Why we always have room for pie and other reading highlights.
Hi friends,
I hope the new year is off to a great start for everyone. The definition of great is highly subjective. It can differ from person to person and one time to another, even for the same person. I am slowly learning to have my own definition of what great means for me rather than comparing it to the societal average. Someone sage said it well- It is not about being perfect or being better than someone else, but rather about being better than we were yesterday.
Book Highlights
Time Enough for Love by Robert A. Heinlein
Don’t ever become a pessimist, Ira; a pessimist is correct oftener than an optimist, but an optimist has more fun — and neither can stop the march of events.
Give the future enough thought to be ready for it — but don’t worry about it. Live each day as if you were to die next sunrise. Then face each sunrise as a fresh creation and live for it, joyously.
Stillness Is the Key by Ryan Holiday
We do not live in this moment. We, in fact, try desperately to get out of it — by thinking, doing, talking, worrying, remembering, hoping, whatever. We pay thousands of dollars to have a device in our pocket to ensure that we are never bored. We sign up for endless activities and obligations, chase money and accomplishments, all with the naïve belief that at the end of it will be happiness.
The less energy we waste regretting the past or worrying about the future, the more energy we will have for what’s in front of us.
If you’re miserable every time things are not going your way, if you cannot enjoy it when things are going your way because you undermine it with doubts and insecurity, life will be hell.
Give more. Give what you didn’t get. Love more. Drop the old story. Try it, if you can.
My Thoughts: In our fast-moving world, a negative view often seems more easily accessible. It is easy to find things to complain about and worry about. We cannot spend our life avoiding things that are not actually happening, or everything will become negative. Trying to live that way can be chaotic. Planning is important, but worrying beyond thorough planning can leave us seeing all that might go wrong. And let’s be honest, there are a scary number of things that can go wrong. The bad thing, or the good thing, depending on how you look at it, is that we do not have control over most of them. Not worrying about things may give us the feeling of not being in control. But sometimes that is exactly what we need. Loosen the grip and let that beautiful face relax into a smile 😄.
Leaving a legacy is not as important as living a fulfilling life. We need to be respectful of our environment and pay it forward. We need to contribute to the betterment of society so that future generations can continue to prosper. However, we as mortal individuals will be forgotten in short order, no matter the extent of our contribution. Most of us barely know about the lives of our grandparents and have but a limited knowledge of their grandparents. This is not to be looked at as nihilism, to think why bother, but instead as a guide to reflect upon or revise our internal narrative, to reassess our priorities, to spend our time wisely. Here is a question I contemplate often- Is my definition of success influenced more by my values and priorities or by society’s definition of success?
Articles
Below are a three articles that I found interesting.
Here’s Why You Always Have Room for Thanksgiving Pie — The New York Times — www.nytimes.com
There’s a reason you turn into an eating machine on Thanksgiving. It’s biology!
Why is life expectancy so low in Black neighborhoods? — www.brookings.edu
As we slowly recover from the intersecting health and economic crises caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, it is essential to advocate for the kind of public investment that will create greater equity and allow for everyone to live healthily — regardless of their race or place.
The Financialization of Everything — The Atlantic — www.theatlantic.com
Social capital is becoming economic capital.
Question
I’ll leave you with a two questions and one quote.
At the end of 2022, if you are drastically exceeding your expectations, what do you envision yourself doing?
Can you think of one thing(reading, knitting, focused breathing, whatever floats your boat) that you can consciously(meaning you have to be aware that you have started and ended doing the activity) give five minutes of your undivided attention to for the rest of the week? How about trying it for the rest of the month? Rest of the year?
When will you begin that long journey into yourself?-Rumi
I hope you found something useful here. Wishing everyone a wonderful year ahead.
Hugs🤗,
Bikul
