No Quiet Desperation!

Most of us have flown and heard the speech about making sure that in case of an emergency, put the oxygen mask on yourself before assisting others. I have sometimes struggled with this concept in life but at one point realized that if I don’t take care of myself I can’t take care of those who count on me.

This manifested itself after building a career and family without paying attention to my health both in a physical way as well as mental/spiritual. I’d gained weight, struggled with stress, and began to fall down that trap of self medicating through food or drink. I realized I needed to step back and figure out what I might be missing to shake off the stress, deal with it head on, and be the happy and strong person my family and employer needed. Yes, I threw in “employer” as we often blame work for our ills but quite often it’s a circular problem of being unhappy and taking it to work. This makes being effective at work a challenge which then causes stress from poor performance which then again causes us to sink deeper. I knew I needed to go back to something that would enhance my life. Since I used to ride and race bikes when I was younger I got a new bike and started riding. This was the beginning of constant pursuit of personal athletic goals that ranged from riding centuries (100 miles rides), doing triathlons, and even running trail ultra marathons.

For me, putting on my own mask was getting moving and finding adventure. It was one of the things that sparked the “no quiet desperation!” in my life. It can be a long process that I’m still working hard on as life continues to throw me challenges. Sometimes I find myself in quiet desperation still and have to make sure I pick the mask that has oxygen and not mustard gas. It’s more apparent that you think…..