Ways that my life is better

I use the rail to trail that goes right through all the places that are a part of my day to day life all the time now. walking, running, biking. micromobility is like, so rad. the diversity (defined many ways) on this trail is amazing.

I don’t do as many things that I don’t like but think I should do. But I still do some, like running, because it’s good to be challenged and there are merits to that plus there are parts of it that I like.

i floss everyday and i mostly do it fully reclined and unnecessarily slowly. the dentist and hygienist have complimented my teeth. this makes me feel like i have received a very good boy gold star.

i feel 20-30% less out of place at work since i’ve leaned into the ways i’m a little bit too much and too transparent and too direct as a leadership strategy. the people who report to me seem to generally respond well to this, so i guess it’s effective! i get the sense that they like their jobs, which i know is in part because i actually do manager things for them, even if i never got those things myself.

i don’t have a weird, reflective anxiety pop up when i receive text messages, for the most part. i’m not playing any mind games with myself waiting for messages or stressing about the response when i ask for my needs to be met. my asking for my needs to be met is met with a genuine interest in meeting my needs. (this is a big one)

i think i figured out how to feed my cats optimally given budget and effort constraints. it is all wet food and they seem very happy and also shiny.

i’ve read more in the last three years than ever before. that is so cool that you can just start that and then with a little time you start to feel in the know about authors and things, but there will still always be more to know. how cool!

i have gotten to know and care for 5 juvenile opossums that, without human intervention, would have very likely died. there are so many ways we as the human race cause harm to wildlife so i feel quite certain that stepping in this way is the right thing to tip the scales every so slightly towards wildlife. it feels good to feel like i’m doing something right.

speaking of wildlife, there are so many turtles on my property. and my dog has given himself the job of finding them. it seems very gratifying for him, they remain safe because he is a complete leash kid, and i get to see so many more turtles.

when i go out to eat, it’s mostly locally owned restaurants.

i have a greeting ritual with my partner’s dog and they have one with mine. the dogs are the real winners in all of life.

i have given up on a lot of expectations. i never really think of what my dad would think about anything i’m doing, even though that was really high on my list of concerns for a long time. i can do things imperfectly. i can change what i hope for out of most any situation when i get new information.

i’m rabies-vaccinated. not to brag.

even when things are so painful and uncertain in the world around me, i haven’t become calloused or found some mental gymnastics that let me think that the bad things are ok. i didn’t, as someone said i would, become more conservative as i’ve aged and there’s no indication that i will.

i keep getting better at gardening. it’s actually wild how much seeds, soil magic, water, and sun will getcha if you play your cards right. i succeeded in my goal of having so much pesto that i got sick of it.

i found sunscreens that i like and i wear them everyday.

my little sister lives close by and i see her weekly at least. and we have a real relationship, even though we are 12 years apart in age. we had really different upbringings, and yet we can relate in ways no one else can. and she’s actually cool, we’re so different but so similar and she’s a cool person who i’ve actually been able to share things about myself with as she’s become more of a real adult. i’m really proud of her.

I have less rage. not none but less. rage guys will get it, amirite ragers??? Idk rage isn’t that friendly of an emotion and it’s harder to make sense of than even garden-variety anger.

and on emotions, I still haven’t figured out how to cry good and right but I’m a lot more aware of all the types of things you might come up with before you only have crying to do. so there are more options and fewer headaches.

I know so many more plants. like I’ve met so many more whose names I’ve heard. I had big plant blindness earlier, which I understand is really common, and now I know and appreciate like a lot of plants. I just keep learning about new plants, you can’t even stop me.