The Good Life - 07/09/2023 - Old woman at the sea
Yesterday, at the beach, a group of three middle-aged adults arrived by the edge of the water, escorting a very old woman to look at the sea. The old woman could not walk on her own, and was held, balanced and escorted on either side by two women who might be her daughter and granddaughter, while a man who might be her son or son-in-law stood by and looked on, watching over the things they’d left near me on the sand. Their shoes were removed, and the three women walked carefully down to where the cool waves lapped gently ‘round their toes, with a few larger waves swirling up to their ankles, wetting the edge of the old woman’s long skirt. She wore dark glasses and gazed straight out to sea, as if blind, listening more than seeing. She stood straight, without moving, no expression on her face, while the younger women talked at her and to one another, the old woman never responding a word. I guessed that this journey might be the old woman’s last visit to the sea, and I was struck by the sight and sound of a small girl playing alone in the small waves immediately in front of where the women stood, splashing and laughing and running with such energy and joy—a living memory perhaps of the girl the old woman might be remembering of herself as she gazed and listened, perhaps for the last time at the edge of the sea. I gathered my things to depart and go home to my wife and my dogs, but not before enjoying one last, long gaze and listen at the ocean spreading to the horizon—putting aside another memory of my own to keep and treasure when, and if, I make it to an age when I might be given a last chance to say goodbye to the sea.
#GoingAlone #TrueLimitsAndOpportunity
The Good Life Meditation is my daily recitation and reminder of personal objectives and principles used in pursuit of a purposeful life in spite of a universe of seeming indifference. Learn more about The Good Life at my website GoingAlone.org or by reading my book Going Alone. And visit our Discord at: https://lnkd.in/gFgfGmY6
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
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 34. The Principle of Fun
#Stoic #Stoicism #StoicPhilosophy
My name is Kurt Bell.
You can learn more about The Good Life in my book Going Alone.
Be safe... But not too safe.