It's rare to find someone so comfortable in solitude. And someone who treasures connection when they chance across it. Love reading your sharing as always, Tommy.
I think this might be one of my favorite writings of yours since I started reading your Substack. I was already overwhelmed by the tender beauty of the zoomed-in close picture of your morning and the nature around you, but then absolutely loved how you weaved the micro-level into the macro level of Life.
Wish you all the happiness with exploring solutide and the world inside yourself! I believe that togetherness knocks on our door exactly at the right time when we are true to ourselves.
"It's only by saying 'no' that you can concentrate on the things that are really important." - Steve Jobs (And just like in UI/UX design: it's not perfect if you can't add any more elements, but when you can't take away any.)
Saying "no" is probably the gateway for the right "yes"es to find you.
Barney, it's so good to hear from you. Thank you for reading and leaving such a beautiful reflection.
I was workshopping going from the granular in the beginning to the expansive at the end. I'm glad it resonated.
I love the belief that togetherness finds you precisely when you need it. And it's a richer, truer form of connection when you are your authentic self, because people are connecting with you instead of an image you're trying to project.
Reduction is something I've always struggled with in life, but feel I'm just starting to get better at (but I still say 'yes' quite often). It was a critical idea in my decision to focus and pour myself into writing. I had to say 'no' to a lot of other things. It's not intuitive, encouraged or admired (by who you're saying 'no' to) but it is essential.
Thank you again for being a friend. Wishing you all the best as well :)
Life is like a stochastic process; it is random, but our decisions determine our drift. The moments where we interact are our hitting times; more often than not, our hitting times choose our payoff in the way of gratitude. As one of your close friends, I verify that you've "been a boulder." but not one which has weighed down on anyone. I love this piece, and it gave me a good chuckle, my strait arrow friend.
"My friends used to joke that I live under a rock, but this year it’s been a boulder." Wonderful piece. I really liked how you weaved philosophers into this piece.
It's rare to find someone so comfortable in solitude. And someone who treasures connection when they chance across it. Love reading your sharing as always, Tommy.
Thanks for reading, Becky and leaving a kind note. Brought a smile to my face :)
It's a delicate dance, balancing between solitude and togetherness. Clarity with connection.
I was talking to Latham about something similar. Enjoying your alone time yet also not wanting to feel like an outsider.
It tickles the innermost parts of my soul. Me attempting to describe how your writing makes me feel LOL.
Beautifully written as always.
Keep on writing,
Landon
Thank you Landon, for your support and help editing this piece. Wouldn't have come together half as well without you!
Appreciate it :)
I just finished reading Cicero's On Friendship and based on this piece Tommy I think you'd get a lot from it.
Thanks so much for reading, Steven. Appreciate you.
Just bought it :)
I think this might be one of my favorite writings of yours since I started reading your Substack. I was already overwhelmed by the tender beauty of the zoomed-in close picture of your morning and the nature around you, but then absolutely loved how you weaved the micro-level into the macro level of Life.
Wish you all the happiness with exploring solutide and the world inside yourself! I believe that togetherness knocks on our door exactly at the right time when we are true to ourselves.
"It's only by saying 'no' that you can concentrate on the things that are really important." - Steve Jobs (And just like in UI/UX design: it's not perfect if you can't add any more elements, but when you can't take away any.)
Saying "no" is probably the gateway for the right "yes"es to find you.
Wish you a happy Life and all the best,
Barney
Barney, it's so good to hear from you. Thank you for reading and leaving such a beautiful reflection.
I was workshopping going from the granular in the beginning to the expansive at the end. I'm glad it resonated.
I love the belief that togetherness finds you precisely when you need it. And it's a richer, truer form of connection when you are your authentic self, because people are connecting with you instead of an image you're trying to project.
Reduction is something I've always struggled with in life, but feel I'm just starting to get better at (but I still say 'yes' quite often). It was a critical idea in my decision to focus and pour myself into writing. I had to say 'no' to a lot of other things. It's not intuitive, encouraged or admired (by who you're saying 'no' to) but it is essential.
Thank you again for being a friend. Wishing you all the best as well :)
Life is like a stochastic process; it is random, but our decisions determine our drift. The moments where we interact are our hitting times; more often than not, our hitting times choose our payoff in the way of gratitude. As one of your close friends, I verify that you've "been a boulder." but not one which has weighed down on anyone. I love this piece, and it gave me a good chuckle, my strait arrow friend.
Murray, you don't know how happy it made me to see your name in the comments. (So dialed in).
I love the math analogy. Beautiful. I've landed on the same conclusion: a lot of life is fated but we still retain a good degree of freedom to choose.
Thank you for the kind words :) Made my day
"My friends used to joke that I live under a rock, but this year it’s been a boulder." Wonderful piece. I really liked how you weaved philosophers into this piece.
Thank you Sadia :) really appreciate you reading. Brings a smile to my face.
I rarely critique philosophers (who I know to be far more intelligent than me) so this an interesting one to write.