Cold Air

"Simple can be harder than complex. You have to work hard to get your thinking clean to make it simple. But it’s worth it in the end because once you get there, you can move mountains."

— Steve Jobs

Where I live, the seasons are turning.

The air is getting cold. The leaves are changing color. The days are getting shorter.

Where you live, the seasons are turning.

The signs may change, but the turning never does.

The season is always turning. Are you paying attention?

In the Spring, all is forming. Growth is Law.

In the Summer, all is flourishing. Life is everywhere.

In the Autumn, all is receding. Things slow down.

In the Winter, all is sleeping. Life is dormant, waiting for Spring.

And so on.

I love the transition from the frenzy of Summer to the contemplation of Autumn. I love the slowing. It's a reminder that not everything needs to happen right now, a reminder that I should take a look back at what I've done, what I've said, what I've built.

Autumn is the season for introspection. Not yet time for putting everything away, not yet time for sleep...but time for quiet contemplation of the trade-offs we've made.

Was it all worth it? If so, why? If not, why not?

Autumn is a season for pulling back, not to hide from the world but to protect something of yours, to save a small place for you and just for you.

A season to look inwards.

A season for standing on the brink and looking out.

A season for making your thought clean and simple.

Autumn isn't easy, though. There is work to be done in Autumn. The leaves need to be raked. The fire needs to be tended to.

But it's inside-work.

Cleaning and tidying so when the time comes, you can sleep.

Sleep, and repair.

Sleep, and get ready.

Sleep, and dream of Spring.

Take some time this Autumn to slow down, look inward, and ask yourself:

Is it simple?

Can I make it simpler?

Yours,

Dan

COOL STUFF TO READ:

Why I Stopped Being A Leftist (Or any -ist for that matter)

Interesting bit of memoir. Leaving the "woke" stuff aside (which you are free to agree or disagree with as you like), I was interested in this bit, which I had not thought of:

In July 2017 Quillette publishes a seminal essay, “The Neurodiversity Case for Free Speech,” by the evolutionary psychologist Geoffrey Miller. The essay points out that the current trend of punishing people for stating inconvenient facts disproportionately hurts socially inept people such as those with autism. This piece strikes a chord with me; for the first time I feel like there are people who understand me, but alas, they’re not the leftists that I’d believed were the most empathic and compassionate.