Don Kowalewski
Writer. Ad Sales and Marketing. Social Media Content Creator. Aeropress Coffee. Makes the best salsa in the world.
Things I’m Doing: Getting Better at Traveling
Traveling. Let’s talk about it. I know I’m not the only guy who’s ever had to travel, and I’m betting I’m not the only one who’s had to adjust. The first few trips made me feel isolated, incredibly guilty about leaving my family, and anxious. I couldn’t sleep more than two hours at a time. I stayed up too late (thinking that being “over tired” would help me sleep better) and woke up too early.
I’m on my way to remedying that, however. I’m taking control of my travel. If you travel, you have to “take control” or I think you’ll go insane. A few weeks ago, I met-up with my Uncle and Cousin while on a trip out east – had dinner with my Uncle two nights in a row, actually. And this week, while spending four days away, I met up with my old college roommate, Tim. I didn’t plan anything because, well, if you plan something to the minute, something will get screwed up. Instead I called him around lunch-time, said I’m in town, and he and his family happened to have a free evening.
It was great. We determined we hadn’t seen each other, and talked only minimally, in about 6 years …and, yet, we spent two hours together and it’s like we just saw each other a few weeks, ago. Laughed about our old antics (velociraptor attacks, Civilization in the MSU computer labs, and turning every life scenario into a scene from A Few Good Men), exchanged philosophies of life, and we even went shopping. Yes, seriously. We went shopping.
6 years is too long. On Monday, we only spent about 2 1/2 hours eating dinner and sharing a few beers, but I could’ve hung out with him for 6 hours or 6 days – which is why we said we MUST plan a big, group cruise at some point in the future.
To remedy my sleep situation, I also decided I need to exercise every night and then get to bed slightly earlier (rather than later) and limit my computer/TV/iPad time because that light is said to disrupt sleep patterns. I’m happy to report, I had two good nights of sleep. I still woke up, inexplicably, at 4 a.m. both nights, but I found it easier to get back to sleep.
I did exercise both nights. Did a very, very slow run-walk thing on Monday and had about a 13-minute pace. Tuesday I did some weights and then ran a mile. Check it out …I ran (well, jogged) a 12-minute mile at a 1.5 incline on the treadmill. Hey. Don’t laugh. It’s a start. And considering last week, out of the blue, I had a slight lung-blood flair up, this is a big step.
‘Tis a pretty boring blog entry, I know. And I could make it more boring by telling you about how I sorta have a crush on Holiday Inn, but I’ll save that for another entry.
Follow me on Twitter (@donkowalewski) or Instagram (don_kowalewski).
Don Kowalewski 
Nice work! Good Luck getting back in the groove, you’ll be runnin with me in no time!
Well, @MomRunsHalf …if you keep skipping a few workouts and I keep with mine, maybe (maybe) we’ll end up at the same pace, even.