Wisdom(ish) – Joe & The Budgies

 Joe and the Internal Budgies

It’s 1:11 AM. Joe is staring at his phone, his jaw is tight, and his mind is a cage of ruffled feathers.

In this first "Wisdom(ish)" pause, Joe’s Older Self drops by with a bit of perspective on "Waiting for the Other Shoe to Drop" and why your brain is sometimes just an overprotective sister.

In this episode:

• Dealing with the 1:00 AM "internal flap."
• Why you don't need to balls it up (even if you think you will).
• The "Donut" realization.

What’s Next: Join me this Sunday for the full Sleep Story, where we’ll pick up exactly where Joe left off and walk the moonlit path to calm.

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Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:01

Welcome to Flow Calm Still. I'm Linz and this is Wisdom Ish. These are short pauses for thought from the villagers of Flow Calm Still. Moments where we stop and listen to the wisdom of our older selves. It's the version of us that have already been through the messiness of life and come out the other side with a bit of perspective. Let's start with Joe. A one eleven AM wake up call and some internal budges. Joe checked his phone again. For the twentieth time in as many minutes one eleven AM. He sank deeper into the pillows but was anything but still berating himself for looking at his phone again in bed. He'd been warned that bed was just for sleep and sex, but he didn't seem to be getting much of either of those lately, so he'd resided himself to the fact that the phone was the only distraction technique for the moment. In truth his mind had been tugging him in a dozen different directions at once. Too many thoughts to name, too fast to follow, or make much sense of. He thought of his two childhood budgies, the way they'd squawked and beat their wings against the bars of their cage. This was his mind right now. Feathers ruffled, wings beating, and everything was a bit too loud for his liking. Then a gentle hand landed on his shoulder. Joe didn't flinch. He recognized the touch before he even looked up. It was the hand to shoulder recognition. A silent I've got you. His older self was sitting on the edge of the bed. He looked like Joe, but with more laughter lines and a posture that didn't look like he was waiting for a punch. I've got a million thoughts at the minute, Joe whispered into the dark, and my jaws tighter than Gordon Ramsay in bad service. The older Joe smiled. Spilling sauce is allowed at this hour, Joe. Come on, mate, spill. Life's good. I've finally got it together. My own home, food on the table. I love my new job, and I think I might have a date with the barista from Nourish Cafe. It's like life's finally said There you go, mate. Have a slice of happiness. Now relax. Chill and enjoy it. Joe shook his head. But I can't. I'm waiting for the other shoe to drop. What if it all goes wrong? What if I mess it up? I'll feel neurotic and my mind just won't stop spinning stories. Ah, said his older self. Waiting for the other shoe to drop syndrome. I know it well. Joe rolled his eyes and nodded in agreement. Joe's older self reached out, placing his hands gently around Joe's temples, lifting his face until their eyes met. Look, Joe, you've been through a lot recently. A lot of change. It's just that your mind's not caught up with your life yet. It's like your nervous system still scanning for danger, for problems, for things to watch out for. That's just your brain being an overly protective sister. Change is hard. And before we fully settle the mind likes to have a final flap. Joe gave him a sideways look. Have you been listening to Mel Robbins again? No you don't, his older self smirked. It's just what I've learned from being you for a few more decades. You have to teach your brain it doesn't need to guard every second of your life. Find ways to stay present. It's time to stop protecting yourself from life, hiding from it and living it. The older Joe stood up, walked towards the window and peeked through the curtains. Looking back he said But tell me this before the Budges took over tonight, did you even take one moment today to slow down to feel your feet on the ground and notice what's happening around you a sunset? A decent coffee, a smile from a stranger, anything? Joe paused and thought. I forgot about that. Good, his older self whispered. Hold on to that. Take some time in your life to notice the little things. The little things that are working. Look out for them. And soon you'll start to feel more settled in real life moments. And let's face it, mate, it's better than getting lost in the phone in your hand. Joe softened, felt his shoulders drop. He closed his eyes for a moment to digest his older self's words of wisdom, followed by a small internal nod, and noticing the budges had stopped flapping their wings. Joe took a deep breath and he opened his eyes, noticing his older self had vanished. The corner of his mouth turned up into a nearly half smile, whispering to himself Point made and taken mate. As the world inside him started to calm, he drifted off into sleep, hoping to dream of the barista from Nourish Cafe. This was wisdom ish. These episodes are a mental anchor for your week. If Joe's one eleven AM felt familiar, stop to take moments out of your day to notice something real and give your internal flap a rest. We all do it. We're all human. I'll be back on Sunday with our full sleep story. While wisdom ish is about shifting your mind, Sunday the sleep stories are about resting your body. It's a much longer, slower, embodied journey through the village, created to help you let go of the day, get rest and get some sleep. If you want to get everything delivered neatly to your inbox every Sunday morning, or if you're local to Quorn in Loughborough and you'd like to join me at the studio, you will find the links in my studio notes. But for now, stay well, lovely human, and I'll talk to you on Sunday.