We live in a weird reality, full of grey areas so vast that sometimes you just need to get on your motorcycle and wrap yourself up in a barbed-wire fence to really "know" the importance of checking your tire pressure. There's a personality type that needs to learn things the hard way. It's not ignorance or stubbornness; it's a need to be in dialogue with the truth, the Tao, the universe, or whatever you want to call it, and it doesn't speak English; it speaks barbed-wire fence, meet-cutes, or IBS in traffic.

I remember the day I had to admit that I knew what I needed to be doing in life. I'm not talking about tax law. I just mean, in the way of being able to discern between what is aligned or misaligned with who I am as a person. The day I was able to zoom out and observe, not all, but many of my justifications for being out of integrity. "Yeah, but" "what if" or "I know, but" is nothing more than a preamble to a decision that's telling your wisdom it's being a third wheel between you and your inner monkey. Those phrases are up there with "I'm just doing my job" or "hold my beer."

There's a wonderful phrase, "knowing easy practice hard."

Think of how many things you know.

Take 5 seconds, not minutes, you only need seconds if you're over the age of 25.

Regarding your day-to-day wellness, what do you know about your diet,  habits, and mindset? Now zoom out and watch the movie that is your life; are you aligned or misaligned?

I'll let you know a little about my special blend of misalignment. That should be plural, but I don't want to show off.

I was in my early 20s, working at a health club and touring in a rock band. I was known for being in stupid good shape. This was in a time when no one had yet seen a kettlebell or yoga. I was an anomaly in the fitness world, to the point that many large fitness chains would tell me, "The body should not move like that." (Because yoga was also "unhealthy.”)

I would perform till the bars closed, then load my gear and haul ass to the gym to open it at 4:30 am. I was rarely sleeping; I was always on some form of endorphin high, and my habits looked healthy from the outside: no drinking, no drugs, constant exercise. I was also not using caffeine at the time; I was running on pure adrenaline. I preferred martial arts, motorcycles, and rock n roll over sex, drugs, and rock n roll. I would have loved to have some sort of intimate interaction, but I was a bit sober, preachy, and intense to attract anyone, plus I just smelled like a wolverine that was down on his luck.

I was always in a rush, and my diet was mostly whatever weird protein bar or drink I could get my hands on out of the fridge at the gym. So my body looked healthy, but my kidneys were so overworked that I gave myself a flash one-day moment of gout.

My coal miner family in West Virginia loved hearing this, btw. My uncle Benny, RIP, sir, I love you so much, who had lost both kidneys plus had a kidney transplant. He smoked cigars, a pipe, and cigarettes, fought anything that needed talkin' to, he dipped and chewed tobacco, ate a lot of meat, processed foods, constant sugar, and caffeine, and he and I could finally sit on the porch together and bond over gout.

He would have his sweet tea, and I would have my water, as he would be packing his pipe and ask, "How's your gout, boy?"

I'd say, "I'm good now, Uncle Benny. How's yours?"

Then my aunt would chime in, "Hey, you out there in California?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"You got you one of them food allergies yet?"

"No, not yet."

It's been over 25 years, my Goutamaggedon only lasted half a day, but every time I talk to my family out there in WV, if I start giving any unsolicited health advice, they'll just say, "You still got gout?"

I love them so much.

Sometimes we get so self-involved, regimented, and over-scheduled that we tune out the conversation between our actions and cause and effect. Sometimes we justify our misalignment as "Just wanting to have some fun".

Have you ever sat down and defined "fun"?

Do you want to have fun, or do you want to escape your inner voice telling you that you're misaligned? So drinking, scrolling, busy work, or other forms of escapism are our way of saying, "Yeah, yeah, I know," but when that barbed wire fence comes to give you a big hug, do you start to think, "I knew better."

It's ok.

Have you tried sitting on the porch and laughing about it?