Weekend Wrap

Weekend Wrap: Therapy Found In the Waves

Life is. Every day. There it is. Ready to kick us in the teeth, or to provide us with moments of joy. Either way, another day, just like a wave, will come. Followed by another. And another. So we stand there. We take them as they come. We can’t stop that. We can only persist.

Each weekend, I like to pause, reflect, and look back on the past week. This isn't meant to be a deep dive or sweeping life philosophy—just a collection of things that caught my attention, made me think, brought me joy, or stayed with me in some way.

What I Noticed

I have been all over the place. I find myself losing focus. Activities that used to come, almost second nature, now seem to require Herculean effort.

I’m not inhabiting my identity.

So, of course, I ask myself: is my identity a reality? This version of me I think I see—that I want to be and embody—is potentially a fiction. Or so I tell myself.

But the truth is simpler than all of that.

I’m just not following through. I see that in myself. There are plenty of reasons I could come up with. Most of them are excuses I tell myself. There are real issues, but I can’t blame everything on those external factors.

So, I see it. Now I need to act on it.

What Helped

There are times I read an article and I try to convince myself I didn’t waste my own time. There are others where I come away mildly interested in what I read.

And then there are the articles that leave me different than when I started.

Such it was this week. This seems such a simple principle. Just sit with a feeling. Don’t act on it, don’t collapse beneath the wave. Stand in it. Wait it out. Every wave passes. And often quickly.

Sure, there is often another wave right behind it. But that one passes as well.

But I can stand there. I can resist the wave, in its many forms. I can wait for it to pass.

What I’m Enjoying

I have loved Russian Circles for years. This post-metal, instrumental trio from Chicago (the name of the band comes from soccer drills they did as kids) has been releasing incredible albums for years.

Nine is another shinning gem in their oeuvre.

Full of atmosphere, moments of lightness, and plenty of crushing heaviness, Nine is one of my most anticipated albums of the years. It doesn’t disappoint.

Music is therapy. And Russian Circles is next-level.

What I’m Practicing

I had to take last week off from workouts. A stupid back issue while doing back squats demanded it. An unpleasant reminder that I am now 50.

But I have changed my plan, my back is better—enough—to start it tomorrow. And I’m looking forward to it. I need to be more consistent. My practice has been suboptimal.

At least I have a plan.