Oh, Right
Our younger son celebrated his 23rd birthday yesterday. What a treat to have him at home for it. In the next few weeks he will be relocating to another city to begin his career. A cozy night of watching Netflix and eating takeout from Peony Bistro with him was just perfect.
Usually around Thursday of each week, I begin combing my brain for potential essay topics. As I have mentioned previously, landing on a good topic has increasingly become more difficult. Initially I wrote this off to the polarizing times we live in, and my general reluctance to wade into territory that might be viewed as politically partisan.
This week I finally realized the root cause of the issue: I simply have been making less time for personal reflection and cultural exploration.
In terms of reflection, the time I spend walking the dog and the time I spend cooking have both significantly reduced over the past two years - and all sorts of thoughts and ideas typically bubble up when engaged in these activities.
It is a relief to finally figure this out. I thought I had run out of things to say, but it turns out I simply haven’t been filling the mental “cup” that I draw from when it is time to write. As my EOS practice has grown, I have had to share more and more of the dog walking and cooking duties with Lori. I’m simply away from home more often - and spending less time alone with my thoughts.
On the cultural side, I’m consuming far less news. Striking the balance between being an informed citizen and being a news junkie has never been more challenging (for me, at least). Much of the news simply makes me feel bad, so I avoid it. We no longer have cable television (or its Google TV counterpart) - so a big chunk of American culture is no longer a frame of reference for me. Despite there being more and more “content” produced in the world, I find less and less of it compelling. So I read books - cultural stories enter my mind at a lower download speed than they used to.
Less inputs (time, reflection, cultural immersion) make it harder to create output in essay form. So, for now at least, I consider myself to be “off the hook” - not obligated to write things that meet my past standard. My life has changed, so my essays will need to change as well. This doesn’t mean that I won’t sometimes “go deep” when I bump into inspiration. But I’ve been bumping into it less often, and this is likely to continue for a while.
I’m more than happy to remain “on the hook,” and will continue to publish a weekly post - if only to share recipes and music selections. But I’m not going to force the essay. As has often been said around the dinner table growing up, “You’ll get what you get and you won’t throw a fit.”
Sunday Supper
This Sheet Pan Pork Tenderloin w/ Sweet Potatoes & Broccoli is going to be on of the dishes I prepare today for the week ahead. A good old Cobb Salad never hurt anyone. How about some Salmon Lettuce Wraps?
Sunday Music
Ms. Jill Scott made to the NPR Tiny Desk last week. Here St.Paul & The Broken Bones performs Sushi and Coca Cola. Sip some coffee this Sunday morning and soak up this Jazz Vinyl Set. Here is a full live concert featuring Oscar Peterson & Ben Webster. Enjoy!
If you know anyone who might like this essay, please share it with them.
Have a great week ahead! You can do anything you set your mind to. Let me know how I can help.
Peace & Love,