The Only Constant Is Change

Hey all,

I have a pretty solid morning routine. There are numerous sources that will confirm that this is one of the ‘secrets of success’ or some such rhetoric, and as true as that is for a myriad of reasons, there can certainly be an element of frenzy when it comes down to execution. To this I have no choice but to say: ‘whatevs‘

Not to be too dismissive, of course – but one of the primary purposes of the morning practice is to start the day of in a peaceful, productive, and grateful frame of mind – to be ‘in the moment’ is the ultimate goal for most people who employ a morning practice. However it seems reasonable to me that if the morning routine brings about stress and frenzy to get everything done, that you are likely not feeling particularly grateful or peaceful and the moment is difficult to be in if you’re constantly chasing it.

There have been more than a few mornings where I didn’t get my meditation practice done, or any writing for that matter. The snooze button is an inviting mistress on the colder days and the gym feels far away. We must acknowledge these things for what they are – bumps in the road, at best – certainly not a full on derailment of practice. Furthermore if the goal is to live life ‘in the moment’ as much as possible then would we not also want to eventually find ourselves in a place where no morning routine was needed?

I liken it to another thing that people often find stressful at first that eases with time: counting calories.

The purpose of monitoring and limiting calories is really to train yourself to eat less (or more, depending on the goal) and the ultimate goal is to be able to eat intuitively. This can take years, and as a food addict I assure you I’m not there. If anything I have developed a crutch-like relationship with monitoring my food because I don’t trust my intuition. Whether I should or should not trust my intuition will have to be tested at some point down the road, too. But to be so comfortable that I could remove that unit of measure feels both freeing and dangerous.

I digress.

To be stressed about completing a relaxing and reflective morning routine sounds more like a religious fixation than it does a helpful practice. My morning routine fits a schedule and is tuned to the digital clock affixed to the stove in my kitchen, but what I wouldn’t give to remove that unit of measure. To wake up when I am done sleeping, to meditate and write for whatever measure of time felt best, to exercise until I’m satisfied with the effort I’ve put in rather than to an integer of time before readying myself for the work day.

While on the subject of getting the work done… THIS WEEK I did ‘ve followed the program to the letter except for one BRick workout that had an abbreviated bike segment (by about 3km) but scheduling was the issue, not energy or strength. Tuesday ended up being a rest day because of (a) a massive dump of snow that took several hours to deal with, and (b) the DEXA scan appoint Lu an I made.

Taking the emotional temperature for the week certainly comes back to the DEXA scan. For those who don’t know, the DEXA a body scan that tells you everything you could ever ask about your physical body. Body fat % vs lean muscle %, where muscle and fat are located in your body, which one of your arms is stronger… everything.

Ultimately, I’m in good physical shape. I’ve achieved ‘average’ build which is great considering I was quite obese when I last did this scan in 2018. Before we went in, I guessed my body fat % and got it pretty much on the nose, however it was still bothersome to me that I am still overweight according to what the World health Organization chart would indicate – I can chock that up to muscle since every other aspect of the test was good, but I WAS hoping for some pleasant surprises that I didn’t receive. Turns out, I’m pretty in-tune with my body at this juncture even though I think some numbers may have been thrown off by doing this scan too close to a cheat day – but really, I should eschew excuse. I booked this appointment myself, so if that’s a factor, it’s on me, but I will certainly keep a closer eye on the calendar when I book the next one in about 6 months.

So – now to embrace the Dao… to understand the work ahead is work, and to know that preconceived expectations are not my friend. The work IS the reward, and the DEXA is a snap-shot account. Maybe I need to snap back to that morning routine while I’m at it.