Tag: #mentalhealthawareness

Surprises Should Make Ya Think

~ Henry Butterfly ~ Leave a comment

Yesterday I woke up dehydrated from the previous night. No, not from booze. It was 90 degrees (all humidity) & I played an INTENSE volleyball match in which we lost.

I then proceeded to hang out with a friend &, well, I ran out of gas. I drove an hour home & laid down, chugging as much water as I possibly could. Didn’t really help. Totally forgot about the usefulness of pickle juice.

Anyway, I was freaking out last night & yesterday morning not because I was dehydrated, but because my ex was coming over to pick up some stuff & say hi to the pup. What was the biggest surprise of it all? She stayed for close to 10 hours. Boy, did we have fun.

Am I worried about the fun we had? No. Am I worried about false hope? No. Did yesterday feel normal? Yes. That’s what I’m worried about. It felt normal, which felt good. Gotta push that to the back of my mind… or do I?

Today I’ve decided the best way to push it waaaaaay back into my mind is help my Pops with some manual labor. Building a deck, to be exact. He’ll do most of the work, I guarantee it, but I’ll do what I can. Maybe that’ll keep yesterday off my mind a bit more. Or will it? Should it matter?

But sometimes I think… why fight it? I had a great time yesterday, why push that away? I think it’s the surprise aspect of it all. I just didn’t expect it. Now it’s time to either internalize it, think on it, or act on it. I think the middle option seems the smartest, wouldn’t you agree?

Each day brings surprises, some bad, some good. Always take sufficient time to think on these surprises because, well, you didn’t have time to think about them before because, well, they’re surprises. Don’t get too high. Don’t get too low. It’s so very important.

I wish you well. Try not to beat the shit out of yourself.

Black-Capped Chickadee

~ Henry Butterfly ~ Leave a comment

What, you didn’t know Maine’s State Bird? What the… is wrong with you?

Anyway, let’s get into the meat of the matter. Yesterday I booked a trip for me, myself, & I. Eight days in the beautiful state of Maine.

I’ll land in Portland & crash at a Airbnb on the coast for a little over a week. Why Maine? Why Portland, Maine? Well, have you seen pictures of the state? Acadia Park, Cadillac Mountain, Mount Katahdin, Beehive trails, & more. Don’t Google search these. It’ll ruin it for you. Just go.

I like taking trips by myself. I did once before, a few years ago after a terrible breakup. I went to NYC & had an absolute blast – actually met a woman from an eastern European country that I’m still friends with to this day.

Stepping outside of your comfort zone is important when you’re trapped in a mental struggle. Challenge yourself. Put yourself in uncomfortable positions with your uncomfortable thoughts. But don’t just do that. You’ll struggle a bit when you travel alone, of course, but say hi to some stranger. Help a stranger pick something up off the ground. Take a photo for a stranger so they don’t look so strained in their selfie. Just look open to anything. You’ll be surprised what your trip turns into.

I’m extremely excited for this trip. It’s been way too long since I’ve went away on my own. Don’t you worry, I’ll be blogging from my kayak. I need to go pick up some hiking boots…

I wish you well. Try not to beat the shit out of yourself.