I’ve got Pink Floyd resonating in my headphones. I went 54 years without much appreciation for Pink Floyd. I’d always acknowledged they were an amazing band, unique and talented. I never gravitated towards them. It could be my brother played them endlessly when we shared a bedroom I’m not sure. You won’t find a single album of theirs in my deli but you will soon. The last year or so I’ve become a fan, a big fan. Not sure what triggered it I think it may have to do with my lifestyle change. I rarely listen to hard music anymore.

I like soothing

Mild

Laidback

Slower beats

Music reflects your mood and vice versa. Floyd has been my mood. I’m not sure there have been any other musicians that have reentered my life in such a way. I think it’s a reflection of direction. If you observe your musical preferences as they change or evolve it’s a map of where your mood and mind are and where they may be heading. It’s not that deep y’all I’m referring to daily or weekend moods. Pink Floyd was iconic well before I threw my opinion out there I’m just catching up to them. I’ve gone through seasons of deleting genres and bands on my phone because I’ve just worn them out overtime.

Avetts- all gone

Isbell is taking a long break

Johnny Cash, can’t listen to him right now.

Doesn’t mean I don’t love their music it just doesn’t fit me at this time. It’ll come back. I wear a hoodie everyday but right now it doesn’t work for me. Wrong season.

De La Soul is in my top 10 currently

Johnny Blue Sky ain’t going anywhere.

Marshall Tucker Band has been on replay I haven’t listened to them in decades

Tears for Fears, I just downloaded their entire catalog, one of the most underrated bands of the 80s

Florence and the machine.

These are the bands where I don’t change the song if it comes on right now. I’ve listened to the Wall half dozen times this week. I’ll be purchasing the album soon. Barry, my one employee, will be pleased. He’s a big Floyd fan. He looks like one. Not sure why I just said that.

My new morning practice recently is fixing my handwriting. I’ve been spending about 20 minutes a morning slowly and deliberately leveling out my writing. I’ve never had good handwriting but once upon a time it had been legible. Years of writing shorthand food orders on a notepad have wrecked my handwriting. My hands are calloused and my wrists are stiff from knife work. I want to hold a pen or marker like a blade. When I write I can read it but no one else can. I write before I think so I oftentimes combine words when I’m in a hurry and well I’m always in a hurry in my world. Example: Sometimes when taking an order and someone asks for a Reuben and an Italian I’ll wrote out Reubian and Italen or Reubentalian. I used to win spelling bees in middle school.

I’m not practicing writing to win a calligraphy contest, I’m doing it to slow my pace and thinking down. If I can slow down my writing I can slow down my thinking. Overthinking will be subdued. My letter fonts don’t match. I blend in upper case and lower, I half write in cursive, my words aren’t even I can’t place them in a straight line.

Writing should be fluid. I’m seeking fluidity with my writing and thoughts. If there’s any craft that’s directly connected to your mind and hands it’s handwriting. I’ve been writing random words and letters slowly, methodically. It’s hard for me. When I’m writing a sentence it starts ok and then ends in an ink skid mark. Now take that and apply it to everything I do. I start off slow and deliberate towards the end I’m hurrying to get shit over with. I have the propensity for sloppy work when I get that way. You won’t see it in my craft at work but you’ll see it reflected in my mise en place. It’s destroyed. My work station becomes chaotic because I move in one speed.

Why handwriting? It’s a form of art for communication and expression.

It forces me to think and act slowly, deliberately

I’m synchronizing my motor system and my attention system

My internal dialogue is forced to slow down. I’m in control. My mind is not taking a dump on me it’s slowly releasing.

Emotionally regulating

And last but not least I was directed to it. Trail markers have spoken. One morning my wandering mind stopped, looked up at me and said “you should work on your handwriting”

Ok

My life has changed for the better when I’m listening

Handwriting.

A wordsmithing of letters

It pings. And when things ping I must allow

Ping a ling

Sounds mild until you do it. My built in therapist knows what it’s talking about. Your body will direct you to do some random things when you sit quietly for a while. I went to buy a regular ole notebook last week. It’s filled with letters, words and nothing else. I suppose they all are if you want to be literal.. an occasional coffee cup stain.

Cheers