Take a Walk
Everyone in the developed 24/7/365 world needs to walk more. Without gossiping to your best friend. Without headphones. Without cellphones. Period
.
Yes you've heard a million times to walk b/c we're getting fat. That too, but it's not what I'm talking about.
You know what happens when you walk without other distractions? You think. You process what's been happening during the day. You organize your thoughts and ground yourself in reality.
I know more than one individual who has problems calming their heads down at night (and I'll be the first to admit I can be one of them). As soon as you "lay me down to sleep", instead of counting sheep your fighting off a Hornet's Nest of loose ends from the last day (or two, depending on how much sleep you've been getting). You know why? Because that's the only time you're not doing anything else. Sure you might have had dinner with the family, watched a movie or some TV, perhaps read a book or played a game. But during those activities, esp. Those involving a screen, you are too busy focusing on the activity at hand. Just like being at school, or worse, work.
Its essential to have time to collect yourself [
Read: Don't always jump from one activity to the next to the next - even if its the most efficient way to get things done]. Understand what you're feeling. Know where you're going and recognize where you've been. Without this we have no grounding - and our perspectives can be skewed, our stress levels & blood pressure overly high, and our ultimate effectiveness and happiness diluted.
The catch is: you have to take the time to do it. Some of us are forced to do it every night before we sleep. Some of us have enough time built into our schedules where its never been a problem. No matter where you stand, recognize the need.
I've found that now I don't have a cell phone, don't have a car, and don't ride my bike (its not functioning) I spend a lot of time walking too and from the University alone, not doing anything but walking, with mental energy to burn. This was a relatively new experience for me (I'm almost always doing SOMETHING). What did I notice? The same thought processes I usually go thru at night were taking place right there in the middle of the day. Loose ends brining themselves to attention and then being put peacefully to rest. Its wonderful!
After dawning on me, I discussed this concept with some others here in Europe. They know what I'm talking about. Some walk (like me), some sit and drink a coffee in a cafe (but don't multi-task!), some meditate or take 5 min every morning and night to collect themselves. The method is not so important as the purpose - pick what works for you.
The core of all of this is that we in the modern "
GOGOGOGO!!!" world need at least 5 more minutes a day without being barraged upon to think and reflect on life before, suddenly, it's gone.
Munchin (Munich)
"Home of Germany's Most Beautiful Women."
Men's Health Deutschland ranked Munich as such in a recent issue. I was there yesterday, and can't say I disagree.
I spent the (whole) day there with two other students named Jason.
The 3 Jasons do Munich.
The city is not only home to beautiful women, but also Germany's best University (80,000 Students!), BMW's HQ, and lots of wealth, history and culture. I remember walking down a City Center street noting the cars parked along it:
BMW, Porche, Audi, BMW, BMW, Porche, Mercedes, BMW, Mercedes, BMW, Audi. Anyways... Clocking in at a little less than 2 Million residents, there's plenty to do.
We checked out "Studentstadt" (Student City), a residential complex home to 3,000 students, where one of the 3 Jason's (A Fullbright Scholar) lives, before moving into the city to explore the University district. Over lunch I tried my first WeissCola - an interesting but very tasty (much like a milkshake) mix of Weiss Bier and Coke. Very popular amongst the youth. But a warning to you Americans:
Don't try this without a creamy, well made beer (No KeyLite!!!).
That afternoon we spent faffing around the central town area, wandering around their vast English Gardens in the city center, visiting a breathtaking, stark white Cathedral, and generally enjoying getting ourselves lost. By far the most unique sight of the afternoon was the group of Surfers busting a few moves in a local Canal. This is tubing to a new extreme! There is a very high pressure canal traveling thru the city center's English Gardens - and at one particular spot after a bridge, a formation of cement has created a perma-wave of considerable force. Surfers in wet and dry suits take advantage of this year-round, sunrise to sunset. Some were obviously trying for their first time. Others were doing spins, splashing the crowd, and looked like Beach Bums stuck in Central Europe.
You can find pictures of this and the rest of the day HERE.
Later that night we went to the one, the only
HoffBrau Haus. Beer Central. These guys practically invented Oktober Fest. Off course the food, the beer (Comes exclusively in 1 liter portions), and the traditional Bavarian Band were excellent. An interesting side note about the Haus: Hitler used to hold conferences there during his stays in Munich. What were formerly Swastikas painted on the ceiling are now Bavarian Flags. But if you look closely, you'll notice that their positioning looks suspicious (see photos).
As if we hadn't had a good enough day already, an Italian friend of Jason's picked us up with his red-hot Fiat Coup, and drove us over to the cultural center of the old Olympic Village. There we meet up with a Belgian and some Germans and checked out a Student written and produced Theater Piece (auf Deutsch und French). It was an interesting piece consisting of singing, dancing, acting and covering everything from office work to the 7 Deadly Sins to a couple of fairytales. Overall very well done, esp. Considering the scope of the project.
Despite doing so much, I had plenty of time to collect myself in Munich, as the other 2 Jasons are both Classics Majors, and geeked out on me a couple times (I just can't keep up with discussions over the accent inclinations in old Greek). I'll post later on some of my thoughts...
