sun on skin

The last few months flew by. I finally bought a car. I set a new personal record running my favorite trail; my previous best time was five years ago when I was nineteen. Glad that I’m not declining in spite of my advanced age. I read five books in as many weeks, and realized that for the first time in a while I can sit in one place and focus on whatever is in front of me. I don’t need to be somewhere else doing something else anymore. The days are mine again.

I haven’t been able to write for some time. Now, at the end of a long journey, I feel like I have almost nothing to say. But let me try to say some things anyway.

The act of seeking something (for example success, wealth, love, purpose, or meaning) often perpetuates discomfort and agitation by distracting you from your surroundings and daily activities, which comprise the vast majority of your experience of life and therefore cause most of your joy and suffering. Don’t search endlessly for a future that never comes. (People who quit their job to find a better life seem to reliably fall into this trap. I certainly did.)

Don’t compare your true self, which only you know, to the masks that others put on display. You will always feel morally inferior, more cowardly, less empathetic, etc. On a related note, the reasons people give for their actions are usually several layers removed from the true reasons, which tend to be quite physiological—mostly safety, sex, and social status. Don’t feel inferior because your actions stem from those basic needs while other people seem to be enacting grand plans or following exalted principles.

On social status: “status-seeking” has become something of an insult, but I quite enjoy the benefits that accompany the status I have, and these days I don’t pass up opportunities to climb the ladder. Status seems proportional to how much people want to cheer me on and help me succeed—why would I turn my nose up at that? The same goes for validation. I love having my thoughts validated. Everyone does. I’m going to be really happy when inevitably a few of you press the like button on this post and my phone chirps to inform me that I didn’t waste the entire morning, that I’m not totally off my rocker, and that I made a fraction of a contribution to how pleasant your day was. There’s nothing wrong with wanting to be appreciated for your ideas and creations.

You’re mostly fine as you are. Life isn’t that complicated. Do some stuff you like today. Let the sun soak through your skin. With some luck tomorrow will be a good day too.