#6 Sparks

So the other day I talked about the need to gear up to go out into the cold. I was thinking about that when I was at the gym and I caught myself doing something that I figured it might be helpful to add onto the idea. I call these sparks. They’re little things that you can do to make a quick little shift in the right direction. Let me explain. 

So, like I said, I was at the gym. After a quick warmup, I set out to do my first exercise of the day: pull-ups. I got my first set done and I instinctively started punching my hand to get myself all fired up for the next set. I mean, doing pull-ups gets me amped up anyway, but that little extra hype helped me get all fired up. 

And that got me thinking: could we find little things like that for every mood we want to be in? Could we open our palms when we want to be calm, or pinch our fingers when we’re upset? How far could this idea go in the long run? Perhaps over the next few days, or even weeks, we could set out to find out. 

Because the trouble with life is that it’s always moving. There are things we have to do and places we have to be all the time. And the trouble is that we can’t always find the time throughout the day to refocus. Sure, we can do what we always do and simply hack it til life gives us our next break, but I can’t help but wonder if we could do better. 

I guess that’s also why I carry around a little journal. Sometimes it feels like it’ll take too long to pull the stupid thing out and actually write anything, but every time I do I wind up feeling better for it. It’s one thing to try to say to yourself “I’ve got this,” but another to write it down. I guess it has more of an impact than I give it credit for. 

And part of that is acknowledging where you want to be, along with the gap between there and where you are currently. And I know that sometimes that gap can feel like a grand canyon, but I like to remind myself that I’d rather die trying than give up and become complacent. There’s a frost-bitten numbness to complacency that I don’t like, and I can’t bring myself to believe that it’s healthy. 

These little sparks aren’t meant to be your ultimate saving-grace. They aren’t everything, but they can most certainly get you that extra little oomph to get you through your journey. They’ll help you push a little bit further so that you can make it back to your shelter. And who knows-you may learn a thing or two about yourself along the way. 

So take some time to play around with this idea. Try it out before you get into a spot where you might need it. Wiggle your toes or open your palms. Toy with different things and see how it makes you feel. It won’t be an overwhelming feeling, but a little physical reminder to shift back in a certain direction. Then you can find yourself taking the rest of the steps you need to get back to where you ought to be.

I pray that this idea has been helpful and that you find yourself sparked back up to get through the cold of your day. 

Until Next Time

May Peace be your Guide.