Stasis is not an Option
The Sidecar, Vol V. No. 2
Thoughts
A friend of mine is in a season where it seems that just as one of life's challenges approaches resolution, another debuts, presenting new problems along with new stress. This shouldn't sound foreign to anyone reading, as we can either identify with that type of season now, know someone who can, or can quickly recall a time of our lives when we felt similarly. Something in us seems to prefer working in sprints, aiming to surmount each challenge just to get to the other side. "Once the new year comes," "once the kids are out of school," or "once we have a house that doesn't have as many problems," are constant qualifiers for the challenges of life that can, at times, seem never-ending. But what if we stopped aiming for the plateaus of peace that come after stretches of trial? What if we reframe reality to be a constant state of adjustment, rather than bouts of hard running between respites of recharging?
One of my golf coaches used to paint a picture of a boat on a transatlantic crossing to illustrate what a round of golf is like. The ship faces winds, tides, storms and waves en route to its destination. It does not travel in a straight line. Constant, small adjustments of heading steer it a few degrees at a time to deal with the headwinds that push it off-line. A good round of golf, he concluded, was just like that: one of constant adjustment, expecting of a crooked journey, and of adjusting course in small increments to reach the destination.
For a moment, picture the ship that doesn't change course. A few degrees off course early in the journey can translate into thousands of miles of difference in destination. Unequipped for the resultant path, an entire crew is suddenly on course for their own demise. Canadian Joey Schweitzer has a line, "Inaction is a slow death." What isn't adjusted-for brings severe consequences in the long term. What isn't maintained atrophies.
I've had a front row seat to observe this phenomenon with a declining culture in my own workplace. Without intentional cultivation, a growing organization cannot expect a sort of homeostatic process to combat the inevitable headwinds that arise. Virtually anything left to its own devices tends more towards decline than prosperity: the houseplant we water, the hobbies we pursue, and even the very person we are each becoming depend on adjustment and maintenance to remain on course.
Stasis, it appears, is not a viable strategy.
Until next time,
Things
📚 The Call of the Wild by Jack London
I remember first reading this story in primary school, but returning to it with fresh eyes makes it stand out as the seminal work of Jack London that solidifies him as one of the greatest American novelists. The observant newcomer to the Alaskan Yukon, Buck, navigates away from the comforts of the sunny southland to the cold, hard, brutish and short existence of sled dogs in the expansive North. Buck responds to the inner voice that draws him to become wild as his nature once was.
🔊 Bronze Whale
If you like ODESZA, ARIZONA or Kasbo, you may enjoy Bronze Whale as well. Melodic electronic with subtle vocals is the name of the game for my go-to background music when writing or putzing around the house. Start with tracks “Sinking” “Let’s Go Walk” and “Hold. Wait. Fall.”
🎥 Masters of the Air
I’m three episodes into this new AppleTV series, and it’s likened to The Pacific or Band of Brothers, but this one follows the 100th Bomb Group of the Eighth Air Force stationed in East England during the Second World War. When it comes to military history, I’ve always been most partial to airmen and the sophistication and intensity of airborne warfare. With Spielberg on as an EP for this one, it doesn’t look like it will miss the mark.
Thank you for reading, I sincerely appreciate it. I would love to hear from you, whether it be your thoughts on anything above, or any recommendations on food, wine, books, etc. that could find their way into a future issue. Or simply drop me a note to say hello! Reach me at writejohnduffy@protonmail.com - I look forward to hearing from you.
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