We all have our little bit of crazy. Mine is OCD about time. Lateness, even the thought of being late, leads to an adverse physical reaction--agitation, increased heart rate, quickening breath. I remember it starting in 2nd grade. At 3 (or whatever time dismissal was) each class would line up to get on the buses. If it flipped 2:45 an we weren't already cleaned up, I fell to pieces.
I suppose I could go all psychobable and try to dissect what circumstances drove me to that state at such a young age. But I am not going to pin it on any outside force. It is what it is.
How did I cope? I never did. I worked for years in professional kitchens. 15 minutes early is 15 minutes late. I did not acquire a "kitchen mentality." I flourished in these jobs because the mentality was already there.
Last week I did something unthinkable for a time OCD person like myself--I over slept.
Frequent readers may remember that I get up for practice at Brahamamuhurta--the Hour of God 0400. I could write out the breakdown of my practice to nearly the minute--finishing The Chalisa? 0432. Savasana? 0527.
Imagine my surprise when my wife woke me up at 5:30.
Guess what? The world did not end because I got an extra 1.5 hrs. of sleep.
The funny thing is that I did it to myself. I have 2 alarms, the coffee maker which wakes me up when it starts, and the alarm on my phone set for 5 minutes later.
I set up the coffee maker. I set the delay start. I never turned it on.
I woke up in the night and realized I left my phone in another room. I got it and placed it on my dresser. I never turned the alarm on.
And yet, water is still wet. The sky is still up.
Imagine my surprise to discover that I didn't really think twice about 'missing' a practice session. I did not even feel very rushed, having to do my morning out of order.
I credit consistent practice for this. Without consistent practice, the whole day would have been shot from the get-go. But that practice, over time, gradually is making me a little more flexible. A little more ok with my neurosis.
Don't get me wrong, I still have 2 alarms set. But if I happen to get a little more sleep, well that is ok too.
I suppose I could go all psychobable and try to dissect what circumstances drove me to that state at such a young age. But I am not going to pin it on any outside force. It is what it is.
How did I cope? I never did. I worked for years in professional kitchens. 15 minutes early is 15 minutes late. I did not acquire a "kitchen mentality." I flourished in these jobs because the mentality was already there.
Last week I did something unthinkable for a time OCD person like myself--I over slept.
Frequent readers may remember that I get up for practice at Brahamamuhurta--the Hour of God 0400. I could write out the breakdown of my practice to nearly the minute--finishing The Chalisa? 0432. Savasana? 0527.
Imagine my surprise when my wife woke me up at 5:30.
Guess what? The world did not end because I got an extra 1.5 hrs. of sleep.
The funny thing is that I did it to myself. I have 2 alarms, the coffee maker which wakes me up when it starts, and the alarm on my phone set for 5 minutes later.
I set up the coffee maker. I set the delay start. I never turned it on.
I woke up in the night and realized I left my phone in another room. I got it and placed it on my dresser. I never turned the alarm on.
And yet, water is still wet. The sky is still up.
Imagine my surprise to discover that I didn't really think twice about 'missing' a practice session. I did not even feel very rushed, having to do my morning out of order.
I credit consistent practice for this. Without consistent practice, the whole day would have been shot from the get-go. But that practice, over time, gradually is making me a little more flexible. A little more ok with my neurosis.
Don't get me wrong, I still have 2 alarms set. But if I happen to get a little more sleep, well that is ok too.
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