Me

Posted by Dionne on Oct 21st, 2009

Two days ago, Matt gave me a shove:

“It’s official. Waiting so long between your posts makes me anxious. Just sayin…”

He couldn’t have said that at a better time.  When I look at my taskpaper I’ve got this great list of categories - everything from schoolwork and meetings to big dreams.  But no Me-time.

None!

Aristotle recognized 2400 years ago that leisure was a
prerequisite for contemplation, informed discussion, participation in politi-
cal life, and genuine freedom. It is also essential for relaxation and health, for
spiritual practice, and for a decent quality of life.

In [our current measure of wellbeing],  time is simply
money,and we sacrifice it for material comfort in the name of progress.
-Colman

Stephan Sagmeister agrees:

  • Life
  • Comments Off
  • Upside-down

    Posted by Dionne on Oct 9th, 2009

    So my well-loved Macbook crashed for a total of 17 days.  My second stage of denial was long and painful, and luckily Apple was good enough to stop me at my third stage.  But looking back at the fit I threw.  Wow.

    I think I have a lot to learn from this great new post on ZenHabits about unecesary drama:

    “The word “drama” has taken on an interesting meaning in recent years, beyond the performance form of fiction it’s traditionally signified: “making a big deal over something unnecessarily”.

    It’s about making a big production of something, when you could simply get on with things.

    Interestingly, the word “drama” comes from the Greek word for “action”, which in itself derives from a word that means “to do”. And doing turns out to be the answer for unnecessary “drama” (which, by the way, you would be wise to save for your mama or other such parental figure, according to popular television).

    What’s the problem with drama? For one, as the urban definition implies, it’s unnecessary. There’s no need for histrionics when you can talk about and deal with things calmly. There’s no need to get overly emotional when you can breathe, release the tensions, and focus on being happy, now, in the moment.

    It complicates things, makes a big deal of little things, and ignores the little things that should be a big deal: little things like simple pleasures, and gratitude, and the simple wonderful existence of life.

    Drama makes life harder. If you lose your job, you can go into a depression (perhaps understandably) and lose your home and have a hard time finding a job again — often because of the depression. But if instead you stay calm, perhaps take the view that this is a fresh start and a way to pursue the dream you’ve never had the time to pursue, look at it as a way to learn new skills and reinvent yourself … things won’t be so hard.”