Private Joys

Atypical Forms of Resistance

What have you done recently that you did not post about on social media?

Consider making a list.

Now, consider why you did not choose to share this information publicly.

Next, did you share about this with friends or acquaintances? What about loved ones? What about those in your household?

Finally, what have you done for yourself lately that wasn’t about anyone else? No, I don’t mean “self care” in the trendy, optimized sense. What did you do that you felt like doing because it was just for you? This is hard, right?

Practice finding activities you can enjoy without sharing the “news”. I don’t mean being secretive. It’s totally fine if these activities seem mundane. Maybe it’s cooking a meal. Maybe it’s reading a book just to enjoy the act of quietly reading. Maybe it’s listening to music. Maybe it’s going for walks without searching for something to photograph. Let some things in your life be fleeting and ephemeral. It’s good practice for slowing down. It’s good practice for facing the reality of mortality. My sense is that we are often busying ourselves with little escapes to avoid thinking about the smallness that is our life. Our life is short in the grand scheme and we should make the most of it. Part of doing this is to keep trying to remind ourselves this isn’t going to go on forever. It’s not grim or morbid. It’s the natural life cycle. Much of what we get caught up in is not natural at all.