I’m writing this near the campus of the University of South Carolina, which I’ve just learned is home to the largest Ernest Hemingway collection in the world. I’m tempted to download and re-read The Sun Also Rises, a manuscript, I’ve again just learned, he finished in two freaking months, but today’s meandering attention span compels me to post a puppy video on social media and sip coffee absentmindedly while staring at a droopy, peculiar tree. This is what halfway through tour feels like, folks.

It’s on days like these I go through my self care checklist and make sure I’m not neglecting anything:

Am I excersizing?

Am I meditating?

Am I at least attempting to groom myself?

Am I being kind to others?

Today, I did 20mins of yoga, took a long walk as moving meditation, showered (still a luxury on tour), and paid for a broke college kid’s coffee. This simple mindfulness looks a little different each day, and it’s a wonderful exercise in trading the Herculean for the uncomplicated.

I have precious little figured out on this spinning blue orb, but I’m glad I can at least check in with myself and determine whether or not I’m being an asshole. Progress is progress, however small.