☀️ The Good Life - 07/04/2023 - Watching from my garden

I sat in my yard yesterday evening watching the whole world swirling around me like a great storm. I was reading my book, but also minding the activities of my community at large: the comings and goings of delivery drivers, neighbors arriving home from work, people walking their dogs on the street, a great jetliner swooping low overhead on approach to land at Long Beach, my next door neighbor watering plants while telling me about her day, the other neighbor arguing loudly with someone on her phone. Everyone so busy. So much living and life! But more and more I’m less a part of it all. My life is increasingly peripheral to all this bustle—and that’s great.

Yumiko and I discuss this often. We no longer want to be a part of the great drama of life happening all around us. We each want to slip quietly out the back. Escape away while no one is looking, leave behind all the stuff and the trappings—and traps—which now hold us here so firm. We’re not tired of life—just tired. We don’t want to live so hard anymore, which way of life was good, and necessary, when raising a family, but which is now something we no longer want since that most important work is largely done.

And so I’ll sit in my yard again today—a holiday—and watch the busy world go by. I’ll smile and wave at my neighbors, and even walk with Yumiko to watch the July 4th parade march down Main Street. But she and I will be conspiring all the while to make our escape and to get away. This busy, frantic, frenetic way of life is simply too much now, and at our age, and during our new circumstance of life—we’ve simply had enough. It’s time now for our retreat.

CLICK HERE to get your copy of Going Alone

☀️ THE GOOD LIFE CREED ☀️

The Good Life Meditation serves as a daily compass, orienting me towards personal objectives and principles essential for a purposeful existence within an indifferent universe. Further your understanding of The Good Life by visiting my website, GoingAlone.org, or delve into my book Going Alone—hardcover recommended. Get a signed copy here. 📚✍️

🎯 OBJECTIVES: 1. Be Always Ready to Die ☠️ 2. Make Good Use of Time and Resources ⏳🛠️ 3. Develop Good and Sound Life Principles 📜🦉 4. Cultivate Good Emotional Reactions 😌💡 5. Perform Good Actions 🤝✅ 6. Recognize True Limits and Opportunity 🚪🔍 7. One Thing Slowly 🐢🧘‍♂️

8. Maintain Balance ⚖️

📜 PRINCIPLES: 1. Principle of War ⚔️ 2. Principle of Reason 🧠 3. Homunculus 👤 4. Anchorhold ⚓ 5. Home of Good and Evil 😇😈 6. Principle of Purpose 🎯 7. Atomic Principle ⚛️ 8. Principle of Nature 🌳 9. The Pirate Ride 🏴‍☠️ 10. Principle of Maturity 🌱➡️🌳 11. Social Principle 🤝

12. Principle of Family 👨‍👩‍👧 13. Public Speaking 🗣️ 14. Temperance 🍷➡️💧 15. Life Will Not Go Well ⛈️ 16. The Horror Show 🎭😱 17. That Which Must Be Borne 🎒 18. The Feast of Offal 🗑️🍽️ 19. Distraction 📵 20. Agency and The Great Indifference ⚙️🌌 21. The Best Seat in the House 🛋️ 22. The Restless Man 👣 23. The Path of Wildness 🌲🛤️ 24. The Great Life Adventure 🗺️ 25. The Risk of Avoiding Risk 🎲 26. Sin and Damnation 😈🔥 27. Complete Oblivion 🕳️ 28. The Season of Philosophy 📚

29. Scriptwriting 🖋️📜 30. Bullseye Aim 🎯 31. The Uphill Climb ⛰️ 32. Arena and Utility 🏟️🔧 33. Nothing IS enough 0️⃣ 34. The Principle of Fun 🎉

35. Being Ready 🚀

🌄📚🚶‍♂️ Kurt Bell is a passionate explorer, dedicated family man, and author of books such as "Going Alone" and "No More Looking Out For Number One." Born in America in 1964, he integrates Stoic philosophy into his physical and philosophical journeys. Today's venture on The Path of Wildness embodies this harmonious blend of exploration and mindful living. While Kurt savors these moments and looks forward to future adventures, he remains ever prepared for life's end, ready to depart without a single backwards glance.

🌐 Website: https://goingalone.org

▶️ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/softypapa

📧 Email: dinnerbytheriver@gmail.com

👍 Support my endeavors on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/softypapa

#Stoic #Stoicism #GoingAlone #TheGoodLife #LimitsAndOpportunity