We spend so much time wishing our lives were different, comparing ourselves to other people and to other versions of ourselves, when really most lives contain degrees of good and degrees of bad. - Matt Haig, The Midnight Library
I’ve been thinking a lot about responding, not reacting. Making space between provocation, judgment, and action provides time to explore reality—an opportunity to find the truth about the situation, yourself, and what you can control.
When possible, delay. If delaying your response does not reduce the chances of a favorable outcome, delay. More information often comes with time. At a minimum, things become clearer. Less emotion and more sleep always help.
Writing helps, too. Write about what is happening, what you know, what matters, how you feel, and the actions available to you. Keep writing (or talking to a trusted friend) until you’ve removed the emotion (ego, fear, desire, etc.) or at least realized their collective impact on your perception.
We want to find the truth about what matters, what we can control, and what should happen next. Sometimes, it’s nothing.
I hope you're good. Bye.
-Kelly
From The Archive
Unrealities
We are just bags of water walking around in our own unrealities. - Epictetus We tell ourselves stories. Some of them are true, but a lot of them are not true. Stories about what we can do, and what we can’t do. And who we are, and who we aren’t. Most importantly, about who we can and cannot be.
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