Carl resigns himself to human silliness

 What can Carl teach me today?

After some initial resistance, my grand-dog Carl accepted the silly basketball jersey his humans put on him, and just flopped down on their door mat.

Isn't that what a lot of us do with "go along to get along" behaviors?  It might explain why we eat more than we really need, just because our friends are indulging?  Or why we flop on the couch to watch a movie, because we want to spend time with a loved one, and that's the thing you both might enjoy?

It takes a bit of effort to exert ourselves to get our own needs met... Carl eventually got his taken care of in this little story.  Son's GF (the photographer) said after they got the photo, they soon took it off, and even let him out of his collar so he could enjoy his natural "nudist" self for a while.

A lot of living a healthy lifestyle is about balance.  Balance of various needs.  I was pondering about this lately, as I have been in a time of "easy living" with healthy habits.  Why is it that some times are easier than others?

In a couple of blogs this week I explored the effect of the stress of circumstance, and when that stress evokes the determined response in myself.  We really have to pay attention to all kinds of needs!  One of those needs is the need to feel that we are "doing something" about that stress of circumstance.  And many times (more often than we might like) those circumstances are not something we can personally control.

For example:  

• the earthquake in Haiti.  
• The wildfires in places near and far.  
• The exit from Afghanistan of US and allied forces... and the people who are exposed to danger because of it.  

If we are not physically there, we can't go dig in the rubble ourselves, help put out the fire, try to guide or shelter the fleeing people.  If we don't have the skill set or resources to GET there, we cannot directly help.  If we don't have the right skill set for the job, even if we could get there, we might just be in the way of others more equipped to help.

Too much news coverage can just spin up our emotions.  My kid sis described me as an "empath" in a recent conversation.  "These are tough times for empaths" she quipped.  Let me make it clear, I am no Deanna Troi (the Star Trek counsellor, who was half Betazoid, and a true empath, capable of feeling the emotions of others).  But I do tend to project myself into the shoes of others, with a "how would I feel if..." mindset.  In short, I'm a softie.

I have a life-long tendency to "eat" my emotions.  The important lesson for those of us who are emotional eaters to learn is that OUR eating over a situation will not make it better!  Depending on our individual circumstances, we might be able to change our behavior, budget a donation to a cause, etc., but eating because there are starving children in Africa doesn't feed THOSE children!

The same is true of watching news:  is my watching this, and hanging on every word going to help the people being depicted?  If not, and it's raising your hackles, might be time to turn it off!  When you are in the middle of it, you can't turn it off, but if you're NOT in the middle of it, it might be better to do something that prepares to help, or at the very least calms our own emotions!

Various folks I know clean like demons when under emotional turmoil.  I have found this works, if I can get myself started.  So does getting active.  Moving the body gives us the sense that we are "doing something"!  So this morning, I shall be out to do those intervals between the rain showers that seem to be descending on us.

The pep talk:

For today, let's 

• "Eat what's in the bag", 
• "Remember to go to recess", and 
• "Remember to breathe".  

Even without the Spark site, we can keep on sharing our Spark of motivation to nourish ourselves, and take care of our health, physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual.  Let's LIVE, this one and only Friday, August 20, 2021 we'll ever get, best we can do.  And that is enough!

Life is good!  Spark on!  💖✨