New Chapters Await

I so often hear both adults and teens refer to high school as the best four years of their lives. All I can do is remain silent and think how very depressing that would be if that were the case. Being that I've been out of high school for quite some time, that would be an awful reality if it were true. But where did that perception come from? Whether it be listening to too many loops of John Mellencamp or spending too much time on the Jersey Shore it's a mentality that is highly incorrect if you are living your life properly. 

My belief is that every stage of life is it's own chapter waiting to be written. So much of how we look at our next chapter has a bearing on its substance. I do note that there are things we face we have no control of: unemployment, sickness, loss of a loved one, etc. But factors outside of that are up to us. I get super disheartened when I bump into people who have been out of high school for ten, fifteen, twenty years and all they can do is chat about what was and not what is. My heart is sad for them. 

To all the graduates of 2014 I say, take life by storm. There will be bumps in the road, because if there aren't you're doing something wrong. Life is about growth, personal challenge and stretching yourself in ways that make you a better person. Do not settle for what is expected. Rather, make a bucket list of what you wish to accomplish in one, two and five years. Write it down and each day make it a point to get a little closer to those goals. It's up to you to go to your goals, your goals will not wait for you. 

So with summer's arrival don't let it be a blur. Do a few things that add to the you. Yes, I did say that.
A few pointers for rocking out the summer of 2014: Go on a road trip and let yourself get a little lost and don't use a gps; actually ask someone for directions. Drink every kind of slurpee at 7-11 before the end of July. Watch a sunrise and a sunset in two different places you've never been before (that could be Chatsworth or Collingswood). Catch fireflies. Swim in a lake under a full moon. Put your phone down and have coffee or iced tea with someone who means the world to you. Pick blueberries or strawberries and eat more than you pick. Sit under a canopy of stars. Buy someone in uniform a cup of coffee or bagel when your at Dunkin Donuts or Wawa. Send someone a note, by mail, telling them how you appreciate them. Go to a park and swing on a swing and try to reach the sky. 

Life is too short to not do something with it. Make whatever stage you are in life your own chapter that you just don't want to put down. When we live fully it's pretty cool how satisfied we become with taking the next step into the new chapter that will hold all new memories and experiences that are all our own. 

N-Bomb

Trends come and go when it comes to illegal substances that teens are using. Even though I work on the forefront of the addiction field, it can be challenging to keep up with what is and isn’t in. Regardless, I believe that there is power in knowing what’s out there and whether that is as a family member, friend or community member we do need to know.

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  Image courtesy of Google

  
  

N-bomb is a drug that has not, to my knowledge, made an appearance in South Jersey but it is only a matter of time until it does. What is it? It’s a hallucinogen that is an insane combination of MDMA (form of ecstasy that’s a cross over with Molly) and LSD that can be packaged as a nasal spry, liquid or powder. A problem is that it is frequently being mislabeled and sold as LSD, but the effects are much more dangerous. So a strategy for dealers is to mislabel a drug with the intention of getting their buyers hooked and returning for an item with a higher price tag, although more lethal.

Effects can last hours or days depending upon the potency and quantity of the dosage. But there have been numerous overdoses in New York where only a small amount was ingested. It’s scary stuff. Some of the side effects: seizures, heart attack, lapses in breathing, paranoia and death.

Why are people using it? The potency of the drug heightens senses with bright lights, colors as well as distorting visual images. The trips are referenced as being similar to LSD, just heightened, but due to the crazy mix of ingredients it’s a game of Russian roulette. You just don’t know what you’re getting.

I hope I’m wrong, but I believe within the next few months we will see this drug being referenced in our local papers.

Lots of stuff out there, but knowledge is power. Wishing you a great! 

wave in wave out

My arms are sore. Saturday brought my first opportunity to paddle out and catch some much needed spring surf. With the water temps breaking the 60 degree mark, sun out in full force and blue skies there was not much of a decision to make about rolling out of bed when the alarm went off at 5:30 am. It was the best drive through the Pine Barrens that I've had in some time.
I had not been out in a full wet suit paddling for hours at a clip in a while. Surfing is 90% paddling and 10% of actual riding a wave. It works muscles that you never knew existed that are different then what one uses in swimming or with free weights. Your body will ache after a constant range of motion that you're not accustomed to.
About a half hour out in the water I paddled past the breakers and waited before the next set of waves came in. It dawned on me how greatly my philosophy and approach with surfing has changed much as it has in my approach in life. When I was 21 I would have charged out paddling, surfing, paddling, surfing with little thought about how my limbs and legs would be feeling after the fact. A number of years ago I subjected my body to an eight hour surf session in Florida after not having been in the water in over two months. My muscles were not accustomed to the level of activity and I pushed them and the next morning they pushed back. I couldn't move my arms for close to six hours. They hurt and my body seemed to pulsate for a day or so. I was wrecked. Now, my approach is a little more thought out. Maybe we call that aging or simply common sense, but although my arms are presently sore on Sunday night they are not what they would have been if not for taking my surf session in stride. It's a good sore.

But the truth of the matter in both surfing and most importantly in life if we don't pace ourselves, take time to breath, pause and consider ways in approaching various situations or 'swells' that we may or may not face there is a lessened degree of soreness or wearing out by life. We all get tired, but sometimes the acuteness of it is simply due to our lack of planning and considering a long range vision of what lies ahead and what we are capable of handling.
We were never meant to paddle out into each set of waves in our lives without looking out at the horizon to see what exactly is coming at us next. It's hard to change speeds, learn how important it is to choose what waves or challenges to take and which to let go of as well as being at peace with sometimes just simply waiting allowing our bodies to recharge. I'm still a work in progress, but it's so worth being a good sore in life and not a sore that is detrimental to the next set of waves ahead of us. Enjoy your week and be a good sore in the waves you face ahead of you.