I asked my physical therapist how much I should walk in the afternoon, expecting him to say “as far as you can go.” Instead he asked, “how far did you go yesterday?’ I told him two blocks up the street and two blocks back, but I felt I could go further. He said, “if you…
Author: Webb Hubbell
Let Go of What We Can’t Control
Stoicism says we should stake our well-being on what we can control and let go of any attachment to what we cannot. There are many forms this philosophy takes all concluding that we should avoid worrying about or being anxious about what we can’t control. Examples include: events, opinions or behavior of others, or whatever…
Who Judges An Examined Life?
I think I told everyone that I am reading a book called The Practicing Stoic. Seems like people have been writing about stoicism since the early Greeks. Last night, as I read this week’s chapters I thought about all the pages in print that are devoted to improving oneself. Then beyond that, how much of our economy…
A Calming Place
When you are spending the week with three little girls who take after their cousins who were fondly nicknamed “the raptors” when they were very young, it is hard to imagine calm and serenity. But right outside the window I can spy the ocean and its rhythms calm my worst instincts. Each of us has…
Insignificant and Significant At the Same Time
I watched a fascinating show on PBS the other night called When Whales Walked. The film took four species, birds, elephants, crocodiles, and whales back to their origins and traced their evolution even through the five periods of extinction. I think it is well worth your time and thought. As Suzy said, it made you feel pretty…