Reflections

It takes a while to motivate myself after a return from vacation. Idyll and the ensuing mind-fog—or is it clarity?—crashes with silent fury into my attempts at reintegration. It strikes me that this reintegration—the re-establishment of basic routines following an experience defined by a pattern of routines shaped by desire, not necessity—is itself an opportunity. An opportunity to create routines that satisfy necessity while better conforming to desire, to consciously create patterns of elegant simplicity in one’s life, to bring one’s existence more into conformity with a guiding ethos. As I work to emphasize experience over consumption, I find that the meal-time routine affords the most immediate opportunity for practice: half a grapefruit, a soft-boiled egg with salt, and an espresso is a nice breakfast. But ten minutes to enjoy it slowly on my patio table while I talk with my wife or admire the slightly brighter color of new leaves is sublime.