Seeing is believing (in presence)

Hello you walk on the wild side.

Happy 2020 friends!  We explored some of the fun of those fresh-and-crisp new year vibes back in September (and while I still maintain that September always feels more new-year-y than January), if I am being honest, it feels a little weird to transition to a whole new decade without marking it some small way... 

So here we go!  2020!  Hooray!

Good news: I will not be regaling you with a curated review of the past 10 years of my life. Frankly, in contemplating the possibility of putting together a decade-in-review post, I couldn't figure out how to do so in a way that would be both interesting and honest. I am very conscious of the instagram effect and how polished and curated lives can be made to look. But the reality is that we are all beautiful messes. So I would want to make sure that if I were to try to summarize a decade of my life, it would need to be an honest and balanced account of the successful and challenging bits. An ambitious undertaking to be sure, and one that would require more time than I was able to find at this juncture.    

And another piece of good news: I will not be waxing poetic about the comparisons between 1920 and 2020 (though I have secretly enjoyed some of the Great Gatsby references and the avalanche of elegant 1920s design aesthetic throw-backs peppering popular culture right now).  As a digression however, for those interested in time comparisons generally, I do recommend Wait But Why's recent post about the present year in relation to other pivotal moments in western collective consciousness. For example, did you know that if you were born in the 1960s, you were born closer to the 1800s than to present day 2020... The whole post is a bit of a mind-melt.

Now wait!  Having eliminated two of the more obvious tropes for a 2020 new year dispatch, where might this cheesy platypus arm-chair-philosopher turn next...

Yes, you guessed it.

Put on your glasses, poindexter! 

Let's talk about 20/20 VISION!

As a person who has worn corrective lenses since she was six years old, I can attest to the importance of seeing clearly.  But truly, I kind of like this framing (pun intended), for a few reasons. Most importantly, I like the idea of taking some time this year to stop and try to see things as they are.  I listened to a really great recent podcast from the Antropocene Reviewed this week, which told the story of the cultural and personal history of the song Auld Land Syne. It is a poignant and beautiful episode, but it also talked about a classic idiom turned on its head:

"Don't just do something. Stand there."

It resonates. I tried in various ways last year to create more space in my life and quiet moments for reflection, meditation and breath. I made some headway with this auditory/ turn-it-off approach (including a very robust daily meditation practice that has been so nourishing), but to be honest I still have a long way to go. 

I like the idea of continuing to chip away at creating more space and presence in my life, and doing so through the lens (puns still intended) of seeing. In a sense, this will likely not be an exercise of addition or subtraction, but of recognition. Seeing can be retro-oriented by taking a robust look at the past, it can be creative and new-years-esque by identifying a vision for one's future and the steps to realizing that vision, and it can also be about trying to get better at recognizing truth in the present-- by better understanding the world around us (if the news of January 2 is any indication, it is going to be an 'interesting' year in the news cycle), as well as the world within us (such as pursuing authenticity in a more intentional way, or not believing your ultra-persuasive rationalizations for example).

So all hail the microfiber cleaning cloth (which is now the official EP mascot for 2020)!

But wait! Is all this talk of seeing clearly a bit too intense on a sunny Sunday morning? Then please feel free to check out Sacred Bow: a simple and intentional way to close out the year and start anew, which (if you are in the market for doing some new year planning) actually does a not-bad job of encouraging one to take a multi-dimensional approach to seeing all the influences on the present moment in one's life 

Still too much realness?  Then check out this video of a man free diving under clear lake ice (and bonus points if you feel the need to hold your breath the whole time like I did)

From one two-eyed person to another, I am glad that we can see clearly together. I hope you enjoyed this dispatch, and have a vision-filled week!

Until next Sunday,
The Earnest Platypus