Reaching Halfway

Global life expectancy is 74 and today I turned thirty seven. Thirty seven is half of 74… Wow. 

Having reached my halfway, I wanted to jot down some reflections:

1. There will never be enough time for it all. Every day there is more to learn than I will ever learn. Each person is deeper than I can see. Infinite music, infinite ignorance, infinite emotion, infinite connection. Nature is more infinite still. Being a tiny animal, whatever I can grasp must be enough.
   
   
2. Some long-held dreams are rooted in long-held injuries. Maybe it isn’t a mystical tower waiting to be explored, but a flashing signpost marking buried treasure. It pays to check the dungeons first. Of course, some dreams are as pure and awesome as ever (I’m looking at you, Antarctica).
   
   
3. Life is better if we try to help each other.
   
   
4. Clean food and water. Shelter, warmth and comfort. Self-autonomy and integrity. Tranquil moments and deep sleeps. Experience, education, and usefulness (skill). Connection, identity, and community. Health and self-esteem. Purpose (faith), truth, and love. Joy. Strength. Care for myself and others. These are the real resources I should be accumulating.
   
   
5. Tyrannies, whether private or public, are everywhere. Tyrannies function to obtain my real resources through ideology, bribery, or force. The default exchange rates totally suck. It is easy to exchange integrity for false-standing, experience for brainrot entertainment, or self-autonomy for a feeling of security. Tyrannies strive to make the exchange feel ever more seamless, convenient, and culturally aligned. RESIST.
   
   
6. My glutes and hammies are all knotted up. I’ve been guilty for years of simply using more strength to compensate for the knots, but that’s a losing game. Using strength and willpower to fight through the knots in my muscles and mind seems to twist my thoughts and movement patterns. Better to heal. Better yet, let a healer help. Let them hold my heart gently and drive their elbows into my spasms mercilessly. Amen.
   
   
7. Learning to love myself has irresistibly changed the focus of my life.