Sometimes You Need to Get Excited

Yesterday, I did a thing. I have been a glider pilot for thirty years, however, I have not been flying gliders recently. It’s part of my job, albeit not a core activity. I flew a glider again. It was pretty awesome. My performance was not awesome. It was good, it was safe, but it wasn’t as good as I like to perform. With effort it will get better.

What is much more important, I was really excited. Flying gliders is a rather unique aviation experience. It is very freeing and fun. I rode that wave of happiness all evening.

We get busy in life and always have a lot to worry about. Often everyone is solving problems and getting things headed in the right direction. That being said, everyone should find things to do that get them excited. Everyone should find a reason to smile. Everyone should chase some endorphins.

You often hear about self-care and mental wellness. The fact that we are discussing this more openly and often is great. Knowing that we need to take care of ourselves is a huge step forward. There was a time when you pushed the bad things deep down and buried them. We do this less than we used to. However, we often don’t know what to do to take care of ourselves. I find one of the key ideas is to get excited. 

When we get excited about things, time moves better and we have something to look forward to. When you can look forward to something, it gives you more purpose. If you have purpose, you know where to go, and knowing where to go, you should have less stress and anxiety.

As I was flying along, I was working harder than I used to to fly the glider well but I was smiling a lot. It was a special moment. I feel like I was accomplishing something I wanted to do. I felt my body relax.

Life is hard, sometimes you need to get excited about something.

iOS Christmas

Today, Apple released iOS 5. I updated my devices and I'm happy with the results. Don't worry this isn't a product review. There is enough of that all over the Internet. I want to talk about the anticipation.

I have not been so excited about an event as I was for this operating system release. It was like Christmas but with a bit of uncertainty.

For a long time, the general public wasn't sure when the latest release would be available. In fact, we could only speculate at what time the software would be available.

Last night I actually had a bit of trouble getting to sleep. I felt like I was 8 years old and waiting for Christmas morning. All this for an upgrade to the software on my phone.

It may seem a bit silly to be this excited to upgrade my phone but this time around I just got wrapped up in it, which is ok when you really think about it.

There's Just Something About Spring

One thing I have discovered about living in Winnipeg is when spring comes, everything seems better. The fresh air and sunshine just seems to make it easier to handle the bumps that life inevitably throws your way.

I've been rather busy, but its ok. I've been tired, but its ok.

It seems to me that most people's outlook just improves as the weather improves. It may be the realization that the school year is coming to an end. It may be that all the activities you started in the fall are going to take a break. That break often comes with relief. It's not that you don't like to do it, you just want a change for a while.

It may be that long lazy days at the lake are on the horizon, or maybe its as simple as you can go outside without 10 layers of clothes on.

I'm sure its different for everyone but I'm also sure that everyone looks forward to spring, and it's here in Winnipeg.