#21: A cross-post: on hunger and equanimity
Newly rummaged potatoes from the garden.
Today I ran out of potatoes, which meant I donned my garden clothes and went to rummage through another potato patch. This got me thinking about hunger, and fasting, and that got me thinking about a friend of mine from College and my first memory of anyone actually voluntarily not eating for an extended period of time.
I wrote a nice long post about him, and fasting, and the skill of practicing equanimity — but it turned into a piece more appropriate for my other newsletter, What Really Matters.
So today, I’m offering a cross-post of sorts. Here’s part of what I wrote:
It took me years, or decades, depending on how one counts, to appreciate that equanimity is something to be learned, practiced, and cherished. Almost a superpower. It’s not about giving up on one’s goals, or being passive, but rather a certain steadiness in the face of chaos, a cultivated ability to maintain composure even when things fall to shit. If fasting, it’s an ability to simply observe that you feel hungry, and to be ok with that.
I encourage you to read the whole thing, and take a look at the other topics I write about there. And if you like, subscribe.