Happy Staying Healthy! Or least I hope and pray you are. It’s times like these when I believe we are being taught to be thankful for what we do have and to maybe never take anything for granted. Particularly the normal life things we once enjoyed, before the Coronavirus Crisis hit us. It makes me reflect a great deal on the few special experiences I’ve enjoyed during my life.
Many of those involve traveling to places that involve nature in some sort of aspect, many of them are spiritual experiences such as my dedication to God and baptism, and some include bonding and funny moments with my closest friends and mentors. We all have a source from which we receive our energy. That energy can be what drives us to work, provide for our families, take care of our loved ones, or even just live. I know for me that aside from my faith, I receive my energy from a couple of very noticeable places: The company of those I love and being out in nature.
The heart of who I am is a people person. Like any normal human being, I have my moments where I get annoyed and frustrated with people. But at the end of the day, I do love people. Due to the fact that I tend to be the kind of extroverted person who has an element of being introverted/needing alone to time recharge here and there, I tend to feel more myself with one or two people at a time. I like to zero and focus whoever I’m with on an individual basis. When I’m with those I love, I feel energized. And it doesn’t really matter what we do. For me, it’s about quality of time, not restricting to a need for activities. We can do fun outdoor things or we can just enjoy ourselves at a coffee shop or restaurant in the city. Even the thought of spending time with them is exciting for me.
My old friend from High School, Steve and I at a sports bar/grill in 2007. I love old throwback pictures.
Another great source of energy for me is being out in nature. Whether it’s riding a bike trail, exploring the woods, or laying on the beach, nature is part of my love language. I am just awestruck when I think of how amazing the terrain, trees, rocks, water, etc. seems to be so perfectly formed. I particularly remember, when I was riding my bicycle up at Redbank Valley Trail in New Bethlehem, PA which is located in Clarion right along Redbank Creek which is the divider between Clarion and Armstrong Counties. It’s a trail that runs along the hillsides in the Valley of Redbank Creek. It’s the simplicity of the beauty of nature that recharges me, whether I’m in the sticks of Western PA or the tropics of Tahiti.
And lastly, the other source of where I get my energy is what I would call my “unsung hero”. I get energized from music. I love to listen to music while I work. It provides great background noise for me. Some people can’t concentrate as well with background noise of any sort, but I find myself more into what I’m working while music is playing. It’s as if the emotions listening to music can release that help me channel that energy into the tasks to do. What do I like to listen to during creative moments? Worship music definitely is a top choice of mine. However, I also enjoy a good movie soundtrack. My 2 favorite movie soundtracks are Braveheart and Top Gun.
My three main sources of where I get my energy from are what works for me. I know that everyone is different in their own unique way. I find it very awesome that there really isn’t another copy of anyone else. That we can all be ourselves. There’s an old saying, “No one else can be you.”, and I find that to be very awesome. Where do you get your energy from? I’d honestly love to know! Feel free to leave comments on what ticks for you! Stay tuned for more personal and public content from me to come!
Much love
Joe Gardonis