I’ve always been fairly healthy throughout most of my life. Although overall that’s still the case, and I’m extremely grateful for that, this year has been slightly different than every other year I’ve lived through so far. Towards the end of 2023 I started getting all kinds of symptoms of what I eventually realized was acid reflux. I had all the classic symptoms of it, and they were getting unbearable. I’m glad to say I’ve gotten better over time, but I’ve had to make all kinds of changes in order to get better. One of the things I hate the most about dealing with this thing is having to cut back on coffee. It would probably be best to avoid it entirely, but I’m not willing to do that. See, I went through years of this phase, after quitting cigarettes, of condemning all legal drugs, primarily alcohol, nicotine, and caffeine, of being used by the system to keep us running in the rat race, enslaved yet energetic for no reason of our own. I was a hypocrite of course, since I still drank, sometimes less and sometimes more, depending where I was living at the time and who I was surrounded by. I still took medicine when I needed it also. Anyway, my love for weed and psychedelics and my disdain for the laws that made them illegal made me avoid nicotine and coffee for years, especially because probably the biggest idea that helped me quit smoking cigarettes was the fact that it doesn’t really give you a much noticeable high, Of course, it’s there and it feels nice or relieves anxiety, sure, but it’s no weed high. If I was going to mess with my lungs I might as well be getting high from it, right? The thing is that, years later, maybe only about three or four years ago, when I got more and more serious about quitting all smoking, including weed, and moved on to edibles, I realized something I had already known. I mean realized because, although I knew it as a fact and had maybe experienced it once or twice, now that I was constantly getting baked on edibles rather than smoking, I was coming face to face with the crazier, stronger, and longer highs they provide. Although at times overwhelming, it was still a good old weed high, just longer and stronger, which I enjoyed and quickly grew to love. To this day I still mainly consume weed in edible form, and just have a joint every now and then, like once every couple of months or so. The thing is, that as I got more into edibles, and still getting stoned daily like I was, I started realized that edibles made me more tired at the end of the day than blazing did, especially if I consumed them more than once in a day, and most days I did. For that reason, I started having a cup of coffee here and there. I’ll be honest, I didn’t expect to enjoy it that much. I guess being super high on edibles maybe enhanced its flavor for me, and I also started to really enjoy how the energy from the coffee would blend really nicely with the feeling of the bud, and would allow me to enter these really creative and super-focused states, which I would spend making music and things of that nature. From there, a cup of coffee here and there turned into more, and although it’s not what I would consider an excessive amount, coffee did become a constant part of my life, and I would have some at least twice a day. Sometimes I wonder if me getting into coffee only in recent years was maybe what brought on this acid reflux, or maybe it was that plus years of not-so-healthy eating and drinking habits. It’s not like I’ve been super unhealthy either, but I have eaten my fair share of snacks and alcoholic drinks, and tried all kinds of substances as well. Anyway, although it sucks, this acid reflux has really taught me a lesson. It’s a very basic lesson, but one that we can always be more aware of, and it is to appreciate our health and our time on this earth. I used to be able to eat all kinds of foods without thinking twice about it, and just a few years later now I have to be super mindful of what I eat. I guess that’s a blessing in disguise as well though. It’s like life has actually forced me to become more mindful of what I consume and put into my body, as well as when and how I do it. This is the crazy thing about life. Struggles are blessings, and in the end, nothing is wrong. Sad things, like death and disease, are just part of life, and so are struggle and suffering. We don’t really know why we’re here, but we have to believe there’s a reason, or at least that it can mean whatever we make it mean, whether good or bad. Not sure where I’m going with this, but I’ll just finish off by wishing you all an amazing night, or day, an amazing rest of the week, month, year, and life! Don’t take anything for granted, and always be mindful of what you consume, physically and otherwise. It’s your body and it’s your mind to take care of. It’s a right as well as responsibility, and life is all about learning to balance those two fundamental aspects of it. I appreciate you reading!
I wrote today’s post while listening to this beautiful ambient album, ‘Plume’ by Loscil. Check it out if you want to relax for a moment.
rebel eye 