Check in with yourself and make changes in your life.

I am up and it's dark out. That's a first since I've been here and it feels like I'm being bad! Tomorrow's my day off and it's already jam packed with running, family time, friend time, and food prep for the week. But right now is not tomorrow, so this is the time to just sit and reflect.

At Day 3, I am feeling incredibly blessed to be here sharing this experience, practice and energy with this group of people. And I am also so honoured to be in the presence of the teachers and guides we've had so far. I have so much respect for these folks, people who are true to themselves and their values and their life. And they share that with others. Good peoples man.

I have to say, it's surreal having the time to step aside and observe yourself. To create the time to listen. To really own the time and observe, appreciate, and better understand. I try to do this daily in the day-to-day grind, with my lips curled up as I walk down the street to run club or get on the streetcar and as compassionate a nature as possible at all times, but this is different. This makes you own up to the bad, embrace the good, reassure the vulnerable, and tease the ego. And take it as it comes, without the chance of even suppressing it. 

I'm heading to bed now feeling emotionally drained (in the most fantastic of ways) but physically energized.

A

PS - While I miss my pup more than anything, I got to see what he's doing during my absence and he doesn't look like he's got it tough. He got to go to the water park, where he bites and attacks the water. SMRT doggie.