Pause and ponder

Lamps in the Evening (2020) 8.5x5.5 inches. Colored pencils.

Today, there's something that made me pause and ponder, and I thought I'd like to share these thoughts with you.

First, have you ever taken on something such as:

• Deciding to eat more veggies, exercise and get enough sleep?

• Setting aside a day to spend time with your loved ones?

• Showing up to do the work: e.g. to write that poem, record that podcast, draw on that blank sheet of paper every time?

• Donating your time or money to help rescue animals? Etc.

Personally, there are things that I've undertaken because I want to improve myself.

Improve myself for what?

Why do we bother doing these things?

It wasn't until yesterday when I felt that I had an epiphany concerning this question.

I was listening to The Tim Ferriss Show where Tim was interviewing Maria Popova, the brilliant lady behind The Marginalian (formerly Brain Pickings). One of the questions was about how she determines which topics to write about in her blog.

Her answer is that although she covers a wide array of material - poetry, art, music, philosophy, etc. - the "common denominator" for her is whether these "illuminate some aspect – big or small – of that grand question […]: how to live life well.

How to live a good meaningful, fulfilling life?"

And I thought, "That's it!"

What does living life well mean for you?