With looming deadlines, an extra workload and Jeb out of school for two weeks, one false move on my part could mean Game Over.  The pressure mounts and squeezes tight in my own little March madness.  Some days I am weak and looney, others I am strong and clear.  And sometimes I’ve got to just step out of the Game all together.  Sit a spell on the sidelines for a time-out in an easy chair.

In this chair one could embrace a multitude of practices that would help to transcend the mundane, center the mind and calm the nervous system.  Meditate.  Yoga stretches.  A cup of tea.  Or, may I suggest tequila?

You can call me crazy (March has been a bit insane), but is there anything more medicinal then sitting on life’s sidelines with a girlfriend and a curative concoction of agave spirits?  We’re talking top shelf.  Patron with our own mix of lemon, echinacea, ginger juice (nothing like an immune-boost in your cocktail).  Clink, clink and a sigh.  We’re sitting back and taking a breather with distilled, plant-life elixir.  Cheers to moments of reprieve with Mother Nature’s medicine!

I’m not much of a drinker.  And of course, I’m not advocating alcohol become a source for calm.  But with all my kombucha mushroom drinks, vanilla tea, no-sugar diet and kale salads, once in a while a good stiff drink can cure me.  My mind softens just enough to see things with new eyes.  Nothing seems quite as paramount.  When it comes time to leave the sidelines and get back into the Game, I’m more relaxed.

“Hey, let’s have dessert!”

Go home, take a bath at sunset.  Smile at the birds.  Unwind into bed clothes and watch a funny movie with Jeb.  Laugh.  Remember that his precious giggle will change octaves.  Freeze time so I’ll never forget the roundness of his smooth cheeks, smiling.

The ancient yogis laid pathways to these spaces of calm and consciousness.  No externals needed,  just breath.  That’s the purest way to get there and I walk that road as best I can.  I’ll spend a lifetime practicing these methods.

But every once in a while, I’ll take tequila.