Five Thoughts Near Mid-Summer

'Why in the world would you do something that you have no passion around?'

Hi friends,

Sweet summer continues to roll on. With the late-July heat wave gone, these 8 p.m. sunsets, afternoon strolls in the park, and sun-filled days are magical. They can heal the heart and make it easy to enjoy the natural world’s stunning beauty.

Without further ado, here are a few short reflections to share with you as we pass mid-summer.

1. You’re going to be dead a hell of a lot longer than you’re going to be alive: The restaurateur Danny Meyer said he was once studying to be a lawyer. He recalled being in a lousy mood one evening at dinner, and his uncle Richard asked what was bothering him. Meyer dreaded having to take his LSAT the next morning, mainly because he didn’t want to be a lawyer in the first place. That’s when his uncle asked him a question that altered the trajectory of his life:

   He said, “Do you have any idea how long you’re going to be dead anyway?” And I said, “No, I hadn’t really thought about that. Why?” And he said, “I don’t know either, but I’ll tell you one thing. You’re going to be dead a hell of a lot longer than you’re going to be alive. Why in the world would you do something that you have no passion around?” And I stopped and I said, “Because I guess I don’t know what else I could do.” And within a second, he said, “You’ve got to be kidding me. All I’ve heard you talk about your entire life is food and restaurants.” And I said, “So what, am I supposed to eat in restaurants the rest of my life?” It was so obvious, and yet I could not see this. And he said, “No, you fool. You should go open a restaurant.” It had never dawned on me that that was a valid thing to do, because that’s not what you ever heard about in college back then. You didn’t hear about going to open a restaurant.

2. Be with your senses: Author Gretchen Rubin has put together a five-senses journal based on her latest book. The idea is to be more intentional around our senses and their mighty power, recording notable memories associated with a sense. For example, I recently saw a few leaves moving in a tree by my favorite park bench. I heard the birds chirping and my shoes rubbing against the dirt path. I smelled a dose of freshly-placed mulch. I touched my No. 2 pencil, then tasted a cold bottle of water with lemon.

Here are sample prompts for reflection or journaling to activate your senses and be more in touch with them:

3. Don’t prepare, begin: Author Mel Robbins has popularized the “five-second rule,” which feels corny at first glance until you see it work well when applied. She believes anybody is “just five seconds away from a totally different life.” Basically, if you have an instinct or thought about acting on a goal, you must move within five seconds. Decide, act, go. But whatever you do, don’t delay. “I use the countdown technique 5-4-3-2-1 to interrupt that jerk in my head that says, ‘It's too cold to work out today,’ or ‘The project can be a day late,’” Robbins says. “I just count down 5-4-3-2-1 and say, ‘I'm not thinking about that,’ and move on with my day.” Today, where can you apply the 5-4-3-2-1 count to act on something meaningful?

4. Listen to the birds and give yourself a gift: Listening to birds can reduce stress and anxiety, calm our nervous system, and give our brain a rest, according to research. “It’s like a little emotional gift,” says Ron Hoy, an acoustics researcher at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Neuroscientists say that allowing ourselves to hear and see a bird can activate the dopamine system in our brain, which can improve our mood and motivation.

5. Ask, so what? Similar to Robbins’ five-second rule, one could consider asking “so what?” about their fears. We could interrogate our fears, challenge them, and not allow the anxious voice in our head to dictate how we move through the world. As a grandson recently learned from his late grandfather, “The scary future quickly becomes the forgotten past.”

One quote I’m meditating on:

Celebrate your gifts,

Matthew