Author: Mauron Kur

I have a page on my site where I delve into many methods I’ve developed overtime to handle stress, and those largely roll into forms of self-care.

I seem to spend the most time driving (usually during my commute) or quietly pondering life in mediation, staring out the window at nature, or going for walks where I tend to call people to catch up. I wouldn’t consider quiet moments as wasteful but necessary decompressing from the day.

My first real crush was l freshman year in college. I sat behind him in Western Religions class and nicknamed him Bluejay. He had curly brown hair and his kind and reflective way of speaking was always a joy. We conversed a little and I also saw him at Wednesday night church services. Unfortunately, a couple of months into my crush I noticed he had a girlfriend with him at church. Of course he was already taken, all of the good ones were. I was emotionally distraught and cried for hours realizing I would most likely always be alone. Eventually I came to terms with it and decided friendship would need to be good enough for the rest of my life. It has been about 17 years since then, and this year for the first time in my life I have found someone who loves me and whom I love. I know how hard it was when couples would forget me, so I plan to keep time for my friends so they don’t have to feel the isolation of singlehood.

I have traveled to other countries in Europe and Asia, but I think my priorities have changed from where I’d like to visit to whom I would like to spend time with and our mutual interests. Solo trips are nice, I am just ready for doing something with more intent than my own whims. My next trip to France for example is to stay with a friend and attend their wedding. I kept the travel itinerary simple to reduce stress.

While stepping away from grinding work sounds nice, I would love to have the time to get involved in helping people in other capacities that I currently don’t have time for due to work. it would also entail time in nature and finding involvement in community and connections.

Good quality food is something no good substitute exists for. You can’t put junk food in the tank and expect the same results.

I would love to do a new job everyday for at least 3 months. I could work with a cozy chef, garden in a paradise, design a landscape, help construct a home, perform with musicians, try various office jobs, be an athletic trainer, help people who just need someone to listen, teach a class to adults, work on a luxury cruise ship, be a tour guide, help arrange a wedding party, design jewelry, learn traditional crafting skills from around the world that maintain a preservation of the past, be a storyteller, take care of animals, and whatever other odd jobs that come up.

Being in love for the first time at age 36, I think a stick on the ground could make me laugh!

I have been saying “no” a lot more recently just to start setting boundaries for my own needs. If my goal is rest, I can keep it so. If I’m full of energy, I can help others until I feel the need to stop and say no. I don’t want to feel obligated to help, but to do it with joy when I can.

Weather that is changing is the most fascinating. I have always been excited when odd cloud arrangements created the most unusual lighting, like lighting from the north or even the sudden illumination from lightning. As kids, we’d love running around outside in the pre-storm breeze smelling petrichor. Strange shapes in the clouds or the tension building before a storm really hits are lovely anomalies. Morning sun off an ice coated landscape with trees creaking or and plants reaching to the ground in unnatural ways is like a rare treat to be appreciated. A nice summer day is well and all, but sometimes I want something unexpected and different.