Maslow's Hierarchy

    It must have been in 9th grade English class with my father when I first learned about Maslow's Hierarchy. Basically it's a pyramid illustrating human needs. I don't remember each level of needs by heart but what I do know is that at the bottom you have self preservation, things like food, water, sleep, shelter. At the top you have self actualization, self actualization involves the creative things we do to express ourselves, maybe painting, sculpting, bird watching, whatever it may be. The lesson of the hierarchy is that if you are starving and can't eat, or if you don't have a home, it's very hard if not impossible to get to the point where you can do and appreciate your deepest goals or experiences.
     Now, I don't know exactly when I figured this out but the act of me flossing my teeth is a sign of moving up in the hierarchy of needs. If I'm not getting enough sleep, getting too much sleep, stressed, making bad decisions, etc, then I'm not flossing because I have problems and don't feel the need to. Flossing is just the one things I noticed I do more often when I'm mentally well off or have more of my lower self preservational needs under control. It could be anything though, maybe you play golf every saturday with your friends when things in your life are in order. I have something similar to that actually. For awhile every Sunday I would meet my friend at the gym and we would work out together. For awhile we both did good and were making it there on Sundays, then, after awhile I started sleeping in and texting him that I couldn't make it. This was a big sign that something wasn't in order in my life because here I was calling in sick so to speak for an event that I usually looked forward to and enjoyed. Now I'm back to getting in the gym on Sundays but my friend has called in sick a couple of times, maybe something is off in his life or maybe he's just had some tough weeks at work, maybe his sign of self actualization is something else.
     For years now I've watched as older men sit at the Mini Mart in my home town and drink coffee in the morning and socialize. My father always talks about it like he'd like to join those men, yet he doesn't. The day I walk into that Mini Mart and see my old man drinking coffee and shooting the shit with fellow townies is the day I'll think to myself that things must be going o.k with him, maybe I'm wrong, I don't know. My point is, don't underestimate the little things. Was there a little ritual you used to do but for some reason or another it faded out unnecessarily? Well, get back in the rhythm and break the cycle. Maybe meeting up with your old friend for billiards, or cards, or whatever every 2nd tuesday of the month is what kept your life in perspective, what kept it real. We create these little worlds with these big walls and we're the only ones with the key. I can tell you right now that going to chess club on tuesdays and thursdays was good for me and I never made it their last semester, something was off. In fact, publishing this blog is a sign of self actualization for me because I don't publish blogs when my life isn't in order, I save em' as drafts and never have the nerve to press the button. Press the publish botton, press the life button, live it!