What I’m Enjoying: Reconnecting

I’m sure most people are having this experience right now. Trapped in our houses, without much contact, we are suddenly reconnecting with old friends, family, and past influences. I like (and hope) to think it’s less of a defensive response to loneliness than an active choice to reconnect with the things we find truly meaningful. For me, friendships have always come and gone, I’ve gotten used to the transience of relationships. But now, I find myself reaching out to old friends, best friends, and finding new ways to rekindle those relationships. Pre pandemic, I would have shuddered at the thought of breaking those barriers, but spending this time alone, exploring ourselves in a new way, I think we are all opening up more than we ever have. It’s kind of amazing to watch and participate in that.

What I’m Falling In Love With: My City

I’ve lived in Boston for the last four years. Two of them in my current apartment in Orient Heights. In all that time, I never took the opportunity to explore the city or even my neighborhood. I was always going somewhere with a “purpose” never just out for the sake of wandering. Before I leave Boston in the fall, I want to change that. Yesterday I went for a walk in my neighborhood and stumbled onto a beautiful field, surrounded by marsh, hidden away where I never thought to look. Even just this adventure made me fall in love with this city all over again. It’s more than enough to get me off my butt and out every day. I can’t wait to see what else I find.

What I’m Focusing On: Equanimity

If the Stoics had to boil down their ideal into one word, it would be “apatheia.” I know it sounds pretty close to apathetic, which is a bit misleading. I prefer to compare it to today’s definition of equanimity. That is, to find the composure of mind to not be swayed, or subverted by extreme passion, pain, or overwhelming emotion. The goal is not to cut off feeling, but to reach a state of mind and presence where we cannot be disturbed by them. Easier said than done. But in those moments of clarity, it’s easy to see how we can begin to accomplish this. Staying present, focusing on what we can control, temperance in the face of pleasure. In short, what we know the “right thing” is in our bones. If there’s one thing we can all focus on right now it’s finding that clarity, inching towards apatheia however we can. It doesn’t take extreme productivity, just a willingness to be present and a desire to confront yourself.

A Quote I’m Considering:

How much more damage anger and grief do than the things that cause them.

Marcus Aurelius, Meditations 11.18