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motivation

4/27/2020 – Little Things

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While I am busy with little things, I am not required to do greater things. ~Saint Francis de Sales

Reading these words felt like a gentle slap across the face. I really, really needed to hear them in a way that should have been more obvious to me.

For the majority of my life, I’ve always sought out those “big moments”, whether it be the crucial play of the game in sports or grand romantic gestures for a love interest (which usually only took place in my imagination instead of reality). Unfortunately the side effect of this type of movie magic romanticizing was that I often found myself bored with the everyday moments, the little things. They just don’t capture the imagination quite as dramatically, do they?

Last week I took a break from writing. If I’m honest… I just didn’t feel like it. I sat down a couple times and stared at the keyboard endlessly before ultimately giving up, again and again. Coming off a couple tough weeks, I was lacking the creative inspiration. And when paired with the lack of momentum of habit, there just wasn’t anything there. So I gave myself a break. I decided that if it wasn’t going to be authentic, I wasn’t going to do it.

One of the other problems with this “seeking the big moment” approach is that, by default, I am constantly putting myself under the pressure to one-up myself in a way that can become unhealthy. Not to say that reaching higher is bad, it isn’t, but there is an intelligent balance to be struck, and I’m not always very good at finding it. 

So lately, I’ve been trying to find more quotidian things to mindfully appreciate and enjoy. It almost feels uninteresting to write about them, but I suppose that is kinda the point, if I’m serious about learning this concept. Some of these simple things have been making my own coffee (I buy my beans from local roasters i really like and I use a Moka Express to pull espresso shots), or riding my bicycle (which i haven’t done regularly since childhood), or building playlists on Spotify and channeling my inner high school kid making mixtapes.

Yesterday I woke up and made myself a beautiful cup of coffee. I took my time to grind the beans extra fine for the espresso I desired and spent a whole minute just appreciating the aroma of the fresh grind, taking note of the differences and similarities between scent and taste, and the gift to appreciate as I began brewing with my Moka Express, I added a little oat milk to make a cortado and then slowly enjoyed the complex flavors of such a remarkably simple beverage.

Not long after that, I was on the road, muscling my way through a 20 mile ride (which isn’t impressive to serious riders, but I’m just getting back into this!). I took particular pleasure to feel the wind in my face and the burn of my lungs and legs as i pushed myself faster and harder along the bike path. I stopped at the halfway point at a park and laid down in the grass, soaking up sunlight, imagination drifting along with the clouds in the sky as I listened to my American Southwest-themed playlist. I imagined I was a cowboy resting alongside my old horse in the middle of a long journey in search of some wistfully unknown adventure. It was a silly little fiction in my mind, but I let it float along until it ran out of energy. I then practiced a breathing exercise for 10 minutes before hopping back on the bike and finishing the ride.

It was an incredibly simple day filled with numerous little things. And yet, when I was finished and laying in my bed that night, it felt like one of the greatest days I’d had in a very long time.

music

music monday: airplane mode

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nobody likes traveling without a little music to accompany them at some point along the way.  and when i say nobody, i mainly mean myself.  i don’t like going anywhere without my headphones in and my spotify app blowing out my eardrums.  recently i was lucky enough to join some friends on a trip to costa rica, and that means lots of time in airports, on airplanes, and in customs lines.  the only proper way i know to combat the misery that inevitably accompanies those things is to make a superior playlist that will keep you calm and in control (and maybe even help you take a nap on the plane).  this playlist will do just that, even if you’re not going anywhere.  filled with mostly new songs from mostly off-the-radar bands, this playlist will expose you to some songs you weren’t aware of, and may even provide a little inspiration you’ve been looking for lately.

a 30,000 foot view of belize

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Music Monday: the Costa Rica Tica Mix!

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hey folks, got a brand new little playlist for you to welcome in the warm weather with!  last week the blog took a break from moroccan storytelling to soak up a little sun down in the costa rican jungle.  in between morning surf sessions and afternoon rainforest ziplining adventures, there was ample time to relax and listen to some new tunes.  this playlist is ripe with fresh new beats that are sure to have you bouncing your way into the warmer weather months of summer.  enjoy…

spain

spain, pt 4. madrid: the tourist and the traveler

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winter had settled in on spain in an aggressive way.  almost overnight the temperature dropped by 40 degrees fahrenheit, and suddenly walking around outside didn’t seem as enjoyable.  the patios of many of the local watering holes began to dry up, where 2 days prior there were throngs of people socializing and drinking outside, they were now packed inside, trying to stay dry and warm.  rainclouds would sweep low over the city, in a constant drizzle, ensuring nothing could stay dry, and then brisk winds would rush through the city streets ensuring the damp was felt with a ferocity.  the streets glistened and reflected the streetlights above, creating a watery mirrored horizon to the cityscape.

martín and i tried to make the most of his last day in europe, despite the weather.  we explored the streets endlessly, in search of nothing more than the mysteries of what might lie beyond the next corner.  we had marked a few things out on a map just to provide a little direction for our wanderings, but we largely ignored it, content to just walk and take everything in.  one thing i had come to admire martín for was his fearlessness in interacting with locals, specifically when asking for directions or recommendations on where to go or what to eat. up until this point i had spent most of my life refusing to ask for directions or recommendations from other people (whether at home or abroad), but not for the reasons one might assume.  the common humor goes in america that a man doesn’t ask for directions because it is a point of pride to never be lost and always know where he is going, and to ask for directions would be to hint that he doesn’t know what he’s doing, and that would be damaging to his pride.  but that’s not really why i never did it.  growing up, my parents always “had it together,” and they never wanted to appear that they didn’t have all the answers.  always dressed sharply and always knowing what’s going on, this façade contributed to an overall image of “there’s a plan, and we’re sticking to it.”  it was keeping up appearances, but if one were to peek behind the curtain, they would see just how chaotic and blindfolded my family really was.  we were more lost than everyone else.

i think it’s hundreds of little things like that which add up to a greater dishonesty that led me to reject so much of my life and myself and leave in search of greater truth and authenticity, and so much of this trip, i had begun to discover, was unlearning these poisonous habits.  martín stopped to ask a random person in the street where the best hamburger place was in the neighborhood, i tried to stop him because i was so embarrassed.  when he had finished talking to the very nice lady who instructed us to walk a couple more blocks and go right to an argentinian burger joint that was magnificent, i asked him Continue reading spain, pt 4. madrid: the tourist and the traveler →

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Music Monday Mix: The Bigger, Badder and Better Adventure Mixtape

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IMG_1467

hey everybody, Viss here with your music monday mix, and this is an epic one.

anytime you go on an adventure, whether it is a day-trip to the mountains, or a six month journey around the world, you are going to encounter a wide range of activities, from traveling downtime or active exploration. both of these mixes are a journey in themselves. they rise and fall with some familiar songs and some that are going to give you a new listening experience.

this mix is a modern take on the old school mixtapes which were recorded onto blank cassette tapes and passed along to anyone who wanted them. after collecting the majority of music for this IMG_1461mix i decided that it would be best to have it split into two groups, so i decided to go with the “A side” and “B side” mixes. the “A side” is going to have more traditional instrumentation while the “B side” is going to have a more electronic feel.

i hope that you enjoy these mixes as a whole and use them to provide some added substance to your own adventures as they have done to mine!

feel free to save the to save the “A side” or “B side” mixes to your spotify page, or follow me if you want to keep up with the stuff I am listening to in real-time.

A SIDE:

B SIDE:

spain

spain, pt 1: barcelona; minding my misconceptions

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arc de triomf

i woke up the next morning sorer than i had in months.  it was the good kind of sore, the kind that reminds you that you had earned it, and any other unhealthy foods you could get your hands on.  but i was also inexplicably restless.  after i had gotten home from the previous day’s hike, i had been looking forward to a couple beers and a good in-depth conversation with my new french friend, jean, about life, love, his adventures in colorado, and everything in between.  i was disappointed however when i returned to find his bunk empty and a note on my pillow with an apology on it, informing me that he had a received an urgent call from home and he’d left switzerland early.  i crossed my fingers and hoped everything was okay, and lamented that i would likely never see him again.  another casualty of the wander.  it was something i was still learning how to deal with, even after being abroad for 2 months already.

i started to re-evaluate what my gameplan was.  it was october 29th, and i was up on the alps in a ghost town.  this was what i had wanted.  i had wanted an epic hike in the alps and i had wanted to escape the hustle of the city, and i had gotten that, but now for some reason my feet were beginning to itch for a new destination again.  the quiet solitude had quenched my wanderlust for only a day.  Continue reading spain, pt 1: barcelona; minding my misconceptions →

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Music Monday: Songs to listen to while looking for dutch oven recipes

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editor’s note:  hey all, miq here.  just a heads up:  in keeping with my announcement last week that i would be spotlighting more music each week outside of my regularly scheduled wednesday-story-days, i’ve recruited friend and fellow audiophile eric visser to be a regular contributor. we here in denver affectionately refer to him as “viss,” and he brings a really cool perspective to our little community of philistines.  viss is a great concert buddy if you need one (probably the most active show-goer i know, often popping into a couple per week in the summers), and will bring a slightly more modern flavor to the fold than my decidedly americana-folky leanings. he’ll be making appearances here a few times a month, so get ready to have an even better soundtrack to your life.  i love this playlist that he’s drummed for us and i think you will too…

IMG_1443After returning from his Euro-megatrip, Miq invited me to share some of the music that I have been listening to in this weekly blog segment.

I have been into all types of music since as long as I can remember and have always loved sharing my fovorites with anyone who would listen. When Miq asked me to do something productive with my life and start contributing to this blog I jumped at the opportunity. What I didn’t think about was how I was going to present each song and make it relevant to the masses who would be reading this. It didn’t take me long to realize that I shouldn’t try to get too deep and should just get to why I love music.

Music is my favorite art form because Continue reading Music Monday: Songs to listen to while looking for dutch oven recipes →