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Rabbit Rabbit Rabbit
Last night we watched Everything Everywhere All At Once and it was precisely the right energy with which to ring in 2023. Waymond is one of the all-time great characters for me in aspirational fiction, right up there with Leslie Knope. Evelyn's inspiration for the way she fights Jobu Topocky is taken directly from Waymond's multiversal plea for kindness, optimism, and connection. Seeing the whole sequence a second time, I'm struck by how Waymond's simple brand of empathy brings Evelyn into a state of satori. The entire time she is "not-fighting" up the staircase, she stops her enemies not through violence, but by speaking to their direct needs and innermost desires. It's silly but also one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen; this whole stairwell full of henchmen who have been taken out of the fight because they're closer to being whole than they've ever been.
"Be kind, especially when we don't know what's going on" is a mantra that I'll definitely be using in 2023. It's so easy to get lost, confused, and scared in today's world. But those feelings are amplified when we let them divide us, keep us isolated, succumb to our worst impulses. I've never seen such a beautifully-realized rebuttal to nihilism in film before. EEAAO is a Buddhist film, an existential film, a treasure. I cherish it.
Even the last scene, in which Evelyn hears the siren's call of every other universe she's contacted and clears them out to focus on doing taxes, is an elegantly-simple reinforcement of the movie's themes. We're bombarded with demands for our attention. We think too much about the future, we worry too much over the past, we daydream about the things that have never been. When Evelyn catches herself fracturing, she doesn't freak out or get frustrated. She clears her head, and asks her auditor to repeat what she's said. It's a small thing, but it's precisely what I do in my meditative practice. Notice the fracture without judgement, and recommit to the present moment. It's clear that her lessons have been absorbed into practice. She's no longer frustrated and harried. She's here, and unafraid to take as much time as she needs to understand the complicated situation she finds herself in.
Today I've gotten a bit of a late start, so it's almost lunchtime as I write this. My husboo R. is here with me, recovering from last night's festivities and playing Assassin's Creed. I've been thinking a lot about what a successful week will look like for me next Sunday, and while I have an...ambitious schedule laid out before me what I'm finding is that spending as much of my time like Evelyn and Waymond is what really makes my heart sing. Being present, being kind, putting love into the countless small things I do throughout the week.
But there's also The Writing Desk, my blog. :) I want to start the year with a quick review of the basic tenets of Buddhism: The Four Noble Truths on Monday, The Noble Eightfold Path on Wednesday, The Bodhisattva Vow and Metta Sutta on Friday. I love making a time capsule of my understanding every year to mark shifts in my understanding, and checking the foundation of my belief system helps to reinforce it.
There are a few other goals for this month that might be a little trickier. I'm taking a break from marijuana for at least this month, which honestly shouldn't be too bad. Further Confusion might be a little...intense without the destimulating effects, but I don't think I'd mind that discomfort. It will be a bit more difficult coming back from Will's wedding after that, though. R's family can be kind of intense and it's fairly common to feel the pressure to be on my best behavior. Coming back home and not decompressing with an edible or two will be the most difficult part, but I think I can handle it by leaning a little harder on meditation, ritualized care (making tea, hydrating my skin with lotion), and play. I'm also going to be more mindful of my self-talk, so I don't see myself as a marijuana addict trying to quit -- just someone who doesn't partake by choice. We'll see how well it goes.
Finally there's work. I'll be heading back online Tuesday, but I should definitely check in today and tomorrow to make sure I'm prepared to hit the ground running. I don't think there'll be too many important and/or urgent tasks to take care of, but I think I will need to talk about the health of these programs pretty early in the morning on my first day. Preparing for that meeting ahead of time is certainly a good idea!
Beyond that, it should be a relatively easy week for settling back into the routine. Perfect for learning how to do fewer things with better focus.
Happy 2023, everyone! I hope this year brings you peace and happiness.
"Be kind, especially when we don't know what's going on" is a mantra that I'll definitely be using in 2023. It's so easy to get lost, confused, and scared in today's world. But those feelings are amplified when we let them divide us, keep us isolated, succumb to our worst impulses. I've never seen such a beautifully-realized rebuttal to nihilism in film before. EEAAO is a Buddhist film, an existential film, a treasure. I cherish it.
Even the last scene, in which Evelyn hears the siren's call of every other universe she's contacted and clears them out to focus on doing taxes, is an elegantly-simple reinforcement of the movie's themes. We're bombarded with demands for our attention. We think too much about the future, we worry too much over the past, we daydream about the things that have never been. When Evelyn catches herself fracturing, she doesn't freak out or get frustrated. She clears her head, and asks her auditor to repeat what she's said. It's a small thing, but it's precisely what I do in my meditative practice. Notice the fracture without judgement, and recommit to the present moment. It's clear that her lessons have been absorbed into practice. She's no longer frustrated and harried. She's here, and unafraid to take as much time as she needs to understand the complicated situation she finds herself in.
Today I've gotten a bit of a late start, so it's almost lunchtime as I write this. My husboo R. is here with me, recovering from last night's festivities and playing Assassin's Creed. I've been thinking a lot about what a successful week will look like for me next Sunday, and while I have an...ambitious schedule laid out before me what I'm finding is that spending as much of my time like Evelyn and Waymond is what really makes my heart sing. Being present, being kind, putting love into the countless small things I do throughout the week.
But there's also The Writing Desk, my blog. :) I want to start the year with a quick review of the basic tenets of Buddhism: The Four Noble Truths on Monday, The Noble Eightfold Path on Wednesday, The Bodhisattva Vow and Metta Sutta on Friday. I love making a time capsule of my understanding every year to mark shifts in my understanding, and checking the foundation of my belief system helps to reinforce it.
There are a few other goals for this month that might be a little trickier. I'm taking a break from marijuana for at least this month, which honestly shouldn't be too bad. Further Confusion might be a little...intense without the destimulating effects, but I don't think I'd mind that discomfort. It will be a bit more difficult coming back from Will's wedding after that, though. R's family can be kind of intense and it's fairly common to feel the pressure to be on my best behavior. Coming back home and not decompressing with an edible or two will be the most difficult part, but I think I can handle it by leaning a little harder on meditation, ritualized care (making tea, hydrating my skin with lotion), and play. I'm also going to be more mindful of my self-talk, so I don't see myself as a marijuana addict trying to quit -- just someone who doesn't partake by choice. We'll see how well it goes.
Finally there's work. I'll be heading back online Tuesday, but I should definitely check in today and tomorrow to make sure I'm prepared to hit the ground running. I don't think there'll be too many important and/or urgent tasks to take care of, but I think I will need to talk about the health of these programs pretty early in the morning on my first day. Preparing for that meeting ahead of time is certainly a good idea!
Beyond that, it should be a relatively easy week for settling back into the routine. Perfect for learning how to do fewer things with better focus.
Happy 2023, everyone! I hope this year brings you peace and happiness.