I’ve been doing some hiking and trail running weekly. Usually the people who go along have first aid and snake bite kits. Usually at the beginning of each trail there is a sign that says beware of snakes (rattlesnakes). The thought of snakes isn’t too pretty. I hadn’t seen one on any of our trips until last week. It got me thinking. These people are carrying snake bite kits around, but do they actually know how to use it. If one of us got bit, would they have to try to figure out how to use the kit? I guess it turns out that those people are somewhat familiar with it. Then I was thinking, what if it was just me and someone else and they got bit by a snake. I wouldn’t even know what to do. First its important to determine if the snake is poisonous. If it is you would need to call 911 immediately. But what if you don’t know. What are you supposed to do. I guess you are supposed to call 911 anyway. What if you don’t have a phone? Should you leave the person there and try to get help? I think you’re supposed to keep them calm. If there are people around, I’m sure you can get them to help, but if there weren’t? Then I was thinking, well maybe I could carry them to my car to take them to the ER. Well, if I were to do that, I guess it would be important to know where the closest hospital was. Which, I currently have no idea of. People don’t usually think of this stuff until it happens. And I guess its better to educate yourself just in case something does happen. Either way, I hope I don’t see anymore snakes. Those things are ugly and kind of creepy. The one we saw was kind of on the side of the path, I didn’t look at it long enough to try and determine if it was poisonous or not. And I didn’t really want to. Would you know what to do if you or someone got bit by a snake? And no, you aren’t supposed to slice the person or suck at the venom with your mouth.

Sometimes I wonder if people become more and more indecisive in this day and age because there are too many options. People become overwhelmed with choices and end up not knowing what they want. Sometimes you know what you want but then the option of another sparks curiosity, so do you pick the other unknown or stick with what you know? Or what if you don’t know what you want and you’re hoping that seeing the options will help you decide. But then at that moment, there’s so much to consume you just can’t pick. Two examples that always come to mind are toothpaste and orange juice. Look at the toothpaste aisle. And literally its almost the whole aisle or at least one side with rows and rows. There’s all kinds of brands and each brand has specific focuses. So Colgate, Crest, or Aquafresh? Gel or Cream? Peppermint or Spearmint? Plaque remover, whitening, tartar control, or all of the above? Seriously! You wonder why people have trouble choosing things. OJ. Florida, Tropicana, Minute Maid? Low pulp, no pulp, some pulp, heavy pulp? Low acid, calcium, vitamin d, country style, etc. I don’t know, it seems kind of crazy when you think about it. But I really think there must be some correlation with indecisiveness and too many options. I also really do think people are more indecisive these days compared to people 5-10 years ago and that in 5-10 years we will be even more indecisive.

Stress is a powerful thing. Its amazing how much it can effect you mentally and physically. There was a period about two weeks ago for a period of about a month where I was extremely stressed out. It was mentally and physically exhausting. It let up for a bit. Now its back. I’ve been in situations where I’ve had a lot of anxiety based on the anticipation of something, but never has it affected me in my sleep, while I was sleeping. There are always the few hours where you can’t fall asleep but you eventually do or you don’t. But I don’t think it has ever made me wake up every few hours during the night and the only thing I could think of was the upcoming event. That happened the other night and it was horrible. The fact that I was so bothered by something that I could not sleep throughout the whole night is intense. It’s not like I just kept waking up, its that when I woke up my thoughts were of the dread of the event and only that. It can’t go on like this. People cannot survive and deal with constant high levels of stress. Its just not good for you. Especially me. I need to feel calm and relaxed. I need to be okay.

I went to my brother’s high school graduation the other day. It’s crazy to think that its been quite a few years since I graduated high school. Just being there made me so happy. I’m so proud of him. I also thought it was pretty neat that in the program, his name was listed in the schedule of events. He, as the president of the entertainment unit, directed the band for the alma mater, one last time. It was good to see him. Congratulations bro, I know you’ll do great things!

What are you waiting for?

The thought is so intriguing yet so terrifying at the same time.

It felt like my mind was on speed last night as I laid in bed. I was lost in thought and I was lost in visuals. It took the cold breeze from the open window to hit me before I realized that I was awake, lying awake with my eyes wide open in the dark. I could not sleep and I could not shut my eyes. In the previous moment, it felt like my eyes were closed, like I was thinking, and dreaming. I was having flashbacks to past events, I was writing stories in my head, I was thinking about a very random assortment of things ranging from people, places, situations, and more. It was quite strange. I haven’t experienced something like that in a long while. I couldn’t think of why I couldn’t fall asleep. I couldn’t pinpoint if something was bothering me or if I slept too much or any of the sort. I turned the light on and sat around for a little bit, did this about 3 or 4 times. Approximately an hour more of lying in the dark wide awake, I was able to fall asleep. I hope this does not happen again tonight.