My suggestion is to press play, then read while enjoying the music:
Today is my third soberversary.
Mindfulness is not just bare attention or raw presence. It's presence combined with the memories and knowledge gained from prior experiences. Therefore, this journal is an important exercise in mindfulness.
In the last year, I've composed perhaps half a dozen journal entries that I never wrote down. Why didn't I? I guess it didn't seem that important relative to other things I was engaged in. But, I do think it is important to have written record to refer to if for nothing else, to ensure that I never wake up to another day 1 ever again.
It's been an eventful year. Last summer Caroline and I took a 6 week, 22 state trip across the United States. What and adventure that was. We hit most of the major national parks out west. I'll never forget the moment I came into close range of a bison while riding my bike through Yellowstone national park.
The thing that made the biggest overall impression was Yosemite national park. The high Sierra was really something else. I wanted so badly to buy a bunch of gear and disappear into the high Sierra, exploring its peaks, ridges, valleys, and undulations. I settled for purchasing a kindle copy of John Muir's My first summer in the Sierra.
Glacier point, then and now:
Granite is not forever, but it's for a damn long time compared to the lifespan of a human.
Another place that really spoke to me was a park we camped at in Arizona for about a week. It was on an Indian reservation and it was very quiet and out of the way. This box canyon was one of several within easy walking distance of the campsite..
And, of course I have to throw in a Yellowstone shot:
I would be remiss if I didn't post one photo from our time in Colorado:
After the trip I resumed my studies. However I found myself running low on money and I needed to go back to work. Plan A was to get a basic job with not a lot of responsibility so I could continue to study for my next CCIE lab attempt. However life had other plans.
I was sitting in a recruiter's office discussing a job that ticked all the boxes I was looking for. A few minutes later her boss came in. He peppered me with a bunch of questions, rapid fire style. After he seemed satisfied that he had my measure in whatever respect he was looking for, he put down a job opening description in front of me. It was for a company in South Florida and it paid twice the money of the job I was there to interview for.
The job came with a lot of responsibility and I would have shift focus from my studies for a few months due to the distractions of having to both move and master the demands of the position being offered.
Stuff like that doesn't happen every day, so I pursed it and got the job. That was in October of 2014. The job has worked out so far, and I absolutely love living in South Florida. It did take me a few months to get everything wired and sorted out, and now I am finally back to my network engineering studies.
I've been riding my bike a lot, getting fitter, though I still struggle with overeating. Dang it. I've met lots of super nice people here from riding my bike which is great.
And if that wasn't brilliant enough, Caroline and I found a Condo on the intracoastal that's also just a few hundred feet from the nearest beach. The place has unreal views. Three years ago being in a position to make an offer on a place like that would seem like a distant far-off dream, if not impossible. But here I am three years later, making the offer on a place next to the ocean, which I love so dearly.
If there's one major outstanding item these days, it's that I have not yet found a new Sangha to call home. In case you don't know, that's the Buddhist equivalent of a church. The one I went to in DeLand was wonderful. I loved the intimate and informal atmosphere.
So, it's pretty much amazing how great this last year has been to me. I'm humbled and grateful for all of the help I have received, and I hope that I can be worthy of the gifts that have been bestowed upon me, and be an asset to others.
May we all be happy, free from animosity, and may we care for ourselves and each other with ease.
-s
