In Search of Mindfulness
Monotasking FTW! Plus, acrobatics and Topple.
One thing at a time. One thing at a time. Do one thing at a time, Sara.
Lately, it seems I have little patience for monotasking. Which is weird because I sorta specialize in this as a Caveday guide and also because I’m not juggling a gazillion deadlines or projects at the moment. In fact, things have been kinda…slow. And yet, I still can’t seem to focus on doing any one thing. Of course, based on all the memes I scroll through on this very topic (while silmultaneously trying to, say, watch a TV show), I know I’m not alone. Still, that doesn’t make proud of this behavior.
I notice it especially when going up or down the six flights of stairs to my apartment. The other day, while descending—in clogs, no less!—I was also attempting to find a podcast to listen to en route to where I was going. As if this couldn’t wait until I’d reached the bottom and were on steady ground. On the way up, I’m often scrolling through Instagram or opening mail I just fetched from the mailbox. As if these tasks also couldn’t wait until I’d arrived back at my doorstep.
My guess is I’m doubling up because I’m trying to distract myself from the tedious, sometimes strenuous task of going up or down so many damn stairs. But after listening to a brief lesson in the “Waking Up” meditation and mindfulness app that my friend Jess recommended, I was reminded that this is an anxiety I could actually benefit from tolerating. I mean, sure, ideally my next apartment has an elevator. But until then, there’s probably a greater lesson to learn in my trying to sit—or, in this case, ascend/descend—with such discomfort.
Truth be told, I never really thought of going up or down stairs as anxiety. But I suppose I am clearly avoiding the feelings of ONE thing by purposefully doing something else at the same time. Can one find…dare I say PEACE…in such a mundane activity if that were the sole thing I were doing? I’m not so sure. It’s a lot of steps. But there’d certainly be lower risk of injury. :) And, perhaps, greater potential for mindfulness. I don’t know about you, but that’s something I’m always searching for.
“Without free attention, there’s no place for good reasons to land.” — Sam Harris
ONE THING AT A TIME, friends. xx — Sara
Clickable
On the “r-word” and living with what we don’t know. | Boston Globe
A woman writes her former French gynecologist. | Off Assignment
RIP Gramercy Park Hotel whose liquidation sale was epic. | Curbed
Matthew Perry, aka Chandler Bing, wrote a book. | The NY Times
Finding the “happy medium” in eating McDo’s “happy meals.” | Eater
All hail jetlag. | The NY Times Magazine
Watchable
Last weekend, at the soon-to-open Hangar Y arts and events space outside Paris, I discovered acrobat, dancer, and choreographer Yoann Bourgeois and took this clip of him performing “Fugue Trampoline” to the tunes of Philip Glass’ “Methamophosis Two.” It’s mesmerizing and inspiring to witness what can be done with the body thanks, in part, to gravity. He seems so weightless and free. Here’s another version of it in its entirety in a different setting.
Speaking of what can be done with one’s body, Selma Blair’s final performance on Dancing With the Stars moved me to tears — but not because of the physical steps she took on the dancefloor in order to compete, rather because of the emotional ones she took off it in deciding to drop out with such grace. Watch with tissues.
Despite reading (and loving) this book a few years ago, I am struggling to remember the main plot of the soon-to-be limited series starring Jesse Eisenberg as the infamous Fleishman (created by one of my favorite writers Taffy Akner). I also love me some Claire Danes and Lizzy Caplan (and hunka-hunka HIMYM star Josh Radnor, whose "museletter" you should all be getting), so I’m psyched to (hopefully) be reminded of its brilliance.
Currently Overthinking…
…the names, relations, and houses of all the Targaryens on House of the Dragon; and the meaning behind “Everything Everywhere All At Once,” which I finally just saw in the theater…
Souvenir: Topple
My new favorite French performer, Yoann Bourgeois (see Watchable section above), not only performs on a trampoline, but also on a spinning wooden platform, which reminds me of this game. Did YOU have the “steady hand” and “strategic mindset” for this suspensful activity that tested both balance and patience??
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