CARS AND TRUCKS!! -a jeep in the neighborhood with the bumper sticker "MAN IS THE APOCALYPSE" -the silver lake family with two matching his/hers teslas parked out front and their son, River. -the massive gmc with the license plate cover "jesus died for me/i live for him" ALL IS IMPERMANENCE -love is a grand thank you to the other for existing. jodorowsky -it takes all kinds to make a world! henry miller -appreciating how even the smallest creatures can recognize life. a bee, an ant, can sense us and recognize us as bigger life forms capable of being threats -did a homemade ‘triathlon’ with some buddies. ie biking to a trail, running it, biking to a pool, swimming some laps, biking to lunch. i was also, of course, hungover which made it tough. ALL THE LITTLE THINGS WILL ADD TO A HAPPY JOURNEY
i've had this fortune cookie note (of all things) in my wallet since my birthday last year. it resonated with me at the time just based on a surface level connection to the way (i like to think) i live my life. now, at the start-ish of a sofar somewhat bumpy 2022, i’ve been thinking about this fortune i plucked out of a half-eaten cookie at the bottom of a greasy chinese take-out bag. here’s what resonates with me: 1) the lack of adjective before ‘little things’ ok, we’re counting ‘little’ as part of the nouny phrase ‘little things’. what i appreciate is that the little things are not specified to be good little things. they’re just that, little things. the mundane and the beautiful. daily occurrences, positive or otherwise, that make up our lives. initially, the inferred positivity is what drew me in. i do try to live my life enjoying these daily occurrences, admittedly usually around food, being outside, and quality time with my loved ones. in fact, i do find that these are all inextricably linked. my ideal day would almost always begin with a mochapot cappuccino, and end with cooking a great meal and drinking wine with my friends and family - all with a good hike or run somewhere in between. definitely the little things, if you ask me. and they all make me feel grounded, present, and connected to myself. however, many days are not ideal ones. there's all the other shit life throws your way, (which i believe still falls into the category of ‘little things'). and yet without all the junky days - feeling blue, being sick, relationship issues, annoying days at work, people being shit - how much would i really enjoy sticking a big ole branzino on my grill, popping open a cold bottle of pigato, and watching my friends slurp it all down? 2) the emphasis on the journey my whole life, i’ve listened to people wax on about their *goals*. i’m not here to judge, if thats what works for you, but this goal-based way of living life has never resonated with me. it seems to restrict ones ideas to have to fit into a narrow concept of their long-term success— especially when they’re years and years from being that person. of course we all have to live with our choices, but i’m not interested in living my life in service of the idea that someday, i will have “arrived” and everything will be as i’ve always imagined. instead, i love the idea of life being a journey. you’re in it right now! besides, i’ve had multiple times where i’ve reached a point many would consider a goal, and sadly, i’ve never been satisfied for long. i think its human nature to always keep searching, reacting, adjusting. the journey is here, its now. the destination is unclear to me, and by embracing each day as part of the journey of my life, i feel like i can live with a little less pressure on my shoulders. 3) the micro vs the macro. my initial reaction to this fortune was on a bit of a macro scale in that i equated the ‘journey’ to ‘life.’ yet i do like how this could all easily apply to something much more palatable, where the journey is a vacation, or a tough upcoming work week. or even a day! it honestly doesn’t even change the mindset. the idea is that the journey will be a net positive. life will be a net positive, with huge ups and downs. a vacation will be (hopefully) a big time net positive. a tough work schedule even will be a net positive, made easier by remembering that one of the little things will be the moment that that week ends and you get to go home, sit on your couch, and take a deep breath. alright so i’ve now spent about 30 minutes deeply overanalyzing a fortune cookie but philosophies don’t always need to be stuffy - like reading hume or something. hopefully this resonates with you a bit. just remember to keep a bit of perspective; enjoy life’s little daily journeys and trust that everything will work out just fine.
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