I know this was written a while ago but what a beautifully articulated piece!
There is a sense of much needed mindfulness in mapping out the serendipity of the immediate present. - The joys and beauty of what is right in front of us. Whilst lockdown has ended (for the most part) here in Australia, I find myself exploring things and ideas close to where I live. I find it thoroughly liberating and a refreshing change from the constant overseas travels I've had to embark on for work.
I feel like you've hit upon the right word here: "mindfulness". If we can start thinking about our "mind" as including the place we live - and there's good science suggesting this is a fruitful way to think about it (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extended_mind_thesis) (https://anniemurphypaul.com/books/the-extended-mind/), then doesn't being "mindful" have something to do with our ability to properly explore our immediate surroundings?
I've only just started thinking about all this recently, and it's all still cooking in my brainpan. But yes: it's so liberating and calming to rediscover where we live. But maybe it's also a kind of mental spring cleaning, like tidying a work surface so you can get organised enough to think again.
I am thrilled to hear this and honoured that you're giving it a go, hooray! It sounds like you have the perfect setup there.
(But also, anywhere that currently feels boring and overfamiliar is ripe for rediscovery. That's fun too.)
And also - thanks for the prompt on that Atlantic piece, as I grabbed it to my Pocket but hadn't read it yet, hence it was in danger of disappearing into the darkness of my absurd backlog. This is actually something I need to get under control and haven't yet. If I'm writing this newsletter and keeping it timely, I need to increase my article-reading input, which involves...I'm not sure what yet. Time I found out.
I know this was written a while ago but what a beautifully articulated piece!
There is a sense of much needed mindfulness in mapping out the serendipity of the immediate present. - The joys and beauty of what is right in front of us. Whilst lockdown has ended (for the most part) here in Australia, I find myself exploring things and ideas close to where I live. I find it thoroughly liberating and a refreshing change from the constant overseas travels I've had to embark on for work.
Thanks for sharing this.
This is the nicest comment, Josh. Thank you!
I feel like you've hit upon the right word here: "mindfulness". If we can start thinking about our "mind" as including the place we live - and there's good science suggesting this is a fruitful way to think about it (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extended_mind_thesis) (https://anniemurphypaul.com/books/the-extended-mind/), then doesn't being "mindful" have something to do with our ability to properly explore our immediate surroundings?
I've only just started thinking about all this recently, and it's all still cooking in my brainpan. But yes: it's so liberating and calming to rediscover where we live. But maybe it's also a kind of mental spring cleaning, like tidying a work surface so you can get organised enough to think again.
Hmm. *strokes chin*...
I am thrilled to hear this and honoured that you're giving it a go, hooray! It sounds like you have the perfect setup there.
(But also, anywhere that currently feels boring and overfamiliar is ripe for rediscovery. That's fun too.)
And also - thanks for the prompt on that Atlantic piece, as I grabbed it to my Pocket but hadn't read it yet, hence it was in danger of disappearing into the darkness of my absurd backlog. This is actually something I need to get under control and haven't yet. If I'm writing this newsletter and keeping it timely, I need to increase my article-reading input, which involves...I'm not sure what yet. Time I found out.