“We come from mystery and we return to mystery”
What if you spent an equal amount of time imagining if things went right?
“What I know for sure is this: We come from mystery and we return to mystery. I arrived here with no bad memories of wherever I’d come from, so I have no good reason to fear the place to which I’ll return. And I know this, too: Standing closer to the reality of death awakens my awe at the gift of life.” On The Brink of Everything from
.- is bringing back her political wisdom with her own Substack and a new podcast season of More Than Politics. I cannot wait: we need clear-eyed, well-formed commentators now more than ever. Check out her perspectives on Paul’s conversion and “spiritual physics”—whew.
“What if, while you read the last few paragraphs, something in the world has changed? What if, during the past five minutes, someone, somewhere, sent you a text? Shouldn’t you go and check?” Anthony Doerr brings too much truth (in his enviously exquisite prose) in this essay on our collective addiction to these stupid phones: Am I Still Here? at Orion Magazine.
“What are you afraid of?” Can’t stop thinking about this fascinating conversation between Rainn Wilson and Kelly Corrigan (listen here if you’d prefer; language warning if you’re listening with young ears around). As someone with anxiety and an overactive imagination, I was sheepishly blown away by the simple suggestion of using the same amount of time imagining things turning out well.
In the same spirit of using your imagination for good, let yourself dwell with this lovely comic from New Yorker cartoonist Sophie Lucido Johnson: “Consider, every once in a while, what went right.” (H/t to Paige Rien, one of my favorite Insta follows for rewiring how I feel about my home, for sharing this art first.)
Once again you have shared with us ,Beautiful words ,,, thankyou 🙏
Thank you, Laura, for providing a link to the article by Anthony Doerr. It was timely and luminous.