Are We There Yet? Week 24

First of all, I can’t believe that August is ending.   It still feels like mid-March to me.   Mark Twain supposedly said that “it is difficult to make predictions, especially about the future.”  Right now, we are all subject to trying to navigate our way through life amidst what seems to be an unprecedented level of uncertainty.   When will the Covid crisis end?  How can I avoid getting sick? Why has the stock market recovered during this crisis? Who will be our President next year?   When will my kids go back to in-classroom school? What do I want my life to look like?  All of these questions can create anxiety because none of us knows the answers. In normal times, we have a lot of social distractions that help to avoid thinking about these types of questions constantly.  During the Covid crisis, the distractions are limited and there is more time for reflection which can be a blessing and a curse.  

In an attempt to help us all relax a little more, BBC Studios Natural History Unit announced a pioneering four-part series Mindful Earth in collaboration with Headspace Studios, a multi-platform content studio from global leader in meditation and mindfulness, Headspace. The series will premiere on BBC Four from September 7, 2020.  Mindful Earth will offer the viewer immersive mindful experiences within the natural world and will be narrated by Headspace co-founder and former Buddhist monk, Andy Puddicombe.

The four 30 minute films - Breathe, Change, Joy and Rest will feature archive footage from the treasure trove of the Natural History Unit’s films. Narration from Andy Puddicombe will guide the viewers on a series of gentle journeys, inviting them to engage in captivating animal behavior and eco systems from around the world. A unique collaboration that relaxes and rejuvenates the viewer, each episode features archive footage that is encapsulated by a mindful theme.

I’m now realizing that relaxing is hard work and requires a concerted effort to stop thinking about a future we can’t predict.  My advice is to replace the time thinking about the future and concentrate on what you can control which includes making the best of life despite the current circumstances.  And, try to relax a little.

This week’s selections are below:

BOOKS

A Very Punchable Face by Colin Jost
 In these hilarious essays, the Saturday Night Live head writer and Weekend Update co-anchor learns how to take a beating. If there’s one trait that makes someone well suited to comedy, it’s being able to take a punch—metaphorically and, occasionally, physically. 

From growing up in a family of firefighters on Staten Island to commuting three hours a day to high school and “seeing the sights” (like watching a Russian woman throw a stroller off the back of a ferry), to attending Harvard while Facebook was created, Jost shares how he has navigated the world like a slightly smarter Forrest Gump.