Lovely to hear from you, Richa,on an year ending note.
This year I began to think and question the whole idea of goals, achievements, targets. Is not the journey sufficient in itself? Any hope of arriving at a permanent position seems to be outside the scope of the journey. And maybe we put up all kinds of targets and goals to shield ourselves from feeling the immediacy of the terror of being alive with the wonder of being alive.
Ah, the terror of being alive, the greatest terror of all! What you say makes so much sense. Even if we were to attain that goal or reach that destination, we’d immediately shift the goalpost, never quite allowing the journey to end. So, why not simply enjoy the journey anyway?
So to sum up 2023= 25 or possibly 43. A little math humor for you. 2023 was a year of familial tumult, and one that I weathered with fewer personal ups and downs than I might have in the past. I am going to credit my mindfulness practice which has been as spotty as your report your substack publications to be...and yet it also delivered a horizontal line through rough seas.
Happy new year, Richa! In 2023 it took me months (yes, months!!!) to remember that it was no longer 2022. I attribute this to a particularly eventful, long, and memorable Dec/Jan holiday. While I no longer have this excuse for 2024, I enter it with the hope that this year will bring peace, joy, and satisfactory creative output :)
Similar to writers' fear that their words might be lost in the blackhole of internet, there is genuine fear for readers now that they will have read through 100 articles before finding one genuine article that engages them and provokes a thought.
i had to read something more about the painting you shared, it was intriguing. Your articles/thoughts always make me pause and think for a moment. Like the painting above, you words leave room for me to breath, sometime heavy breath, and interpret and engage with the words and the world.
As I read this piece at the literal year’s end I feel glad that you published this. It was a great reminder to take a moment and reflect on a year that has been a big one of many firsts. While I won’t actually be awake to celebrate the clock changing, like in the past, I know I’ll wake up to a new year that will be in many ways exactly the same and in many more ways very different to what this year has been. Looking forward to it!
It's true that we often associate change with the commencement of the new year , but here is what I wish does not change - your engaging writing style!
Couldn't read the article unless I paid to read the article. I can't fathom you losing readers because you're not a machine, predictably doing what was pronounced you would do. Your writing is so much more engaging. It's like the difference between a friend who is always nice but boring and one who is a bit unpredictable but always entertaining. Some need both of both. Some stick safely with the first. I prefer to wait for the second and savor when available.
The New Yorker asked me to pay to read the Jhumpa Lahiri’s short story article you mentioned/displayed as I had read enough for free and they cut me off!
Lovely to hear from you, Richa,on an year ending note.
This year I began to think and question the whole idea of goals, achievements, targets. Is not the journey sufficient in itself? Any hope of arriving at a permanent position seems to be outside the scope of the journey. And maybe we put up all kinds of targets and goals to shield ourselves from feeling the immediacy of the terror of being alive with the wonder of being alive.
So here's to a year ahead of immediacies!
Ah, the terror of being alive, the greatest terror of all! What you say makes so much sense. Even if we were to attain that goal or reach that destination, we’d immediately shift the goalpost, never quite allowing the journey to end. So, why not simply enjoy the journey anyway?
To a year of immediacies, indeed!
So to sum up 2023= 25 or possibly 43. A little math humor for you. 2023 was a year of familial tumult, and one that I weathered with fewer personal ups and downs than I might have in the past. I am going to credit my mindfulness practice which has been as spotty as your report your substack publications to be...and yet it also delivered a horizontal line through rough seas.
Happy new year, Richa! In 2023 it took me months (yes, months!!!) to remember that it was no longer 2022. I attribute this to a particularly eventful, long, and memorable Dec/Jan holiday. While I no longer have this excuse for 2024, I enter it with the hope that this year will bring peace, joy, and satisfactory creative output :)
Happy New Year to you, too, Win! I’d be curious to know how long it takes you to get used to inscribing 2024.
I was drafting a note by hand today (for the first time this year) and I stopped short of writing the date from one year ago!
It’s only a matter of time before the newness of the year becomes a habit, one that refuses to budge in the face of change.
Regardless of how we remember and write the date, I wish you a splendid year ahead. ☺️
Similar to writers' fear that their words might be lost in the blackhole of internet, there is genuine fear for readers now that they will have read through 100 articles before finding one genuine article that engages them and provokes a thought.
i had to read something more about the painting you shared, it was intriguing. Your articles/thoughts always make me pause and think for a moment. Like the painting above, you words leave room for me to breath, sometime heavy breath, and interpret and engage with the words and the world.
Always a fan of your analogies!
I’m glad you looked up the artwork. It takes the idea of a work being “open to interpretation” to a whole new level.
As I read this piece at the literal year’s end I feel glad that you published this. It was a great reminder to take a moment and reflect on a year that has been a big one of many firsts. While I won’t actually be awake to celebrate the clock changing, like in the past, I know I’ll wake up to a new year that will be in many ways exactly the same and in many more ways very different to what this year has been. Looking forward to it!
Thank you for reading! I wish you a wonderful year ahead, in all its sameness and in all its newness. 🤗
It's true that we often associate change with the commencement of the new year , but here is what I wish does not change - your engaging writing style!
Waiting to read the upcoming 'home' piece soon.
Best wishes for 2024
Thank you, for always enjoying my writing style, even as it changes from year to year. ❤️
Couldn't read the article unless I paid to read the article. I can't fathom you losing readers because you're not a machine, predictably doing what was pronounced you would do. Your writing is so much more engaging. It's like the difference between a friend who is always nice but boring and one who is a bit unpredictable but always entertaining. Some need both of both. Some stick safely with the first. I prefer to wait for the second and savor when available.
I love the analogy. Thank you, as always, for choosing to wait. ❤️
Also, did Substack ask you to pay to read this piece? I haven’t set up payments, so it’s strange that it would.
The New Yorker asked me to pay to read the Jhumpa Lahiri’s short story article you mentioned/displayed as I had read enough for free and they cut me off!
The counter should reset on January 1. Maybe you could try then!
That's what I was thinking.