Hi!
I have spent a good amount of time the last few days reflecting on our seven weeks of quarantine. Seven weeks. I always think of months as these major chunks of time, but it turns out that almost two months can fly by even during a time like this. Anne and I are headed back to Brooklyn today, and while I’m excited for yet another change of scenery to spice things up, I feel like I’ve fully adjusted to life in quarantine. It took far less time than I thought back in mid-March.
I’ve been thinking a lot about this quote (or the many variations of it) throughout the last few weeks:
“You have power over your mind – not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength.” – Marcus Aurelius
Corona has restricted our lives in so many ways, and at times I’ve felt powerless in the face of the pandemic. I’ve been doing two things to counteract this: re-framing my circumstances and cutting out outside influences. My frustration over not being able to do anything has become an opportunity to reduce my spending and reevaluate how I’ve spent money in the past. Social isolation has become the stimulus I’ve needed to reach out to old friends (hi Jean!) and stop making excuses for letting friendships wither. I have been far more social during the week as a result of all this. Who would have thought!
As far as cutting out external pressures, I’ve been inspired by this blog post by Ryan Holiday from 2018: Why Everyone Should Watch Less News. Give it a read. I can’t think of a more relevant time to take this message to heart. No, I won’t stick my head in the sand. But I’ve taken most of the time I would have spent checking the latest infection rates and put it towards reading books. I have found that reallocating my time that way does a lot to change my mood and outlook on the current situation. “Perhaps it’s time we realize that consuming more news about the world around us is not the way to improve it (or ourselves), personally or politically.”
I’ve also rediscovered personal essays. There are so many great ones available online, and while I’ve included some I liked below, I’d encourage you to check out this link if you really want to go deeper. The personal essay is a great length for ten to fifteen minutes of focused reading.
Inspired by those essays, I wrote a story this week about the Discover Hudson Valley bike ride my dad and I did last year, as well as some more additions to the Research Bible and my thoughts on bailing on the Yeti 100 Mile Ultra in September. Mistakes Were Made (But Not By Me) – my book this week – has to be the best non-fiction title I’ve come across yet. Another example of the power of recommendations. I never would have picked this up had it not been Peter Atia’s favorite book.
Stay positive out there and thanks for reading!
– Emmett
Recent Posts:
Gearing Up For a Ride – A bike ride with my dad, and my first accident
Hell Yea Or No – Quitting the Yeti 100 Miler – Moving a goal to the back burner for the time being
Research Bible: Dear Sugar, Cheryl Strayed – Lessons on just about everything from an anonymous columnist
Research Bible: Mistakes Were Made (But Not By Me) – Caroll Tavris & Elliot Aronson – How we justify our mistakes to our own detriment, and what to do about it
What I’m Reading:
Why won’t the mayo bullies leave us alone? – Drew Magary, The Takeout
Weight Loss Is a Rock Fight – Tommy Tomlinson, The Atlantic
Crying in H Mart – Michelle Zauner, New Yorker
What I’m Listening To:
Michael Lewis – Tim Ferriss Podcast (author of The Big Short, Liar’s Poker, Moneyball etc…)
Rubber Soul – The Beatles