Postcards from Equanimity #003 * - Sunday June 13, 2021
Dear Friend,
Writing is hard, writing well is harder, and writing well regularly is simply the hardest.
I returned from my mountain adventure last Sunday. Being away is a break from our daily grind. If you are lucky it opens up enough space in time to allow you to ponder things you don't get to otherwise. I pondered, and in that exploration lay the answers to some of the many things that may come to call on us at unexpected times during a day. I will explore them in time.
So I spent the week trying to figure out the next step. It would be a bit trite to say that it was just the next step in front of me. If you write then you know all too well the apparent discrepancy between the joy of writing and the frustration of feeling that you didn't do a good job getting your point across. I finally circumvented the mess by giving myself a deadline of Sunday (today) to ship my B minus, minimum viable product. Because you agreed to read my work and I am obligated to secure words to paper for that transaction to take place. I am grateful for the feedback I received on the first two posts. I will re-read and cherish every word someone takes the time to write in response to my writing. Perhaps a small gesture but one with a multiplying effect!🙂🙏
Some things that are worth reiterating and others worth addressing for the first time.
Podcasts and video-based social media are becoming the mainstay of how the new messengers bring their thoughts to an audience. But for me, the written word is still the preferred way to share my views because there is a joy in finding the right word, creating the just-so story, and creating an invitation for a response. So I say I am grateful for your reading this not just because it is true but also because in every utterance of gratitude lies a little gift of recognition that this is a voluntary engagement which is being enjoyed with friends.
It was pointed out that the first post was too long. I submit that is true. It was partly the necessity of the context, explaining well what it is that I intend to pursue in coaching, and partly that I think and write long-winded. A possible solution would be to arbitrarily break up the final post into smaller parts and then send them out over several days. But is that much different than you choosing to read only bits and pieces at a time? I don't know. Though I will also point out that of the 20 people whom I sent the posts to 4 responded, and only 1 of them commented on length. So it is hard for me to know if any length will guarantee high readership, which is why this remains in play. But please keep that feedback coming. I became proficient at Twitter, I'll shorten these posts if I must.
Some friends commented that I should have explained Erikson's stages and Maslow's hierarchy in detail since I referenced them. I submit that is a fair point. While the former may be lesser known the latter is often referred to in popular culture that I assumed familiarity for the purpose of the post. Would you believe I partly did that in order to keep the post short?! Ha. Anyway, I will likely write individual posts about each framework with regard to what it means to me, and how one could make use of either. Again, please know that any and all feedback is truly appreciated. Yes, even the copyediting kind, which is actually really good because I want to increase the likelihood that my words are understood as meant.
I didn't make it to the top of Mt. Rainier. Didn't even get close. Once again the weather was predicted to be rough so I decided I'd get to Camp Muir. On the first day of full climb, a day after snow school, we set out with our full packs. The snow started from the parking lot level up, which is to say there was no rocky, hikeable terrain like two years ago. As we neared the first stop on the mountain, I was starting to feel that I wasn't getting enough air. Even with the pressured exhales I wasn't getting enough air. I felt dizzy and thought it may have been because I had skipped breakfast. As I sat down at the first stop, I was actively debating between continuing up to the second stop or just cutting my losses and going back. In that moment it seemed unlikely that I would make it to the camp.
Now despite my current state of being overweight I have a lot of hiking experience, most recently 30+ miles in the Tennessee mountains, including a single day 14 mile trek. As I was eating my sandwich and drinking water, I was assessing my body for integrity. My legs were reporting no issues. The back was holding against the 40 lb. pack. But the lungs were unsure. I have never experienced altitude sickness before. My friend Vikram, my hiking buddy, had experienced a bit more of it the day before so I was starting to understand the situation. I chose to go back down the mountain because my brain rationalized the voluntary nature of the exercise and threw in a coupling of everything off the mountain that mattered more, and had a bind over me, compared to the joy of getting to the camp. As I walked back down, I knew in my heart that I'll want to come back. I don't know when. Then I spent the last few days building a rational path toward that return; it happens to go through hiking on the Appalachian Trail, climbing some other non-snowy mountains, and getting my body into better conditioning. So, all in all, a lesson well learned.
The title of this post speaks to my state of mind over the last few days combined with processing the information that my posts may have been less than clear. Just as I am clearer on my path to wellness, in writing I continue to refine the value proposition toward the idea that sharing these thoughts may serve to celebrate and strengthen my bonds with friends and community.
When faced with multiple issues and complex decision trees, where to begin the journey? Although the age old adage 'a journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step' is true in this case the more useful phrase may be "start here." More often than not, we take our existence and surroundings for granted and sometimes we are unable to begin a transformation because we don't give enough time to process where we already are, the beginning. When thinking of pursuing a new direction, remember that any new task will almost certainly squeeze your existing landscape of daily living and resources. Only when we create a defined space and time to ponder the issue can we see the logical beginning step. It doesn't have to be by flying across the country and trying to climb a mountain. Even an hour each day on the weekend, an important appointment on the calendar with yourself will do the trick. I had a birthday this past week, and that is exactly what I did. I read the feedbacks, thought about why I write, remembered my positive intention and created a timed goal. It got me to get rid of some of the cobwebs of writer's hesitancy and block, and got me through to this point of completion, B- work and all.
Unless the feedback demands otherwise, in the next post I will share my thoughts on Maslow's hierarchy and what it has meant to me, a prequel if you will before we continue the saga of a quantifiable, data driven life. I am thinking of calling these messages 'postcards from equanimity' because that is what I envision our collective journeys' destination to be while we are here and sentient.
I hope that you have a wonderful week and that reading this far serves as a catalyst to help you contemplate and introspect on issues that you may be pondering. I am working on defining a platform to allow comments and interaction for anyone who wishes to do so, in the aim to build on the foundation of A rising tide lifts all boats after all. I leave you with a view from my high point on the mountain.
Happy Sunday!
P.S. As I said I am opting to call these emails 'Postcards from Equanimity'. This is postcard number 3.
I managed to create a page on my blog that will have just the coaching posts. This is the third post and it has a maximum of 30 posts allowed per block. I figure by then I will know how to get the website better organized. You can access all the coaching posts at
Unless the feedback demands otherwise, in the next post I will share my thoughts on Maslow's hierarchy and what it has meant to me, a prequel if you will before we continue the saga of a quantifiable, data driven life. I am thinking of calling these messages 'postcards from equanimity' because that is what I envision our collective journeys' destination to be while we are here and sentient.
I hope that you have a wonderful week and that reading this far serves as a catalyst to help you contemplate and introspect on issues that you may be pondering. I am working on defining a platform to allow comments and interaction for anyone who wishes to do so, in the aim to build on the foundation of A rising tide lifts all boats after all. I leave you with a view from my high point on the mountain.
Happy Sunday!
P.S. As I said I am opting to call these emails 'Postcards from Equanimity'. This is postcard number 3.
I managed to create a page on my blog that will have just the coaching posts. This is the third post and it has a maximum of 30 posts allowed per block. I figure by then I will know how to get the website better organized. You can access all the coaching posts at
https://www.jeevun.com/coaching
All the coaching posts will be housed there.