Before I headed out for full-time travel, I read somewhere that this lifestyle “takes you down to the bone.”
What I took that to mean was that I’d come out the complacency of stationary living and become sharpened by the challenges that travels bring. That sharpening would reveal to me parts of myself that I had overlooked or become accustomed to.
And that has come to pass. In my simple life of camp and work, I’ve noticed how much time I spend thinking about things that have nothing to do with me and over which I have no control over. What I’m referring to is: OPP (other people’s problems). This is a habit I developed early in childhood, in an attempt to fix my parents. That was a noble cause, born from terror and concern and ignorance. Now that I’m way into adulthood, I’m still doing it, but casting my circle of concern far and wide. As I travel, I come into contact with many more people than I did before, those I know and those I don’t know. It’s a full time job worrying about all of them and how to “fix” them. Could there be a bigger waste of life?
The main reason this thought habit is so egregious is that I have plenty of my own problems to worry about and, better yet, to work to solve. But as a way to avoid the hard work of solving my own problems and facing my own challenges, I’ve gotten into the habit of thinking about the problems of others. This is ridiculous. They did not ask me to help solve their problems. They probably don’t even think they have any problems. And they probably don’t have any. They’re probably as happy as can be with their current situation, or they would take the action to change. Who am I to say it should be different?
But I look for something, anything, to divert my mind from my own hard work, so . . . Tag! You’re it!
I decided to start doing a “thought inventory” and notice what I’m thinking about from moment to moment. There are times when I’m so caught up in fantasy that I have no self awareness, but I’m hoping my moments of self awareness will grow.
So if I give up obsessing about others, what will I think about? I gave it some thinking and decided these are the approved thoughts for me:
Well-being
How am I taking care of myself? How is my environment? Is my rig in good condition? Is it tidy and organized? Is my food healthy? Is my drinking water fresh and clean? Is my meditation strong and consistent? Have I been journaling? Have I been getting to enough spiritual support group meetings? Am I walking enough? Am I stretching my hamstrings to prevent back pain? Did I pay my insurance premium? Are my sleep habits healthy? Am I saving up for my next rig when the time comes to upgrade?
Work
Am I serving my clients well? Am I giving enough time and thought to my projects? Am I staying open for more projects and more ways to share my skills and talents? Am I meeting my deadlines? Am I scheduling enough work in advance to sustain me, but not so much that I’m overwhelmed?
Writing
How is my blogging coming along? Am I putting enough time into my blogging? Do I spend so much time worrying out OPP (other people’s problems) that I don’t have time for my own creations? Am I sharing my blog posts with others? How is my Zen of Bowel Movements book coming along? Why am I taking so long to rewrite it and help it benefit others?
Woofer
How is my dog doing? Is she getting enough walks? Is her food healthy? Am I giving her enough hugs and kisses? Do I brush her fur enough and cut out the matts? Is it time for a bath? Does she need more calcium? Do I tell her every day, many times a day, how much I enjoy her company?
Wonder
Am I taking enough time to look out at this marvelous planet, and the creatures in it, and allow that magnificence to reach and inspire my consciousness? Am I aware that mountain that I’m looking out at is an almost unbelievable marvel of nature, and is repeated countless times on the planet? Do I look up at the night sky and at least acknowledge that what I’m seeing up there—a billion stars—is freaking amazing? Do I observe the birds and the insects around me and thank them for their lives? Do I acknowledge the people in my life and thank them for being exactly who they are? Do I wonder how this all came about and how I came to be here to witness it all?
As you see, I have so much on my own plate to think about. Way too much. Every beautiful child of the universe has their own path and their own timetable. I would not wish any of them to waste time thinking about my problems. No, no, no. My problems are mine, part of my path, and not to be sucking up the time and energy of others that they need to be using for enhancing their lives.
I want to stay in my own lane, life my own life, and trust that each of us in under the care of a higher power. Everyone has a higher power and guess what? It’s not me.