We get kind of deep this week, and not just because Carla has a literal pain in her butt!
“Never forget that the universe is a single living organism possessed of one substance and one soul, holding all things suspended in a single consciousness and creating all things with a single purpose that they might work together spinning and weaving and knotting whatever comes to pass.” ~ Marcus Aurelius
Grasping the duality of being one unfathomable living thing–the Universe–and also an entirely separate individual within this Universe, is what is missing from the world today.
Think of yourself as one cell in a vast organism. It’s your sole job to keep your cell healthy so that the whole can be healthy as well.
When you change your intentions from trying to fix the whole organism by hubristically trying to “fix the World,” and instead focus your intentions simply on “fixing” or enhancing YOURSELF, we all together, “cell” by “cell,” individual by individual, create a better Universe.
Your one job is to do YOUR best. The rest will follow.
“If you have assumed a character above your strength, you have both acted in this matter in an unbecoming way, and you have neglected that which you might have fulfilled.” ~ Epictetus
This one is a hard lesson to learn, but learn you shall.
For example: If you constantly threaten your co-workers as a mode of operation, expect someone to eventually call your bluff.
If you didn’t have the goods, I hope you learned a few things, like:
Treat others as you wish to be treated.
It occurs to me this “Golden Rule” really only works if one is not a raging asshole.
If you ARE a raging asshole, may I suggest you go do the work so that you do not “neglect that which you might have fulfilled”.
What does that work look like?
* Understanding your place in the Universe. Which is to say, in the center of YOUR story, but not in the center of anyone else’s. In your Play of Life, you must still remember there are many characters on the stage, and it behooves you to consider their strengths too. (AKA: Know the battlefield before you pick your battles.)
* Understanding that your thoughts and deeds have a powerful impact on everything you do, and that you attract what you put out.
What are you putting out?
Me? I’m over here living free in New Hampshire, promoting health and well-being through proper nutrition, hydration, breath-work, cold therapy, exercise and good sleep.
I reversed severe anxiety, obesity, alcohol-addiction and inflammation (which is “hell” on a cellular level) through lifestyle choices and mental changes.
You can too, but first: KNOW YOUR STRENGTH 
and “STOP ASSUMING A CHARACTER”, so you can holistically become the best YOU.
Not a “pretend you.” Not an impostor. Not “a character”. But YOU, revealed through a process of self-discovery while routinely making choices that trend towards health/well-being until they become second nature.
Good habits lead to a better life!
Follow me here for tips on The Good Life!
Live free and thrive!
These two photos were taken THIRTY years apart. What’s my secret?
Not fussing with a beauty routine! Like, I’ve hardly ever had one beyond wearing a hat if I’m in the sun for long–thanks, Ouma! I never used eye creams because constantly pulling at the skin around your eyes seemed dumb to me if you want to avoid wrinkles. I use natural oils as my face cream. I almost never take my makeup off either. And yes, my pillowcases have constant mascara smudges. So what?
Eating right! Even at my heaviest in my late 30s and 40s (50+ pounds ago), I have never been a fan of junk food. If you’re hoping to get healthier, consider this a good yardstick: You are as healthy as the amount of days from your last drive-through fast food order. Yeah, the choices you make on how you fuel your body is like an OSHA accident waiting to (not) happen.
Living positively! Crap happens. How you respond is a choice! I was ten, in boarding school on a different continent than my parents, when I decided I would always try to look on the bright side of life. So yeah, I basically navigate through life like I’m in a Monty Python movie… because… why not?
Earlier this morning, I read the term “Mitochondriac” and I’m embracing this 100%!
When you think about yourself on a deeply cellular level, and think about how to keep your mitochondria healthy–your literal life energy source–good decision like avoiding sugar (carbs, alcohol, candy, etc.) and daily exercise become easier.
The better you treat yourself, the better you feel; the better you feel, the easier it is to treat yourself right.
Want to live free and thrive? It’s up to YOU!
Follow my page for tips on #ketorecipes #wellness and how to #nourish yourself.
BONUS CONTENT!
My Life No. 100!
Well, here we are folks! My ONE HUNDREDTH “My Life: In Balance”!
This started as an experiment last year that came to me during a 5-Day Fast. I’ve been exploring ways in which I might unleash more of the energy I’d like to put in the world: my creative self together with my growing wise-ass-don’t-give-a-damn self.
I’ve learned, you will never heal the world until you have healed yourself, and I’m at the stage where I understand that childhood experiences, and brain-worms stuck in unhelpful grooves, sometimes need to, want to, and CAN BE JOLTED.
What better way than letting it all hang out?
I was meditating on Day 4 of my fast–I was probably just really hungry! LOL–but the second I “had it,” the moment the balancing design came to me, I made a note on a, you guessed it, yellow Post-It that said: “Make this is trope for CarlaGericke.com,” my website where I regularly post about exerting my fullest practical effort in the Free State, i.e. “My Life”.
The first one said: “Crushing Mob Rule” vs. “Becoming a Populist”.
In short, this “My Life” exercise was my own devised cognitive behavioral therapy, done in public, to help me let go of my perfectionism, my inner critic, and my fear of judgement.
The rules of this game were:
1. Telling myself there is no wrong way/No judgement/Nobody cares! <— That’s freeing, not depressing, btw. One of my most popular ones was “Nobody Cares!” with a sad face on one side and “Nobody Cares!” with a smiley face on the other.
2. I had to post the first take, unless the writing was illegible. I did about 10 over, and only on few had more than 2 takes. <—This was surprisingly hard bc of the brain-noodles trying to thwart forward progress: “But the line is skew!” “But the ‘A’ is wrong!” Exercise override function: IT DOESN’T MATTER!!!
3. No deadline beyond “Just do 100 to start; doesn’t matter how long it takes” <— Important because one of my issues is if I set a goal for myself and I don’t crush it immediately, I give up because I’ve “failed,” instead of either a) creating a more aligned goal, or b) giving myself grace for the slide and then continuing on my merry way.
4. I told myself after I’d completed a hundred, I would figure out a book. I realized the other day I can start using the content in other ways, too… Maybe 3 minute vids on what they mean to me/universal truths, as I eke out this book, probably as I add some essays.
I appreciate everyone who has followed along so far, commented, and shared your thoughts. I’m so happy I figured out a short and sweet way to show you some of what’s in my head!
As humans, I think this is our main compulsion: To be seen and understood, but here’s the kicker: You cannot be understood if you cannot articulate your thoughts.
For years, while advancing a successful legal career, I knew my real desire was to be a writer, you know, the people in the business of articulating their thoughts. I remember how, after I returned to college in my mid-30s to get my Master in Fine Arts, angst-y students would ask, “When can I call myself a writer?”
When you claim it.
I started saying I was a writer in 2008, after I sold my first story, but it didn’t feel non-Impostor-real until I held my first book, THE ECSTATIC PESSIMIST, in my hands.
But, over the past year, I’ve realized, I want more: I want to be an ARTIST.
The moment I wrote “ARTIST???” in my journal (yes, with all the question marks; hey, not all the self-confidence and self-awareness comes at once, m’kay? 
), it made sense to me in the same way the Post-It series did.
Why this word? Why does ARTIST give me freedom in a way that I need to embrace?
Because through ***habitual*** journaling, I now understand that to me, the label ARTIST is freeing…
Art is subjective.
Art is permission to be weird and not care.
Art is misunderstood.
Art is individual.
Art is trying to make sense of your own thoughts, your own imagination, and the world around you, through your own spark.
Art is showing your soul and hoping someone likes it.
Art is continuing to create, even if no one does.
Art is unstoppable.
So am I.
And so are YOU.
“While we wait for life, life passes.” ~ Lucius Annaeus Seneca
Are you pretending to be someone you’re not? What do the words self-loathing and self-love conjure in you?
I’ve been pondering how people are showing up in my community, the collision between internet personas and real life, and what this means for those of us seeking balanced lives filled with personal integrity.
A while back, it occurred to me that “compartmentalization,” or putting things in “silos,” or even, as many of us say these days, operating under our “different hats” is… kind of bananas?
Aligning thoughts and actions is where human flourishing lies.
Yet, we are forced by government decrees and corporate structures and stories told to us by people trying to distract us, to pursue this SPIRITUAL DISCOMBOBULATION as though it is “normal”.
Pretty sure it’s not.
Pretty sure splitting yourself into different personas is… bad for you.
Pretty sure keeping you confused about who you are, is standing in the way of your happiness, and possibly even in the way of universal human enlightenment.
If you’re constantly seeking drama, being an asshole, criticizing people, or advocating hate, harm and violence online, even if you tell yourself it’s for the eyeballs and laffs, you might want to consider what you’re calling into your life in return for what you are putting out.
If you are feeding your ego with yuck… you become yucky.
We only have this life. The constant now.
If you’re working to build a world without top-down government, are you waiting until you find this perceived “utopia” to start “behaving properly” (which at a minimum would be: treat others as you yourself want to be treated), or are you just going to be a raging asshole in this Brave Not-So-New World too?
Because if you’re just planning to be a jerk, I’m building something else. I’m building a community striving to be their best selves at every moment. I want to be surrounded by people who want to lift each other up and seize this short gift we’ve got to EXIST in the real world we find ourselves in! It starts with each of us, individually, striving to be our best selves in every moment.
It’s never to late to start! You will fail. And then we try, try, try again! Live free and thrive!
This weekend was one for the books! I went to three Free Stater-led events, and had to bail on several others! If you feel like you’re missing out, know this: Your one stop source for goings-on around the Free State can be found on the FSP CALENDAR. We make an effort to keep the calendar current and up-to-date, so let Chris know if you spot something awry.
Saturday morning kicked off with MVP, the Merrimack Valley Porcupine meetup, which has been running for almost 20 years. This event, which conveniently takes place on the first Saturday of the month from 11:30AM-1PM is an excellent place to come find out what’s happening over the next month. It’s where you can meet candidates and other activists, pitch ideas, and generally ease into life as an activist and Free Stater in the Merrimack area.
I learned there’s a lot cooking (will post more later), including this important CALL-TO-ACTION for tomorrow/Tuesday, Sept 5th:
STOP IRL SOCIALISTS AT CITY HALL! 9/5 Tues at 6PM, before New Movers, come tell real life communists that we don’t want a city department dedicated to homelessness because we know: WHAT YOU SUBSIDIZE YOU GET MORE OF and we don’t want more homeless people! Stay at 7pm to give your 3 minute remarks on why a brand new “Housing Instability” department is nonsense.
Next, I attended West Manchester Day, hosted by We <3 West, where my husband, Louis Calitz serves on the board. This family friendly event, now in its third year, was held at a new, more convenient locations at 300 Prescourt Street, where the soccer fields are located. Parking was easy. Toilets were available. Definitely a good location to scale the events. Hopefully more people will learn of the great work We <3 West is doing to revitalize the west side without demanding our neighbors pay for it.
On Sunday, I went to Durham to speak at the Fifth Annual FSB-DAC event at the Fenton’s Farm. I have spoken at 3 of the 5 events, and it was an honor to do so again. I spoke of the close ties between Free Staters and crypto, and some of the FSP’s history with Bitcoin, where Free Staters in New Hampshire were very early adopters, starting in 2012. The world’s first Bitcoin ATM was developed in Manchester!
Porcupine Real Estate, where I now work as a Realtor, was well represented, and I was delighted to pitch the crowd the following idea: Every libertarian and liberty lover in the world should own a piece of the Free State! And, through tokenization and a DAO, I am going to make that happen!
I also gave an impassioned shout out to Free Ross, which I have consistently done since I started attending this event. I won’t stop until we Free Ross!
I 
NH! Purple is my favorite color. So much so, my wedding dress was lilac with a giant purple collar, long before it was fashionable to step outside the white and ivory norms.
This mushroom, from the Piscataquag River trail yesterday, is my favorite shade… Is it lilac? Periwinkle?
Precision in language makes us better communicators, yet we have become so lazy, so dismissive of the exuberance and elegance of the English language.
The gift of thousands and thousands of exact words to pick from, and yet we hear the same few words and phrases on repeat.
We can do better.
I’ve always been a big reader. As a bilingual person, fluent in Afrikaans and English, with a smattering of German and Spanish (who was forced to take Latin in law school; ahem–don’t be too impressed, I failed it twice! LOL), I’ve always had a penchant for the beauty of language, the word play, puns, and humor around nuanced word choices.
For many years, to improve my vocabulary, I read an Oxford English dictionary on the loo. To me, this was an escape, an adventure, one strange word leading to another, an entire journey with new thoughts, ideas, and synapses forming simply by opening a page in a book.
Does anyone do this anymore?
When I moved to America, even as an “English as a second language speaker,” I was told by bosses and colleagues to use “easier” or “simpler” words.
To dumb it down.
Know what happens when you dumb shit down?
You get a lot of dumb shit. [<—We are here.]
Whether it’s picking the right shade to describe the color of a mushroom down by the river, or finding that precise word to express a frustration with a friend, or the correct term to express your love, I’m on a mission to stop “dumbing it down” just because someone told me to.
Instead, let’s push the power of precision. Let’s explore the vast universe of our shared vocabulary. You may not know all the words–unless you are Rain Man, one cannot–but it’s in the not knowing, in the discovery, in the learning, in the ultimate agreement in terminology that understanding lies.
The answers to many societal problems lie in improving our communication skills. Let’s learn and grow together.
Perhaps I’m unique in this, but do you have secretly coveted words that you just love for whatever reason? I do. Two of mine are “gobsmacked” (because it sounds like someone lugged a loogie to get your attention) and “cat’s paws” (raindrops falling on water).
I wrote an award-winning short story, WHEN WE TALK ABOUT WORDS about this topic (p. 31). I was even paid $1,000 when it was first published. You can read this and other stories in my book THE ECSTATIC PESSIMIST: STORIES OF HOPE (MOSTLY) available on Amazon.
In the comments below, tell me your favorite word–I know you have one–and feel free to throw in the definition too.
Let the communicating commence!
Trying new things, in this case–as they say in The Biz–my less attractive angles. Heh.
Post-shower, post-strength workout–which today involved going up five pounds on my lifts and those lifts include things like Dead Romanian Goblets, or sumthang! 
You are never to old to get a grip on your health and well-being!
I’m also working on my hanging strength because I heard a Huberman Lab podcast that said men should be able to hang for 2+ minutes and women for 1.5.
When I started a couple of weeks ago, I could do 10 seconds and I’m up to 30 seconds. Trying to add one second every time!
For folks who don’t like strength training… me either! But I’m mindfully approaching it with help from Louis who finds it vastly amusing that my boobs are often in the way.
YOU are the master of your health! Make the right choices now and Future You will thank you! Live free and thrive!
This relates to so many Signal & Telegram groups I’m in:
“Do not waste what remains of your life in speculating about your neighbours, unless with a view to some mutual benefit. To wonder what so – and – so is doing and why, or what he is saying, or thinking, or scheming – in a word, anything that distracts you from fidelity to the Ruler within you – means a loss of opportunity for some other task.”
~ Marcus Aurelius
I am constantly amazed at how many people waste their time parsing out the goings on of others, especially politicians.
Here’s a life lesson that might release your time to go do productive things that make you happy:
Everyone is flawed. Politicians are particularly flawed. None is ever going to be “perfect” so why give them so much of your attention?
If gossiping about your fellow man is a habit, you might want to internalize the following: “Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people”.
What YOU focus your time on is the life you are creating.
Choose carefully how you spend your time & what you give attention to… Build good habits now through being THE RULER WITHIN YOU so you can free your time to create a better future.
Create, not sedate, berate, or complicate. CREATE. Build a life you don’t want to escape from. It starts with taking command of your own attention span.
[PS: Random cool pic I snapped that came up in my memories from the Badlands in 2021, which I visited during Freedom Fest.]