Dear Nobody,
What a week. After months of slogging through a lot to ensure my friend Mike received the proper funeral this hero deserved, yesterday was the day we laid him to rest at one of the national cemeteries here in Florida. And though I was finally able to cry and grieve my friend in those somber morning moments, within a few hours I had bounced back, was doing work, and otherwise had returned to my baseline—which, if you haven’t been around me much, might be described as annoyingly happy 😅
I smile—a lot. I am also quick with a laugh, especially at myself and my foibles. But even beyond smiling I am a genuinely happy person. There is little that affects my mood or can keep me down for long, and to many outsiders it would appear I have boundless amounts of energy. Even one of my coworkers asked me the other day during the meeting, “Ryan, do you use narcotics?” I immediately belted out a boisterous laugh knowing he was kidding, but he followed up with “I have never met someone with such energy and who is constantly smiling.”
My response? I told him that “first and foremost, I am an exceedingly happily married man” and then went on to share how I believe my marriage is the source of my energy. I mean, come on, NIP, just look at us! 🥰
But it can’t only be that either, if I’m being honest. Although Erin/our marriage is clearly the wellspring from which my abundant joy flows, it also has a lot to do with how I have cultivated a mindset focused on the five attributes of love, compassion, gratitude, generosity and patience during the course of our relationship (or at least when I began my meditation practice nearly 14 years ago). Yet it can’t be simply mindset that explains how I’m always beaming virtually every day from the moment I wake up until I go to sleep.
At this stage in my life, I just think it’s who I am and the “vibes” I put out there…
One of the greatest compliments anyone has ever given me came from my wife during the end of our time in Sedona. I don’t even remember the context of the discussion, but she said, “Ryan, everybody wants to be around you, there’s just something about your presence that can’t be explained.” And it was her emphasis on the word everybody that got me thinking about my time in the classroom and my success with students; the immediate impact I have made on my team at my dream job with Lucky Friday; the incredible friendships I have built across Web3 in multiple ecosystems, etc. And while I always just chalked it up to my friendly nature, I think it is much more physical than just this 🤔
As you already know, Nobody, I’m a nerd. I love learning and when I was a kid I always wanted to be a chemical engineer. So as a fan/student of science, Erin’s comment really had me thinking from a physics perspective. It intuitively made sense that I give off a certain “vibe” because in a literal way each of our bodies is a closed system of energy comprised of atoms that are all spinning, colliding, etc. We also know about the types of waves that our brain makes while in certain states, so it would seem to follow that we generate a particular frequency based on the culmination of our mental/physical state in any given moment.
Sound too “wu wu” to you? Check out this piece from Scientific American; it’s a good primer and these lines struck me in particular, because it made me immediately think back to my decades in the classroom when students would say things like, “I love the vibe in here” or “your classroom always feels so special compared to my other ones.”
Even just last week I could see this in action. When my wife and I stepped into a small office for an appointment, the two girls at the reception desk seemed almost nervous. But me being me I was just beaming out a big smile, asking them how their day was going, and within seconds they were smiling and chatting with us too.
Whatever it is that my vibration is sending out there to others, I am happy to know that it brings them some measure of solace, happiness, or whatever else they need. And for me, it underscores two important facts: 1) that life is already difficult for many, and if we have the capacity to do so we should try to just be kind to everyone; 2) that energy begets energy. I have never used narcotics in my entire life, but if it looks that way to outsiders it’s because this is simply Newtonian / classical physics at work—objects in motion stay in motion. If I have a lot of energy it’s because I’ve created a positive flywheel that continues to spin day in and day out. Conversely, inertia undoubtedly creates a lower vibrational energy, which explains how why it is so difficult for us to get out of a rut, or how it’s easier for us to feel low or down when we are around others who are in the same state. Given the choice, which of these options would you choose?
Have you ever noticed these things before in your own life, NIP? Do you enjoy being around “high energy” people? If you do not, why do you think that is? I don’t think there’s a “right” or “wrong” way to be yourself, but considering what we know about our vibrational energy in relation to our understanding of physics, how might you use this to your benefit? Personally, I love being in this state, even if people think I’m crazy 🤪
Because in the end, I am crazy…
About my wife 😍
And this life 🤩
And YOU 🫵
Feel free to leave a comment and share your vibe, Nobody in Particular ❤️
Keep vibin’! 🙌
Ryan / Phunky
Hi Phunky,
Thanks again for sharing your personal experience! Unfortunately, it is very rare to discuss those topics freely.
Sharing a personal experience...
One Saturday, I was thinking way too much and coming up with thoughts that were not just useless but even bad. What you think expand...
I hadn't been meditating for a while. I really needed it and I knew it. Was reaching a low point, I said, "not anymore."
I started listening to a recording of Sahaja yoga.( a meditation school I found teaching in my little town) During that meditation, I cried a lot - tears of joy and love - and my kundalini rose a lot. Was pure joy.
Once I finished, I was ready to go to a private party full of friends. That night, I was constantly surrounded by people, and I couldn't stay alone. Was impossible. A couple of friends also remarked, "There is something magical about you tonight." Guess I was radiating good energy. I was still feeling wander full from the meditation.
I try to do my best every day, and I still have a long way to go.
Your words help to provide inspiration.
Ps: Tomorrow I will finish my motorbike trip around north VIETNAM. I did the ha giang loop plus other roads. Great experience and I’m extremely grateful I had the chance to do it!
Steff