be calm i tell myself, and stop worrying about the silliness of the first world problems. there is real pain going around, suffering beyond what i call pain, there are nightmares playing out all around me, feel empathy for those and stop the incessant and annoying complaining that comes with the woes of being middle-aged. find good friends, who make you laugh and help you out. stay away from those that take away from the light in the world or put you down or constantly only see themselves and their own woes.

stop picking up the phone i tell myself. there is nothing in that device worth leaving the actual world that is unfolding in front of me. do not check the news feed either, there is nothing there for me, only noise and scandals meant to enrage me so that i keep on their feed. my attention is mine, it is a dwindling resource and if applied to the right things many great things can happen. be in the now and here, listen to the surroundings.

don’t drink that poison. it will hurt you in the long run. i know it is borrowing from tomorrows happiness and that the dullness and silliness that it brings to the surface in the here and now can be achieved without its aid. and stop with all that food that feels so good going down, knowing that it will slow me down, clog my veins and eat away at my teeth seems not enough to go for something healthier. i just wish it tasted better and felt so good. perhaps i need to work on the preparation of it all, or compare it to dirt.