That little voice in your head…

Last weekend I had a ticket to a live show that I was really excited about. As the concert approached I realized that none of my friends were in town/available and I very well may have to go by myself.

It may not seem like a big deal to some, but this was very daunting for me because I’m a really social guy. The concert was on a Sunday night, in a not great part of town, and all the people there willl be like “who’s this weird guy at a show by himself?”…

I haven’t spent much time alone over the last 20 years of my life and I definitely haven’t been to a concert by myself.

As the hours drew closer I started making up reasons and justifications for why I might not go.

This couch is awful comfy!
I don’t know where to park in that part of town.
That’s kind of a sketchy area, I probably shouldn’t be walking alone down there.
No one will know if I skip the show.
People at the show will think you’re weird for going alone.

So, about an hour before the show I got ready, and headed out the door. When I got to the venue I found nearby parking, and tons of people heading to the same place as me. It only took about 15 minutes into the show to realize that going alone was no big deal and actually quite fantastic.

I experienced the performance on a much deeper level than past concerts. There was no one to check in with, or try to shout to while the band was playing. Even though I went to the show alone, I had a very real, connected experience with all these strangers and I loved it. I don’t know if they felt the connection the same way, but I hope that they did!

As I walked back to my car, in that sketchy part of town with all of these people, all of the feelings I had before the concert were gone. In it’s place was a feeling of connection, joy, and a tiny bit of hearing impairment. 😁🥰

I guess the moral of the story is don’t listen to that stupid voice inside your head. Just tell it to shut up and jump in with both feet because we’re capable of more than we know and the experience is always worth it!

Two or three or seventeen things

Here are a few of the things I’ve been working on keeping as my primary focus.

• There are no right or wrong decisions, just decisions.
• If I’m feeling an uncomfortable emotion like sadness, allow myself to feel it and remember that all feelings are temporary.  Even big ones like love and infatuation grow, shrink, and change over time.
• I will share the things that bring me joy with my daughter, so that hopefully she learns to love them as well.
• Get outside!!!!!  This is THE summer of my lifetime!  I am in killer shape, my squad/tribe is fucking top notch, and I’m single with very few obligations.
• Continue to surround myself with wise, beautiful, youthful people who can remind me of the journey I’m on when I start to go astray.
• Take lots of pictures!
• Life is a beautiful mess, so try to find some meaning for yourself because it’s also painfully short.

That’s what I’ve got for now. ❤

Three months???

Whoa, has it really been three months?

Where did the time go?

Let’s see if I can do the one minute catch up, shall we?

In November I went to Europe. I flew to Amsterdam to visit friends that moved there for work. I visited Belgium (Bruge and Ghent), stopped at a trappist brewery to pick up some of the best beer in the world, and spent a day in Koln Germany drinking Kolsch at the source.

Christmas was pretty great. My daughter had a great holiday. She got lots of great little presents that she mostly forgot about in a couple months.

In January I started focusing on lifting heavier weights to put on some size/muscle with my gym squad.

I went to a friend’s dirty 30, which wasn’t really THAT dirty… unless you count the song they sang to her at the piano bar. 🙂

I dated someone casually for almost two months, but decided to end it because I could tell she wasn’t “the one”.

I started playing indoor soccer in a casual coed league.

I started snowboarding again.

I had many pizza nights, all of which were filled with the most beautiful people (inside and out) that one could ask for.

I went to a beer festival in Astoria Oregon with my homie.

Attended a friends restaurant opening, did an escape room, went snowboarding some more, increased the size of my squad, etc…

Ummm… I guess that’s about it.

So, where does that leave me now?

Well, I’m once again kind of floundering on where to go with my fitness goals. I feel like I might need an event to train for, or some easily measurable goal. Maybe I should sign up for a spartan race? We’ll see where I go with that one.

One thing I have decided on is that it’s time for a cut. I’m going to shoot for losing about 10 pounds of fat over the next two months. It’s a little bit aggressive, but I know I can do it and I want to see what my increase in muscle mass looks like at a lower body fat percentage.

Also, I’ve scheduled a last minute mini vacation to visit my friend Kevin in Los Angeles. We’re planning on hitting up six flags, universal studios, and now we’re scheduled to catch a Jim Jeffries stand up show in Hollywood.

I’m also in the initial stages of planning for a return to Disneyland with my daughter this summer. I’m thinking that we’ll go for MY birthday this year, which means I will get a birthday pin! Also, it will be time for a rematch with the Incredicoaster. My daughter was a hair too short to ride it last summer, but this time it’s gonna be LIT!

When I get around to it my next post will probably go back to deep introspection, my “dating life” (hahaha), and the EPIC SUMMER that my friends and I are starting to plan.

Love yourself!

❤

Why being alone is a good thing

Today while taking a brisk walk around the business park where I work, listening to a podcast, I had a thought about being alone.  I realized that when a really big life event such as a break up, divorce, or death occurs being alone can be a GOOD thing.

I’ve come face to face with my strengths, weaknesses, flaws, desires and how I can leverage all of them regardless of whether they’re perceived as “good” or “bad”.

The time you spend with yourself serves as a reminder who you really are.  For me this meant recognizing the little bits of me that I lost, or really just kind of lost focus of.  I’m not saying that I didn’t know who I was, but I absolutely lost sight of my authentic self.  I bent over backwards to try and help someone who seemed lost, to the point where it started to pull me down with them.

At this point you may be wondering what things I’ve re-discovered about myself?

I am a charismatic people person who’s also deeply introspective, empathetic to a fault,  and self deprecating.  (just typing that made me feel douchey…)  I’ve realized that this helps bring people together, but could also be used to convince people to carry out my agenda.  Don’t worry though, I promise I only use my powers for good!!!

I’m an optimist who wants the best for EVERYONE, but I feel it deeply and personally when someone is hurt or fails.  If those people fail, I feel like I’ve failed too.

I ABSOLUTELY LOVE to fix things.  Whether it’s a physically tangible inanimate object, or someone’s emotional/physical/spiritual problems… I just wanna help, but I gotta learn not to take on other people’s baggage.  While it’s great to share most experiences in life, some are better left to yourself.

The inverse of some of these trains is that I can be a little bit of a control freak.  I’m “type A” mixed with a naturally anxious/panicky personality.  This was very bluntly pointed out to me in therapy, but I also recognize how this may have affected my previous marriage.

This desire to plan is a form of control that I’ve used to minimize my anxiety.  A great deal of time after my divorce I learned that a HUGE part of my anxiety was a response to the bad things going on in my relationship.  I’ve always wondered if any of that control and anxiety further contributed to the relationship problems.  Oh well, doesn’t matter now!

At this point you’re probably thinking this guy is quite the shit show…  🙂

But!!!! There’s more!

I’ve also learned that I love fixing myself.  I started going to the gym.  I started dieting, which became a new normal for me with my nutrition.  I’ve chosen to shoulder less of other people’s burdens.

I am forcing myself to not take negative comments or actions against me personally.  I try to do this by identifying what influence caused the person to do or say it in the first place.

I speak with intention, and try to be as direct and sincere as possible.

I share my thoughts and feelings freely.  I am not afraid to give a compliment, because I only give them if I mean it.  There is enough negativity out there, so why not be a conduit for positivity?

I quickly recognize and squash unspoken expectations I’ve put on others.  I’ll only share them if they’re reasonable and truly important to me.

In my future relationships I will remain one of two separate people who choose to share our individual lives with each other, not try to mesh almost every aspect of our lives together.

Finally, I will only pursue someone that pursue’s me back, because what’s the point of being with someone if they don’t truly desire to be with you too?

So, after all of that rambling I must address when being alone is a bad thing…

If you’re lonely, and you’re having trouble finding joy, whether it be in the little things or your favorite hobby, then maybe you shouldn’t be alone at that moment.

Call your friends.  Call your family.  Get outside.  Go to where people are.  Keep busy.  Find a repetitive trivial task.  See your therapist.  Get some exercise.  Just don’t allow yourself to wallow for too long, nothing good ever comes of it.

–Chris

I’ve found my tribe

This last week was the Thanksgiving holiday and it’s common to reflect on what you’re thankful for in your life over the previous year.

As we’ve established on this blog, the last year was a trying one to say the least…

So, what am I thankful for this year?

All of the wonderful people that have allowed me to pull them into my circle and/or let me into theirs.  The pre-existing friendships that have been solidified, and the new ones that I’ve forged have been the crux of my emotional recovery.

All of my friends have seemingly come from the gym I go to.  These friends allow me to challenge them daily and reciprocate by pushing me to give 100% every time I’m there.  We build each other up, and make each other believe that we can accomplish anythig.  We come up with silly modifications that make exercises more challenging, if not entertaining…  There’s flirty interactions, flattering comments, pats on the ass, heart emojis, deep thoughts born out of reflection and pure emotions, and the occasional casual wink in passing between friends.

I am excited about my prospects for the future.  It looks bright, and I’m ready for whatever the hell is coming my way.  Bring it on life, because I plan on making you my bitch!

❤