Okay, I’ll admit that Friday’s post was a cop-out. I fully intended to write, pack, and prepare for a weekend trip, but things started getting away from me fairly quickly. Something had to give, and it was my daily post. I’m not posting “No post today” is any better than just not posting, but acknowledging it at the time rather than later (or just ignoring the lapse) feels better to me. And since this is my blog, that’s what matters.

That being said, lets talk a bit about Funks. I’ve been trying to be more conscious about when and how the overtake me, but that can be difficult. The often sneak up on me, a subtle darkening of the mood like a long Colorado twilight. Even so, I do what I can.

Fatigue can be a strong trigger, as can low blood sugar. If I’m especially tired or hungry, I tend to be predisposed to bad moods. They may not cause Funks on their own, but they can severely increase the chance of things getting Funky (sorry for the pun, I’m listening to Daft Punk while I write this). My thinking has been that if I can find my triggers, I can take steps to avoid them and/or mitigate their effects. I could be in control.

But frustratingly, my triggers don’t always seem to be consistent. I can be doing fine, and some innocuous thought or interaction can send me spiraling off course. I can’t do much to avoid Funks when the can blindside me for no apparent reason. In fact, I’ve started to wonder whether or not they are something that can be controlled or consciously avoided.

As you might guess, my thoughts on the matter are starting to change. As a culture, we are widely told to “be happy” or to “think positive thoughts.” But what if that doesn’t work? What if you can’t get happy just by willing it? What does that mean in term’s of one’s worldview, one’s self-control?

This deserves some deep thought and careful consideration.