This article originally published on Swami Select’s website. All copyrights belong to Swami Select.
As we know, unusual times call for unusually creative measures — and that’s the case for spring 2020 amidst the coronavirus pandemic. So, there you are, stuck at home, alone or just with your partner, family, or housemates. You scored a good stash of weed to keep you going. You hopefully have a good supply of food and entertainment, too. But, still, it’s just odd not to go out and share that tasty bud with your friends in the world, at a concert, a house party, or just about anywhere else outside. The good news, however, is that you have your medicine and can still get high.
When we get elevated at home alone, it is a whole other beast than when doing the same while out socializing. The first thing to do is get cozy in a comfy space. Without all the distractions, you can truly focus on the experience and let it carry you away. As the stoned effects come on, sit back, and be at peace. Tune in to the sounds around you — sounds you most probably have never even noticed before. Let your mind soar and drift away with the sensations. It could be compared to a cannabis meditation technique, a time for introspection and centering yourself. No worries if you get off-point and find your mind in a faraway place; that’s pretty much the point. Not to say it’s an escape — think of it as a journey to the unknown, and go with it. Be at peace.
If the weed you are imbibing is more sativa-esque and makes you want to move, dance with yourself! Put on some good rockin’ tunes, and you can really dance like nobody’s watching — because no one is! Move your bones, jump up and down, go for it until you just can’t dance anymore. Feel the music in every cell of your body, and let go. If your downstairs neighbors complain about all the ruckus, suggest that they dance, too!
Of course, you can also channel that extra energy into cleaning out closets or writing poetry or experimenting with a painting. Let your creative nature blossom while we have this precious time to ourselves. You’ll feel the stress flow out through your projects. Take another hit, and start again when you feel tired. Creativity doesn’t sleep.
Yet, we all know there will also be moments when the couch beckons, and all you want to do is kick back and smoke a fatty. Go for it — again, now is the time. Cuddle up with some snacks and enjoy the feeling of doing nothing. Now that is a real novelty in today’s culture. Can you handle it? Some good, relaxing weed is just the ticket to take you there and let you wander into the space of nothingness.
Forget about your job, your responsibilities, and the woes of the world during this crazy period. It’s easier said than done, but try and think about things that humans have pondered since the start of time, or at least when they first discovered the wonders of cannabis. Who am I? Who do I want to be? What are my goals? Look out your window and consider how small we are in this universe and how we are all One. Contemplate your relationships and reflect on your blessings. You can deal with the stressful realities of life at another time — now is your time to just feel life, and let it be.
And when you return to your body, there’s always sex with your best friend, meaning yourself. Or your partner, if you have one with you. Getting high will always heighten that experience. Take the time, because you have it right now. Turn down the lights and get comfortable, create as luxurious a space as possible in your home, prop up some pillows and get out those silk sheets your aunt gave you years ago. As for the neighbor downstairs again, well, if you make enough noise to stir them up, good on you!
In fact, doing exercises while sequestered at home is imperative, if only to balance out the couch-lock time. Don’t even try to pretend it’s like going to the gym, though. Working out on weed is a time to be outside the box and get creative. Chances are you’ll get so into the highness that you forget how much you are sweating. There are lots of lifts you can do with an armchair, or holding jars of food for weights. Also, besides dancing and sex, you can always find your favorite exercise videos online and knock yourself out. Then, you won’t feel so guilty when you eat all those cookies you made… because baking is another great way to pass the time when high!
Probably the “partners” we all hang out with the most during this time of shutdown are our devices. Not that it is unusual, as most professions these days seem to include computer time, and all of us have some sort of device with us ‘round the clock. But during this era of isolation, knowing our friends and family are just a text away is reassuring. Now, chances are that whoever is reading this article is not new to being stoned while working on a laptop. So, you’ll understand when we say that cannabis and computers are like peanut butter and jelly. After all, we all know that Steve Jobs was very high in his garage when he and Steve Wozniak built the first Apple computers in the mid-70s.
Although staring at a screen while really high may flatten the experience of the effects of the individual cultivar you are smoking, it will augment the intensity and guide you into total engrossment with your computer endeavor. You will feel literally plugged in, one with your device. Use this time to be creative and not just focus on mundane online tasks. Let your fingers fly as you express yourself in so many ways. Or, actually take the time to fully read all those stories that usually are just a headline flash across your eyes. Use this tool as Steve Jobs originally intended — as a gateway to access knowledge from all over the globe.
Hopefully, for those of you who are cloistered with your partner, family, or housemates, they also enjoy cannabis. While sharing the same joint is not suggested at this time, you certainly can all get baked together. Maybe turn off all devices and the TV, sit together, and participate in a lively or deep or funny conversation — whatever comes up. Consider that it was 1876, only 144 years ago, when Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone. And it was only about a hundred years ago when most families had a radio at home. Before that, it was just people sharing face-to-face stories and information, making music, telling jokes, and more. Cannabis can encourage that return to simplicity again if you let her free your mind.
History tells us that when a global pandemic situation such as this happens, humans tend to quickly forget it once it is over. This may be part denial and part just wanting to move forward, and out of the darkness. For example, our old relatives when we were kids never mentioned the 1918 flu pandemic, when one-fifth of the world’s population died. That was over and done with. Onward to the future. And we can always trust that the future will include more times of trouble, as well as periods of peace. That’s the yin and the yang of life. Consider that while you are getting high at home. We sure will.
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