I have taken a lot of inspiration from Hunter S. Thompson. In my teens I admired the Johnny Depp version of him for his drug habits, but I grew to appreciate the real talent and insightful writings of the guy as I got older. I love reading his letters. I find him thoughtful, poignant, honest and exceedingly funny. In sobriety, I began to call my home The Unicorn Ranch which is a mocking nod to Charlie Sheen and an honest homage to Dr. Thompson. Sheen because he named his Beverly Hills (or Malibu or wherever the fuck) home The Sober Valley Lodge when he was drinking tiger blood all over TMZ three years ago, Dr. Thompson because he lived for decades in Aspen, Colorado on a property he called The Owl Ranch. He reportedly had gongs hanging around the canyon walls and he would step outside and shoot them with his .44 magnum. Man, I love this guy.
I also read once that he was obsessed with breakfast. I'll let him explain this for you:
"I like to eat breakfast alone, and almost never before noon; anybody with a terminally jangled lifestyle needs at least one psychic anchor every twenty-four hours, and mine is breakfast. In Hong Kong, Dallas, or at home—and regardless of whether or not I have been to bed—breakfast is a personal ritual that can only be properly observed alone, and in a spirit of genuine excess. The food factor should always be massive: four Bloody Marys, two grapefruits, a pot of coffee, Rangoon crêpes, a half-pound of either sausage, bacon, or corned-beef hash with diced chilies, a Spanish omelette or eggs Benedict, a quart of milk, a chopped lemon for random seasoning, and something like a slice of key lime pie, two margaritas and six lines of the best cocaine for dessert…Right, and there should also be two or three newspapers, all mail and messages, a telephone, a notebook for planning the next twenty-four hours, and at least one source of good music…all of which should be dealt with outside, in the warmth of a hot sun, and preferably stone naked."
One of the new habits I've developed has been a consistent morning routine. It has none of the panache, drugs or booze that Thompson's had, but all of the psychic anchor qualities in a life that frequently borders on unhinged and unexplained. I almost always devote a good hour to waking up slowly. On days when I need to leave the house by 6:30 AM, I wake at 5 just so that I may have a solid hour to absorb my ritual. A French press of coffee, the morning news, a solid breakfast with some protein, 5 or 10 minutes of quiet thinking and two very important books. The books I look at are both recovery focused "daily readers". By this I mean there is a different entry for each day of the year. There are exactly 366 entries (one for leap year) and they often feel so incredibly timely in their subject matter.
Having a morning routine that I stick to fairly obediently helps me stay grounded and present. It helps me remember to live life one day at a time and stay out of the past and future. By waking up and planning my day, I acknowledge that this day is all I am promised and I commit to making the most of it. By noon I might have abandoned those plans and be squarely stuck on some problem from eight years ago or panicking and fretting about an imagined decision I'm certain I'll need to face in 8 months, but at least I make a morning pledge to try and stay in the present.
This post comes about on the second to the last day of the year when I read one of the more powerful entries in one of my books. I'll summarize the entry:
"The unpleasant things other people say or do have no power to destroy my peace of mind or ruin my day unless I permit it. Do I allow myself to respond to the words of a sick person as if they were the truth? ... There is so much to appreciate in this life. I won't waste another moment feeling sorry for myself."
It takes 364 days to reach that entry. At the end of the year you can look back on all the good and bad, tell the bad to slip away and focus on the good. No matter how much bad might outweigh the good, you can focus on the good and make that the estimation of your year. Lucky for me, it's been an awesome year. Easily the best ever. The triumphs dwarf the tribulations and the mere thought of the people I've met and things I learned bring an earnest and honest smile to my face.
I'll look forward to 2014 and every morning I'll plan on living life to it's fullest. Outside, in the warmth of a hot sun, preferably stone naked.
"...the greater part of our happiness or misery depends on our dispositions and not on our circumstances."
-Martha Washington
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