time. It’s the first time I can remember loving to read. Yet, there’s been stretches of my life where I can’t seem to pick up a book for months.
I was raised having a relationship with God. I went to church almost every Sunday, went to a Catholic high school, and have a Catholic family through and through. It’s a centerpiece for me. While I’ve always had my own relationship with my faith and spirituality, there’s certainly been times where I’ve drifted and presumably will drift again. I started teaching at a Catholic school a year ago and we go to mass every Monday. I have felt a difference in this routine and what it’s led to. It’s a basic part of who I am.
There are other things I consider to be in my basics, but those are the big three. Pierce, Allen, Garnett. 2008 NBA Finals of my life. The hypocrisy I bring to the table is that I probably won’t run tomorrow. I may get lazy and leave the book on the shelf. And there’s a chance I don’t talk to the big guy for a second. I got ish to do that ain’t healthy for me. What I’ve learned in growing up is it’s easy to slip further and further away from the basics. However, it seems as though the answers we look for in our struggle of growth are often hidden in ourselves from years past.
I am going to stray from these three things that seem to always give me balance, you can count on that doc. It’s inevitable, but by golly am I going to fight to stick to it. We all have our basics, and I want you to take more than a second and think about yours and hold yourself accountable for knowing what works for you. There’s some answers in there that are going to help you out of your next rut. (You know that’s coming by the way right?)
If you read all the way through I really appreciate it. If it makes you want to write something you want to share with others, that would be dope too. No pressure.
