notes on the mind
on slow living, writing and people [70]:
Hi friends,
At the moment of writing this, I am relishing the freezing cold in Philadelphia. Cozy coffee shops are a must and I have been taking advantage of all the cozy activities and meals. I ate fried Oreos for the first time! after ice skating in sub-zero Celsius degrees.
When I travel, my mind wanders and inspiration tends to strike as well. These are some tidbits of musings that came to me during my trip. Hope you enjoy.
the purpose behind traveling to new cities shifts
I am a city girl through and through but getting to a new city just for the sake of being there has lost its appeal for me. I used to be obsessed with getting to places like New York City, Boston, even San Francisco. The idea of a city was alluring.
Museums, diversity, and especially restaurants are nice but I appreciate it more if I could spend my time with loved ones. I yearn for simple daily moments: enjoying a good cup of matcha latte, having time to lift and run, and indulging in nature getaways. I used to rush to get to places now all I want is to slow down and be present. I learned that a precious gift someone can give to me and vice versa is presence when spending time together.
catching up with people in person
I went from being an Instagram fiend to giving up the app last year. I have a good number of acquaintances and friends active there so not using the app means I lost in touch with some of them. After I left, I got less anxious and could focus more on living. By not living my live on the feed, I found that the most rewarding conversations happen in person. Texts are fine in limited quantity but nuances can get lost in messages. Texting should not be used as the sole means to maintain relationships because it can’t fulfill human connection needs. I try to maintain my connections via in-person conversations if I can these days.
reading for pure enjoyment vs quantity
This is my seventh year setting a yearly reading goal and the number has been steadily increasing over the years. In the initial years, it was important that I hit my goal. I was reading five books a year after all and close to zero before that! Then I hit 40 books and consistently read 30-40 books. Last year I felt burnout with reading. I felt uninspired to read when the task felt like a chore. I recommend people read around 20 books a year but take note of when you feel exhausted from the written words and give yourself a break.
This year I want to read beautiful and inspiring things that push me to write and explore. Once one has trained their reading muscle, they always have it with them so don’t worry if the quantity dips for some time. Take a break from reading if needed, go outside, and touch grass.
running is a mental game
More often than not, in running you can or cannot accomplish new milestones with your mind. Train, and try not to injure yourself (a fine line) but for me as a newbie, getting over that mental block of getting to a new distance is significant. Once I unlock a milestone, I am equipped with the knowledge that I can push myself again and set out a new challenging goal.
I created a graph to better visualize the cycle:
getting to my mid-20s
I had fun after college, I experienced life as a full-fledged adult in a new city, financially independent. I traveled a ton in the first year working remotely which let me spend time with friends and loved ones. I was also incredibly anxious and uncertain during my first two years out of school.
I had no idea what was going to happen and I had no reference points to know what I should expect.
I went on a rollercoaster of emotions in those two years. Fortunately, I am in a more comfortable spot vs. 2022 after gaining some data points. I enjoy growing older and getting out of my early 20s even though I am not rushing anything.
being reminded of the reason I write and “playing the long game”
I’m onto my third year with this newsletter and hopefully into its best year yet. The first year was pure discipline: write and publish, rinse and repeat. The second year was a mixture of attempts to keep the discipline and a loss of inspiration to write toward the second half of the year.
That’s why I am grateful to find Paul’s and Ava’s timely pieces on writing for the long run. A commonality I noticed in established writers both in the traditional sense like novelists and modern Substackers is that they have been writing for much longer than most of us care to know. It is unrealistic for me to set a goal of being published in the New York Times when I am 30 or writing a book by 35 etc. I have increasingly lost my faith in setting concrete timeline goals in life. A lot of things are out of one’s locus of control even if they try their best.
Writing is a part of me. I started writing when I was eight. When I don’t write, words ooze out of me and my mind is flooded with ideas and possibilities. Writing is how I make sense of the world. It helps me think.
On the notes of creativity, I also listened to Natalie Barbu’s podcast with Cybersecurity Influencer Caitlin Sarian during which they discuss creativity. Both of them have engineering backgrounds and shared that they are not “artistic” in the traditional sense like painting or dancing etc. They however are proud of their creativity and the ability to story tell. Everyone is a storyteller and as humans we need as many voices as possible who share. That is why I love writing so much because in telling my stories, I can connect with people whose paths I might never cross.
Question of the day:
What does creativity mean to you? If you are a writer, do you feel like an artist when writing? I’d love to know.
Thank you for reading Life with MD. If you like this piece, please share it with a friend or loved one.
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