As I write, that magical and fleeting stretch of New England weather that begins sometime in September and ends sometime in October is upon us. The air is crisp. The stinging morning cold strikes your face like a boxer’s landing blow. Momentarily jarred, it takes a second to register this strange phenomenon, this thing cold. You shrug, knowing that come brunchtime, remnants of Summer will again regain the upper hand… for a few hours at least.
Dan Harris may claim some obscure “longest title” award for his 10% Happier: How I Tamed the Voice in My Head, Reduced Stress Without Losing My Edge, and Found Self-Help That Actually Works — A True Story. I happened to have opted for the audio version (proudly borrowed from the public library database), which turned out to be conducive to his writing style and pretty entertaining. His tone is casual, almost like chatting with you over a pint. A bit autobiographical, Harris spends effort outlining his background and career progression from small market local news to big time network anchor. He candidly recounts the darker side of his ascension: a burgeoning drug habit coupled with an aggressive winner-take-all approach to interpersonal relationships. He remembers getting feedback from a manager, who described him as “an asshole that nobody likes.” Personal insecurities and drug abuse smashed together with a pressure cooker corporate environment take its toll, eventually culminating in an on-air public meltdown. He has a panic attack on live television, struggling to breathe let alone speak words cogently into the camera.
I was first exposed to Walden and Henry David Thoreau, like many, during high school. And like many, tripled the amount of ink on its pages, underlining, circling and annotating its margins. I make it a point to reread it every handful of years.
Simple as it were, Thoreau’s goal was to see if he might not live by himself in the woods. Well, that’s probably the short version he maybe told curious inquirers anyway. The lessons shared with Walden, and immortalized in American literature canon, are deep, yet tantalizingly simple still: “I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.” In what pursuit could be more urgent, more noble?
Farmers’ markets bring out the best in people. Maybe it was the weather, I don’t know. It was one of those perfect August days: zero humidity (a rarity for coastal New England summers), zero clouds in the sky, mid 80’s… People move slower when content.
Drifting from stall to stall, we serpentined through the crowd, stopping to point out a particularly interesting vegetable or chat with an enterprising proprietor. 30 second interactions with queued patrons flowed naturally, yet mutual acknowledgement of its transience was a given. No one made a fuss about it. Intrigued by a slight ruddiness and tinge of dirt on the hands, I envied the farmers. Was that flicker in the eye that of joie de vivre or a salesman in a less-than-sporty attire? I was happy to keep it a mystery. Read More
Hello! My name is JR and welcome to Insisting Simplicity. Created in 2018, Insisting Simplicity is a forum to share ideas, adventures and (maybe) inspire.
I make no pledges with this project, nor do I care to limit creativity by focusing too narrowly. I prefer the mental meandering and the pursuit of varied interests. I hope you do too!
Here you will find a commitment to candor and a passion for living a meaningful, fulfilled, yet simple lifestyle. Join me on the ride!
