Mind - Off the Beaten Path
To decide is to “cut” or “kill off” one thing, in favor of another thing. Decision has been branded as such an existential process. What they don’t want you to know is that even after you make a decision, you can always change your mind. In fact, I would argue that if you are constantly finding yourself back at the same fork in the road—stuck in that loop—you are doing yourself a disservice, and doubling-down, if you don’t change your mind, and thus your decision. This is where curiosity comes in. What happens if you choose the other side this time? What if in order to become a more integrated human being, more whole and authentic, we must challenge ourselves to choose the unfamiliar?
When you’re in addiction, your typical means of processing lead you directly to the road you always go down (e.g., the door that says I’m sad, I’ll have a glass of wine.) “Addiction is a neural reality, not a mental illusion.” Annie Grace, This Naked Mind. Essentially, when you choose the same path every time, it literally becomes a habitual neural pathway in your brain. This means that in order to manifest new doors, you must choose another path (even if it is dark, covered in brush and mud, and you can not see if the path is safe.)
This practice of intentionally choosing the road less traveled is something I picked up in the first year of my sobriety. It is part of my daily practice that is foundational to the others, in that it has created an instrument for building new ways of being, and destroying outworn habits.
If you are curious about the roads less traveled, how to access them, or are looking to take that first wobbly step toward sobriety, I recommend the following literature;
For the sober-curious: The Unexpected Joy of Being Sober, by Catherine Gray (which you can borrow here.)
For the soul-seeking: On Giving Up, by Adam Phillips (which you can borrow virtually from the LA Public Library here.)
Body - 7hr Short ribs
Another recipe card. Trust the process.
Spirit - Get lost
Things you’ll need: a free chunk of time, a portable charger for your phone, $20 physical cash incase of an emergency, SPF 50 (always), curiosity.
The prompt: Go outside and walk with no destination in mind. Choose a direction you haven’t gone at each crosswalk or fork in the road. Set a timer for half of the amount of free time you’ve allotted yourself, so you know when to head back. Bonus points if you take photos of things that inspire you along the way. Upon your return, log your experience. Do this once a week, if you can, and see how it effects you over the course of a month or two or three.