Adventures of A Snail
Dear Friends:
I appreciate all the helpful feedback I got on last week’s post about my insane projects list. One reader shared this essay about being a snail and I found it very helpful. Last Sunday, I decided to be a snail. I read the actual newspaper, watched Casablanca, which I had somehow never I had never seen before, and worked on my little donkey needlepoint. It's almost done, Heather!
The day before, I saw Making Their Mark: Works from the Shah Garg Collection (great show) at BAMPFA and it gave me an idea for a quilt I want to make. Instead of launching into a new project (like the opposite of a snail), I just wrote it down in a notebook. The idea is not lost; I just don't need to start it until the time is right.
All week, I tried to accept that certain days were for work or family stuff or writing and lived with the fact that not every day will have every activity in it. It’s hard to swallow that reality but I’m trying. My new attitude did not prevent me from starting to read three new books this week.
Another friend pointed out that much of our busy-ness is really just death avoidance (per the 4000 Weeks guy) which was brought home to me yesterday when I got some test results that basically told me: Yo. You’re 51. You need to eat healthier, exercise more, drink less. And not for just a month to lower your LDL but like forever.
Being a snail - slowing down, being focused, being deliberate - will help with my death avoidance, or at least help me appreciate life before my inevitable conclusion, more than being an overloaded maniac will.
My goal for the weekend is to finish something! Have a great week.
