ACKCHUALLY, it’s a year “Lost in Hospitality”

When the pandemic wave first crashed upon London, I felt well equipped to manage the threat. Better than most, both emotionally and physically. I’m strong. I’m an introvert. I prefer my alone time. I have my family. I can write. I can train. I can do deep on myself. I can enjoy the great privilege of still being able to pursue my living. I got this. But there has been this dips of melancholy. Moments of creative high. Glimpses of gratitude. And in-betweens that vacillate from grace to sombre.

In quarantine, I’ve been aware of the intellectual stagnation that comes when you stop physically seeking out and experiencing new things. There’s a loss that comes from not meeting strangers, not doing things just for the hell of doing them, not having everyday avenues of discovery and surprise.  …and yet, born just in time to experience arguably the single most revolutionary period of human existence – arguably of any existence that we know of. What we as a collective species do in the next 100 years or so, will echo thousands and thousands of years into the future… For better or worse….

“How to thrive in an unknowable Future? Choose the Plan with the most options. The best plan is the one that lets you change your Plans.” Derek Sivers

Most people worry when life doesn’t go 100 per cent according to plan. Instead, you should worry when it does. When we try to ignore our current gloomy state and make a forecast about how we will feel tomorrow, we find it's a lot like trying to imagine the taste of marshmallow while chewing liver. It's only natural that we should imagine the future and then consider how doing so makes us feel, but because our brains are hell-bent on responding to current events, we mistakenly conclude that we will feel tomorrow as we feel today.

Plans are good and necessary to have, but they shouldn’t be written in stone. Be open to and welcoming of unforeseen events, because those unplanned moments are often the seeds of spectacular opportunities in your life. Imagine watching a movie where nothing challenging ever happens to any character. Moments like this make you a stronger person and your life a better, more fulfilling story. Let go!

Meanwhile, I stay sober and safe.  The hardest part is being totally present with our shared reality. And that of course is the lesson. Because suffering is nothing more than resistance to what is.

Thank you as always for reading. Onto the next year!

Pura Vida

London, October 2020

Dan Draper