Rae Roy's Blog, page 58

Thoughtful Thursday – 12 Thoughts About Success

[image error]I’m thinking about success today. What it means to be successful. What I have to do to get there. What I’m willing to sacrifice. Everything costs something in this world.

The truth is that success means something different to everyone. To some it’s massive wealth, to others it’s being sought after for your intellect. To me it means achieving my goals and getting to enjoy the results.

1. Life isn’t all beer and skittles

Human beings aren’t fulfilled when they have only playtime. We need our existence to mean something and if all we do is eat, drink, and play, there is nothing that separates us from animals. We wouldn’t have movies, books, TV, airplanes, cars, electricity, the Internet, and more if we weren’t driven to do more with our brief lives. These things are fantastic, but everything is subject to diminishing returns. They need to be enjoyed in moderation. Only you can limit your playtime. We all need some playtime though, so make a little time to play those video games, go on a drunken weekend adventure with buds, or whatever works for you.

2. Haste makes waste, but when one door shuts, another opens

Patience is a virtue. Virtues aren’t easy to live by. They take commitment. Patience is one I struggle with most. I was eager to be born and arrived a couple of weeks early. As a child, when I wanted something like access to my sandbox, it had to be “right now, daddy!” But I recognized this in myself as I grew up and martial arts is something that has helped me with it. Many things you just can’t achieve overnight. They require long-term effort.

Any port will do in a storm, but after the storm calm returns you have to deal with the fact that you may be in a different place than you intended. Sometimes it’s worth exploring that road and sometimes it’s too much of a detour. Knowing yourself and your goals can help you figure out which it is.

3. Things don’t come to those who wait

Things only come to those who wait if they’ve laid the matching groundwork for the thing they await. Goal achievement takes hard work and patience. To an outsider, a successful person looks lucky because they don’t see all the times that person sacrificed. They don’t see the holidays missed to learn a new skill, so you could be ready to make use of it when an opportunity came about. Opportunities also mean nothing if you aren’t willing to take a leap. This leap isn’t without risk, but you must calculate the risk instead of jumping blindly in like a fool. If you hesitate too much, you miss out completely.

All that said, some things do fix themselves. This is something you learn if you work in management. Not every fire is real. If you call the fire department because your smoke alarm is going off, you might be paying a bunch of money to them because your microwave burnt some popcorn. It’s more important to know when to wait and when to strike.

3. Punctuality is the soul of business

The early bird gets the worm, but if you aren’t a bird, getting up early may not make sense. Being on time doesn’t necessarily mean a specific range of hours, but the time that puts you where you need to be when you need to be there. Being on time for an important meeting may mean you have to sacrifice elsewhere in your life in order to meet someone outside of office hours.

Some people are a little more time blessed than others, but being in the right place and time is only the right place and time if you have the skills needed to seize the opportunity. Nobody gets anywhere on luck alone. You can’t win the lottery without buying a ticket and it’s more likely that you’ve bought many over the years.

4. Little strokes fell great oaks

Sometimes all we can give is five minutes. Five minutes a day towards a goal adds up over time. Five minutes a day over a year comes out to about 30 hours. That’s nearly one full work week. Maybe you have financial goals, but you don’t have much you can set aside. Five dollars a day comes to $1,825 at year’s end. It may not seem like much, but that would be enough to pay off my credit card twice with some left over. And if you can only save a dollar a day? You’ll have $365 to go towards something like an extra payment on an outstanding loan to help you get out of debt faster.

Things like martial arts, learning an instrument, learning to write, building careers, and building relationships all take effort spread out into manageable chunks over time. Learning this fact has helped me with goal achievement.

5. Walnuts and pears you plant for your heirs

Some things you do may be meant for your children to reap the benefits from because they just can’t get to a usable state during the time you have to live. This is OK. It’s good to have goals of varying time frames. Short term goals like tackling the mountain of dishes can help us feel better equipped to tackle bigger goals like editing a novel. In doing those smaller things, you gain a feeling of accomplishment that helps you feel better about the other things you haven’t finished yet.

6. What cannot be cured must be endured

There will be bumps along the way. Some you can get around easily. When dealing with those, you can’t meet them half-way. You have to fix them or they’ll keep resurfacing and continually eat away at your time, budget, and energy.

Some are immovable objects like a health condition that you just have to accept. Having an autoimmune condition, I know this. Luckily, mine is mild compared to some, but it still screws up my plans sometimes. I have the choice of how to deal with it. I can let it stop me and label myself a victim, or I can plan things for when I run into a wall of fatigue and can’t do much but watch TV. The unexpected always happens at the worst time. If I have things on my to-do list that I can do when I’m tired like read a movie script or book, then I’m still accomplishing something. Sleep isn’t a waste either. I need to make time to take care of myself or I’ll find myself on a path to an early grave and it’s hard to accomplish things when dead.

7. It is better to travel hopefully than to arrive

Remember the turtle and the hare. They each had their own way of doing things. Everyone knows if the hare hadn’t taken a nap, he would’ve won the race, but we all manage situations differently. Don’t compare yourself to others. The journey is often better than the end result, so it’s important to enjoy yourself along the way. It’s the journey that teaches and sculpts you, so stop and smell the roses, but watch out for thorns while you do.

Your path to success will be different even if you have the same goal as I have. We’re different people, we make different decisions, and we have different tolerance levels for hardship. The path can be bumpy, but those bumps make you appreciate the smooth portions more. A smooth ride after a bumpy one feels like heaven, unless you love bumpy rides. A completely smooth ride is like the flat-line on a heart monitor.

As a tech geek, I’m looking forward to the day when we can just teleport somewhere, but I know we’ll lose something when that day comes. Those goofy pics in gigantic Adirondack chairs taken near a highway pit-stop won’t exist anymore. Maybe we’ll have holodecks so we can simulate them. Journeys create memories that tell stories and humans love stories.

8. Self-preservation is the first law of nature

Don’t let people tell you that you have to get involved in every social issue or other similar nonsense. No one has an infinite amount of energy to devote to the things they are passionate about let alone make time for things that don’t excite them. Living life in a way that focuses on obligation rather than passion makes you resentful and eventually dead inside.

It’s better to focus on a limited number of things and do those things well. You don’t need to be everything to anyone let alone everybody. What would the world be today if Einstein hadn’t focused on his Theory of Relativity?

9. The rotten apple injures its neighbour

Some goals require you to work with others. It’s crucial to be picky about who you decide to work with. If their goals don’t match up with yours, you end up with a result that doesn’t work, possibly a broken friendship, damage to both your careers, and more. You never have to sign a contract that isn’t right for you. You don’t have to stay in the wrong dojo, the wrong writing group, the wrong band, the wrong job, etc. Only you can protect yourself. Remember that it’s too late to shut the stable door after the horse has bolted. Time and tide wait for no one.

10. What you’ve never had you never miss

Many of my goals are about getting back to myself. The life I once had. I know it won’t be the same and I don’t want it to be. I’ve grown much as a person. I know what is missing in my life and that’s why I pursue writing, music, and theatre related things harder than any other. They’ve been a part of who I am since I was a young girl. I’ve tried so many other things and they’ve all felt like a lie. One can’t successfully lie to oneself.

Who knows? Maybe there’s something else out there I could be awesome at like airplane mechanics. My high school aptitude test thought so. But I’ve lived the life of a mechanic’s daughter. I’ve seen him get injured. I’ve seen the dirt that wouldn’t leave the underneath of his fingernails. I’ve seen how much his back hurts after a lifetime of oil changes. I know mechanical skills are arguably more practical, but I also know automation is going to change that.

It really doesn’t make sense to worry about other things you could be doing unless you aren’t truly passionate about the path you’re pursuing. This doesn’t mean you won’t have days where you hate it and wonder what you’re doing and why. Every job has crappy parts.

11. Don’t cross the bridge until you come to it

It’s OK to know what the bridge looks like and even dream about it, but you can’t go around announcing that you’ve crossed it when you haven’t even reached it unless you want to look foolish. Seeing one bird when the ground is blanketed in snow isn’t a signal to celebrate summer. It’s not spring until you can plant your foot upon twelve dandelions. Wait until contracts are signed before you share the news. I learned this the hard way when I was younger. I was supposed to be involved in choreographing fight scenes for a play in my hometown. I was super excited about it and posting about it on social media. They decided to go a different direction that didn’t involve me and I felt like an idiot.

It’s also not the best use of time to worry about things that may never happen. That doesn’t mean you do prepare for bad things, but you don’t let the possibility of it happening consume your thoughts and take you away from achieving goals in the present.

12. After dinner rest a while, after supper walk a mile

Some of the other points may seem like they’re contradictory. They all need a special ingredient called balance. If you spend so much of your time in business meetings that you never get time with your family or for yourself to think, you end up unhappy and get sick more often because you don’t get to enjoy the fruits of your labour. Sacrificing time is OK done in moderation, but remember that you won’t get that time back. Spend it wisely.

A watched pot never boils over. It may seem like it takes longer for it to boil. It doesn’t. Monitoring how you’re doing will let you know where you need to spend more time and help you be happy, healthy, and financially stable, which is a whole lot better than just wealthy in my opinion.

Guid cheerio the nou,

R~

Filed under: Musings Tagged: Discipline

Warrior Wednesday – Inching Closer

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As my home gets cleaner, I see more mess.

This is true of my Iaido as well. The more I work to refine my technique, the more I can spot problems in it.

I think it’s a sign of maturity. The longer I practice, the more I am exposed to people above me that do it closer to the ideal. I said ideal because I haven’t met anyone who thinks they do it “right”. Indeed, even 8th Dan senseis have stated they still struggle with their grip or some other thing.

This is true of life as well. This year has opened my eyes to much. I no longer look upon the world with the rose-coloured glasses of a child. I no longer see issues as black-and-white, but in scales of grey. To some degree, this makes me sad, but mostly I’m happy that I know more today than I ever have before.

What that knowledge tells me is that I still have so much to learn in all facets of life.

I’m working hard to improve my writing skills. This fall, I’ll be learning to write in some new structures and for different audiences. I’m looking forward to it. Even more so after diligently reading the descriptions for each of my courses. I should come out of it with a portfolio and hopefully someone will buy my scripts.

This change may make it hard to get to one of my practices, especially in winter, but I’m going to try my best to make it happen. I’m unsure if I want to attempt gradings this year. I suppose it will depend on if I feel ready and if I have the money for them. There are a couple of seminars before then next grading opportunities come that should help me know if I’m ready. Right now, I don’t think so, but who knows where I’ll be in a couple of months?

Guid cheerio the nou,

R~

Filed under: Martial Arts Tagged: Honesty

Theatrical Tuesday – Sharknado 5 Review

[image error]Seeing a movie such as Sharknado 5 when you missed Sharknado 2, 3, and 4, is quite a thing.

Despite how far-fetched the premise in the original movie was, it seemed at least somewhat plausible. There was at least water everywhere there were sharks.

Not in Sharknado 5.

Prepare for a lot of suspension of disbelief in this one.

EFFECTS

The effects were well done for the level of the movie.

ACTING

The main actress rarely changed her expression despite the situation. Perhaps a good samurai face, but not one for connecting with the audience. It was hard to tell if she even cared about her son.

WRITING

There were a lot of funny lines and the script met the expected level for a B-movie. There were some great groan-inducing puns. It did have me wonder if I should put obviously false information in my scripts or if they did that to connect back to the tagline “Make America Bait Again.” Regardless, it led me to fact check some things and I ended up learning something new about sharks because of it. It made fun of a lot of things and I enjoyed that aspect of it.

OVERALL IMPRESSION

I enjoyed heckling the film with some close friends. If you’re looking for a silly movie, try this one out.

Guid cheerio the nou,

R~

 

Filed under: Reviews Tagged: Movies

Merry Monday – 2017 Civic Weekend

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Well, my weekend has been a bit of a roller coaster of emotions. Sometimes I get extremely frustrated. Especially if my B12 levels get low. The frequency that I curse rises the lower my B12 levels are. When they get low, I get upset easily and feel really angry. It sucks. What sucks even more is somehow always forgetting that’s what’s making me upset until it gets bad. I had been slightly reacting to the cherry flavoured sublingual ones. I’m annoyed I can’t seem to find the unflavoured kind now. They tasted fine. I don’t need my vitamins to taste like candy. Anyway, the sublingual ones are 1000 mcg and the only ones I could find when I went that didn’t have a bunch of extra additives were 250 mcg. You can see how that became a problem, I’m sure.

My original plans for the weekend included seeing my significant other, but he was sick and not up for seeing anyone. We don’t get a lot of time together because our schedules rarely align. It’s something we’re working on, of course, but it is what it is.

I ended up watching movies and attending a webinar. Webinars are always iffy. You learn a bit, but they often feel like sitting through a time share presentation. This one wasn’t so heavy with marketing that I didn’t learn anything. It did make me interested in taking the course it was promoting. Perhaps once school is done.

It started off really hot, so I was also cranky because of that until I stopped being an idiot. Then I remembered my adjustable tabletop laptop table has a fan built into it to keep the laptop cool, which actually helps keep me and the house cool too. I also brought my fan out of the bedroom.

Cleaning off my balcony helped my mood. It was satisfying to sit out there and enjoy a breeze. It would’ve been nice to have a gluten free beer or cider while sitting out there, but I was too broke to buy any.

Later, I caught a squirrel climbing on my balcony screen door.

I didn’t mind that it got cold later, though I know that wrecked the long weekend for some. It made it easier to do things like clean the balcony.

Only trouble is, cleaning the balcony has left me with a pulled right hamstring muscle. I went for my “run” anyway, which was pretty much all walking. There are things around the house to pick up, but I can’t bend over to do that, so it will have to wait. My thigh will have a date with a tennis ball to hopefully work that out since I don’t own a foam roller.

As I look around my place, I still see so much that needs to be done, but I’m took broken to do it today.

Last night, I tried to play a free game that is supposed to work with my laptop, but doesn’t. The graphics are so bad that I can’t see the characters to even choose the one I want to play. It was frustrating to find this out after hours of patching the thing. I was looking forward to catching up with friends who don’t live near me. It’s always more fun while gaming.

Anyway, I suppose I should get on with the rest of this holiday Monday. It’s not really a holiday for many who work for themselves. I’m choosing to start living my school schedule to a degree to be sure I’ll be able to do things like exercise before school. Looks like I need to get up earlier than I am right now, which means also going to sleep earlier.

I’m not sure what I’m really trying to say with all of this today, except perhaps I’m not feeling as merry as I’d like today, so I best end it here.

Guid cheerio the nou,

R~

Filed under: Musings Tagged: Discipline

Symphonic Saturday – Cleaning Up

[image error]As the summer begins its wind down on the second last long weekend before school begins, I’m frenetically decluttering my living spaces to create an environment that encourages writing and learning.

I decided that I was done with trying to grow fruits and vegetables on my balcony. It just doesn’t work for me. So I cleared away the pots and loaded them into my car. I cleared the rest of the junk and swept. I’ve kept two small pots in case I want a few flowers for something pretty to look at while I sit outside enjoying a breeze and reading or writing. It’s what I needed. There’s a community garden nearby that I may be able to rent space from in the future if I can ever afford to anyway.

The rest of the work is inside my home. Paper to digitize or discard. Dishes and laundry that always manage to manifest into a mountain and threaten to overtake my living space. These remaining chores are always enhanced by music. And I love listening to vinyl while doing them. The need to walk over and flip the LP to the other side or choose a new one encourages a pause to take stock of where I’ve gotten. It also makes me stretch my legs, which is something I often forget while immersed in tales of characters battling dragons and themselves.

I’m hoping the wood returns to its normal colour, but here’s my cleaned up balcony.

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I hope everyone has a great weekend. I forgot I’m supposed to be in a webinar! I guess the music and the rest of the cleaning needs to wait a moment.

Guid cheerio the nou,

R~

Filed under: Music, Musings

Frisky Friday – Maple Syrup Porn

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While delving into some Canadian film history this week, I learned that there is a thing called Maple Syrup Porn. I laughed when I read the term. I thought, “Is our adult film industry really called Maple Syrup Porn?”

It’s not. Some is Canadian, but it mostly refers to getting around censorship of sex. It was not only common in Quebec due to religion, but several places in the US.

You can read more about it here.

If you’re looking to heat things up this weekend, consider a sweet old film from the early days of the sexual revolution. Maybe even drizzle a little syrup on your partner

Thoughtful Thursday – 8 Pieces of Wisdom from My Teenage Self

[image error]While cleaning up my home including my drives, I stumbled onto some words I wrote in 1999. I called them “Self Guidelines”. Maybe they’ll be helpful to someone today.

Help others if it’s in my power AND they want me to.
Don’t let a guy come between my best friend and I.
Don’t do something that will put someone else in a bad position even if they deserve it.
Approach situations and people with an open mind.
Find the good in others.
Keep emotions in check.
Don’t force others to feel the way you do. Respect that they may feel differently.
Be open and honest with the people you love.

I lost my way for a little while, but I found my way back.

Guid cheerio the nou,

R~

Filed under: Musings Tagged: Compassion, Courage, Discipline, Honesty, Honour, Loyalty, Respect

Warrior Wednesday – Always Learning

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On Sunday, I had a moment at martial arts where I learned I have been doing something wrong for 4 years.

These things come up sometimes.

What was it?

Standing up.

Yep. I know how that sounds.

We’re supposed to be getting up and down with almost all of our weight on the balls of our feet.

Apparently.

At least I wasn’t alone in this. A dojo mate and I had been putting much of our weight on our toes. Well, that led to him wondering why his big toe was sore all the time. Since I had injured mine before my last grading attempt, I wasn’t wondering why it hurt, but rather if it would ever heal. Him asking the question gave us both important information. Thanks dojo mate!

Anyway, I need to relearn a basic thing. Initially, I was frustrated. I can’t even stand up right! How the hell did I get this far? Why didn’t anyone tell me this sooner?!

We also noticed our right foot is great at telling when it’s facing straight ahead. Our left feels like it’s over-rotated and the heel is sticking out when it’s facing straight ahead. Another basic thing to fix.

The thing I find most interesting about that one is that our personal perception is so different than reality. I love how much martial arts teaches me beyond the art itself as so much of it is directly applicable to life.

And these are things I can work on at home without the worry of smashing a light bulb overhead. I’m still finding glass. It’s way less frequent, but still occasionally happening. I’m sure it’ll end soon. Most things in life are temporary. This stumbling block in my training is temporary too.

Guid cheerio the nou,

R~

Filed under: Martial Arts Tagged: Discipline

Theatrical Tuesday – A Review of Liberty Stands Still

[image error]I was almost an extra soccer fan in a thriller this week, but they decided they needed fewer extras. Ah well, I’m on the list in case something happens to any of the others. Maybe next time. I’m not sure today’s post would’ve been very different as films typically involve NDAs.

I’m going to start highlighting Canadian films and TV shows on this blog because there is a lack of marketing around them and I believe that is a major thing affecting our industry up here. Marketing is expensive and with much of the limited budget gone on making the films themselves, there isn’t much left to spread the word.

Liberty Stands Still is a 2002 thriller written and directed by Ottawa’s own, . She is an award-winning, female, Canadian film director.

TAGLINE (from IMDB)

Liberty, the wife of a gun manufacturer, is held hostage at a hot dog stand by a sniper seeking revenge.

LEADING ACTORS

Wesley Snipes plays Joe the sniper who holds Liberty (Linda Fiorentino) hostage at a hot dog stand.

RECEPTION

This particular film wasn’t well received because it takes a hard stance on gun control to the point of being offensive to many gun owners. At least that’s the story from some critics. Bowling for Columbine came out the same year and was well received by Hollywood, earning an Oscar.

SOUND

One thing I noticed lacking was the soundtrack. Most of the time there was a dead air kind of sound perhaps like a phone where people have stopped talking, which sort of makes sense for the film, but doesn’t help people connect to the story.

It seemed like it was stock sound when there was any and US films often have great soundtracks because they encourage the audience to emotionally connect with the film and when you’re making such a strong statement, you need to work harder to connect with the audience. Here’s the soundtrack list for Bowling for Columbine. Interestingly, Bowling for Columbine’s budget was 7 Million less. I’m not sure if that’s because it was more of a documentary style, but they got a lot of decent songs for that price.

VISUALS

The film’s opening credits have an artistic flair to them.

The film has some bloody moments, but they are no where near the level of a Tarantino film, so I doubt that it really should be R-rated by today’s standards, but I suppose it’s similar in level of violence and such as other films that year.

There’s a lot of reusing of the same footage. There aren’t many stunning shots in between scenes chock full of dialogue.

The device holding Liberty’s lover hostage is neat.

WRITING

Having worked at a police station, I find it really odd that the police assume Liberty must be working with the sniper instead of being held hostage. Also, I can’t understand why it took so long to evacuate the theatre next to the bomb-laden hot dog cart. There’s a general lack of knowledge about police procedures. We had a mysterious bag and locked down the station so the public couldn’t enter the building while we searched for it.

I liked the twist near the end and the rest was decent.

OVERALL IMPRESSION

While there are some things that could be better on the writing end, I didn’t find the acting or the story lacking because of it. Something was flat and I believe it was the music. We have so many talented musicians in Canada and I think we could make better use of them. With a few well known artists and some up and comers, I think it could be much improved.

I’m looking forward to seeing some of the other films by this director.

Hope you liked my review.

Guid cheerio the nou,

R~

Filed under: Reviews Tagged: Movies

Merry Monday – 17 Ways of Handling Stress

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Let’s face it, the world is full of stress. It’s not hard to find a news story where someone has been hurt or killed. Why is it so common? Well, it’s possible that it isn’t and there is just more attention given to those types of stories.

Maybe it has to do with people working long hours and overtime in many jobs. Is it more than before? That may depend on whether you look at the entire working history of the world before unions or take a snapshot that covers the last 10 years. “Before” is subjective to whoever is looking at the issue.

Are there more mental health issues today? No idea on this one. We see it in the news more, but that doesn’t mean it’s happening more, only that it’s actually being talked about and diagnosed now.

Do people not have enough healthy outlets to deal with the pressure they face? Maybe. I can’t remember being taught to handle stress at all, let alone in a healthy way. I was bullied though, so I learned how to escape from bad things at a young age.

It’s possible there are barriers though. For example, there are a lot of green spaces in Ottawa, but if you work a non-traditional shift, the city fines people for being in some parks at odd hours assuming the only reason you might be there is to do something illicit like deal drugs. Pokemon players have run up against this situation here. Even with barriers, there are better options than violence.

Not everyone likes the same things, so suggesting someone read a book might not be remotely helpful. It might even be something that brings stress to them if they have extra challenges like learning disabilities, so it can be hard to help someone else find something that reduces the frustration in them.

I can only offer a list of things that I do to handle stress:

Videos

I like to watch silly videos online like babies who are happy to see their dads come home from work. The trick with this one is to give yourself a limit and turn off autoplay, or you’ll waste too much time and contribute to your stress instead of helping it.
Writing

I write stories that let me constructively channel my emotions. That’s rather given as a writer, but tons of non-writers also keep journals just to get the stress from the day out in a place that doesn’t hurt other people.
Fitness

I practice martial arts or go for a run (this is a cheaper outlet than many other fitness options). I have friends who love the gym because they can watch a movie while they get their cardio in. Do something that gets your body moving, makes you sweat and releases endorphin. For some, this might be just a short walk twice a day or hopping into their garden.
News

Read about good news stories. There’s tons of the other kind. Seek out stories that help you see the whole world isn’t a cesspool.
Read

Read whatever you enjoy reading whether it’s a technical manual or a comic book, if it helps you feel less like punching people, it’s a good thing.
Volunteer

There are tons of places looking for help. Find one that works with your schedule and interests. Getting to know other people can help you learn about different perspectives and it’s hard to get mired in stuff that doesn’t matter when you’re building a house for someone in need. I’m not currently volunteering, but I have in the past and I always come away having broadened my view of the world and other people.
Socialize

Hang out with your best buds doing whatever it is you love doing together that doesn’t involve hurting others or vandalizing property. Pizza and South Park often works for me.
Movies/TV

This one can consume a lot of time, but if you are a screenwriter it’s not such a time waster. You can always watch while on a treadmill or stationary bike, so it doesn’t have to be physically bad for you either. You can do some other things while doing it too like knitting or crocheting, which has been known to have meditative effects on stress levels.
Music

Listen, play, record/produce, dance to it. It’s great for the soul.
Spirituality

Meditation, bible study, daily Tao, whatever works for you and doesn’t hurt others.
Hobbies

I love doing jigsaw puzzles and I’m learning to put model cars together. I have a friend who loves geocaching and exploring abandoned buildings. I have another who bird watches.
Social Media

Reducing time on social media reduces my exposure to the constant shares of bad news and negative comments.
Special Interest Clubs

Many people find things like Toastmasters or the Shriner’s to be life altering.
Art

Visit museums, learn to draw/paint, etc.
Education

Learn something new. Take a cooking class, a dance class, pottery, etc.
Sex

Nothing quite works for relieving stress like an orgasm. And you don’t need a partner for it unless there’s some religious restriction stopping you from self-pleasure.
Cannabis

This one may or may not be a legal option for you. Also, depending on what type of cannabis, you could actually make yourself paranoid instead of relaxed. There’s a slight chance you could be allergic to it too, so be careful. For most people, cannabis has no ill effects when used in moderation and in ways that don’t damage the lungs.

There are thousands of things to do in the world that will relieve stress without hurting others and many of them teach skills that may lead to a career change down the road. My list includes mainly the things I’m into, but it’s really a teaspoon of all that’s out there. Exploring things will help you figure out who you are and what’s most important to you. The amount of time we get to live is pretty short, so I like to reduce things that make me feel crappy and increase the good things.

If you haven’t a clue what you’re into, talk to people and find out what is out there. There are clubs for nearly everything. There’s a group in Ottawa who focuses on bonsai. There’s another who does ikebana. Another who does shodo. There are ax-throwing clubs, flag football groups, roller derby, sports fans, geocachers, Steampunks, fit goths, LEGO builders, and so much more.

And if you really want to spend your time punching people, take up a sport like boxing or MMA where the fight is consensual. Just remember that you’ll get hit too.

Guid cheerio the nou,

R~

Filed under: Musings Tagged: Compassion, Fitness