MEMENTO MORI / JUST SAY NO / DECLUTTERING / HISTORY OF MAC & CHEESE
MEMENTO MORI - REMEMBER DEATH
Sorry for providing a major chunk of reality, but me, you, the wealthy, the poor, the tall and the short, are all going to die. It’s inevitable. Just a fact of life. but most want to ignore it.
Thanks to the books by Ryan Holiday.net I’ve found my self to be a student of Stoicism. Memento Mori is Latin for “Remember Death” and is one of the guiding principle of Stoicism.
“Invite the truth of death into your life earlier, and you'll receive its lessons," BJ Miller via Sam Harris
The Stoic philosophers want to remind us that life is finite. Every plant and animal lives along with a ticking clock. Our life has a beginning and an end. Through your habits you may be able to have an impact on when it’s going to happen, but you can’t prevent from happening, not even Elon Musk.
What the Stoics want us to do is make the most of the time you do have. Don’t stew about what you messed up yesterday and get all in a knot about what might happen tomorrow. Live today the best that you can.
So here’s an article by Oliver Burkeman from Greater Good Magazine with some helpful suggestions : 10 Ways To Make Your Time Matter
“Tell me, what else should I have done? Doesn’t everything die at last, and too soon? Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?” Mary Oliver, from the poem “The Sunny Day”
Bonus: #1 A Wonderful Poem On Missing Life
Bonus #2 Lifespans Of Famous People
“You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough” Mae West
A Bit Of Humor
Making It Easier To Say No
Part of retirement is people think you have all this free time. You get calls to go shopping, have dinner, golf, dog sitting, and a bunch of other things. But even though you have more time on your hands now than when you were working, sometimes you just don’t want to. You have your plans. That book you want to read is staring at you or you just want to do nothing.
Saying no can be tough. You don’t want to hurt someone’s feelings or impose a major guilt trip on yourself. So what do you do? Be prepared. This article describes how you can create a “How To Say No Template” with various scenarios and responses that will help you make your escape. How To Say No Template
Decluttering or “Where Did All This Crap Come From?”
I wrote a post a few weeks back describing our experience downsizing. Part of that experience included downsizing our stuff. This is the link to that post.
Here’s an article from the Housewife How-Tos website that gives you some handy rules to deal with your clutter and avoid the predicament to begin with.
The Golden Rules of Decluttering
Yes, Mac And Cheese Has A History
It started in Rome around 160 BCE
Then through the the Dark Ages
The French get their hands on it
Thomas Jefferson steals it for America
Black women make it a tradition
Kraft
If you want the details, here’s a deep dive from Epicurious Magazine:
A Quote To Chew On:
"Get busy living, or get busy dying."
Andy Dufresne - The Shawshank Redemption