It’s a good week when I don’t have to drive.
Owing to my location, and the fact that it’s cheaper for my wife and me to car-share into work every day, I tend to split my commute between car and train. Unfortunately my walk to the station involves an often muddy stroll through a mile of woodland so my commute is weather-dependent.
Luckily for me this week has been full of crisp, bright, autumn mornings and that walk to the station has been a delight.
I love this time of year.
Paying attention to the right things
I finally got around to finishing William B Irvine’s Guide to the Good Life this week. It’s a nice introduction to Stoicism and the quest for tranquility.
A major component of the philosophy is the idea that there are things that are within our control and things that are not. An example that Irvine uses in the book is one of a tennis match: we have no control over whether or not we win the match, only how much we practice, how well we play, and how we feel about the result.
This is something I’ve been thinking about over the last six months as I see myself expend a disproportionate amount of mental energy to things I have no control over: international politics, the quality of others’ driving, house prices, etc.
This is a slow change but as I dedicate more time to things that I do have control over (improving my skills as a developer, becoming a better musician, improving my diet, sleep and exercise) I find I have less time to endlessly scroll through Twitter.
It’s win-win.
Health
I fasted on six days this week but, due to a pretty busy schedule, didn’t eat particularly well. One issue is that when I meet friends after work I’ll try to eat out rather than wait until I get home and miss my eating window. Maybe this is counter productive?
My mood has been consistently good this week, but I had one too many drinks on Friday night and feel a little down on Saturday morning.
Ran 25k as planned.