Life & Letting Go: Social Media & Scrolling Onwards

Well, that was a good cup of coffee. And, it will be needed as I begin to travel through another day. Not in the sense of any airports or anything, but travel to and from the here & now, and everywhere else my mind will take me throughout the day. 

It’s not even noon, and I’ve already hit my limit with the Facebook thing, and whether we’re going back to masks in this pandemic, and the whole “what to do with my life” topic (don’t get me started). It’s tough enough being a chef in the hospitality industry thats been so flipped upside down during this last year and change, to have that glimmer of hope/normalcy even get threatened with numbers going the wrong way? Sigh. But, we can only do what we can do, yeah? And I’ll do my part, yeah? And proceed the best way I know: left foot, right foot.

Beyond that, I simply let it go. “Simply”? Yeah, right.

Hello, opinionated people of social media! With all of your thoughts & findings of “sources” on the inter-web. What sort of contrarian viewpoints can we find and argue about today? Nope, my tolerance is shorter and shorter. Not a tolerance for “time to let them know”. Just a healthy tolerance of “to each their own”, scrolling on. I can demonstrate how I see things and choose to live, and that’s as far as that goes. Attraction rather than promotion has always worked towards me. 

Then, it’s off to the more personal things: life, career, life, bills, life… Luckily, I’ve picked up a new book and already reading it for the second time (this time with highlighter in hand). “The Untethered Soul” by Michael Singer. Recommended by a friend whose viewpoints I trust, it proved to be a remarkable way to answer the question “Who Am I?”, and as importantly, explain in countless ways the many reminders that I can, at any point, let it all go.

I mean, seriously, how long have I been at this? Life, recovery, personal growth, hardships, etc. Yet, still, I have to envision myself being dragged by a rope though gravel before realizing the only thing keeping me from joy is my inability to just let go of the rope. It was always in my control to do so. But, we continue to learn until we get the point, yeah? For me, there is no in-between. It’s either let go, or not. If I’m holding a ball, am I ever actively letting it go? Maybe for a second. More importantly, it’s either currently held onto, or currently out of my clutches. There’s very little in the process of the actual letting go.

It’s been proven to me that distractions to my consciousness continue to give me the practice to remain focused Who knows what my future holds? Whether it is yet another pivot in a world of food that may never look the same, more time behind the viewfinder of my Sony camera as I engulf myself in my other love & passion or photography, or something that hasn’t even come across my radar of current ideas, I know one thing for sure: I’ll be ok.

I’m realizing everyday that the illusion of social media platforms have benefitted them way more than me, as the commodity. Maybe spending more time on my site, with my own journey, available to share with anyone interested in seeing what I’m up to, is more conducive to an productive online presence. More so than ever worrying about what millions online are doing to scroll as fast as they can to get through a day, possibly not moving slow enough to even retain the abundance of content. Whether or not I get to that point to say enough with the social media or not? Well, that decision isn’t happening today, but maybe soon. It has at very least, given me the tools to check my motives and consider what is my best path going forward. The web is a funny place. It is what we make it. Whether we believe in vaccines or not, we can find something to support our views, and never lack people to troll & argue with about any point at all. That said, you can have it. I’ve got enough on my plate, and I’m always trying to make room for more. But not just any more, the more that feeds my soul, not blocks it.

Everything I’ve been through has proven that I can survive anything. At the end of the day, I want to hold myself accountable. Although, in a loving and acceptable manner, as I would a best friend. If I can practice removing comparisons & ego out of my routine as best I can, I can limit the conversations that distract me from making the best decisions I can. I believe greatness is achievable. Especially with birthday 46 right around the corner. Pressure? Nah.. why? Life has been beautiful to this point. Only, at times, I’m not mindful enough to see it.

I was asked recently, “Do you want to be happy?” 

Indeed. Without question. So, wrapping it up, preparing to let it go, take a look around, and take my next step towards my 12. Good day, peeps!