I often discard t-shirts after workouts. Sweaty, old, past their prime, knowing that they served their purpose for many years, their worthiness proven but no longer needed, I cast them away instead of taking them home to recover and re-enter the fray.
Gone, into the trash. And it feels oddly good.
* * *
A good friend of mine said the other day that I live in a perpetual grey area.
I’m not afraid to get rid of things, revisit a decision, admit a mistake and shift directions.
But this also manifests itself in less positive ways: accurately forecasting my future feelings about decisions is difficult (and it’s part of the reason I own very little). For example, I hate buying plane tickets for trips far in advance, never sure if I’m going to feel the same way about the trip a month, a week, a day later. Sleeping on a decision is a near necessity for me.
This comes with a cost. Simple and big decisions lie unmade. Options close while under evaluation. Plans remain mere ideas.
Popular opinion notwithstanding, I can make commitments.
And this week starts a new commitment, a commitment to a test, a test of life.
Some of you may not know that in addition to everything else I do I also had a corporate job, albeit recently a three-day a week, flexible and often nebulous job. But it was also a good job: I had the priviledge of being around great people and to be a part of perhaps the best large corporate environment and value system I have seen up close.
Starting this week, it’s just me and my ecosystem (that means it’s about you and me).
