{"publishedAt":1671121779806,"archived":false,"sendNewsletter":true,"subtitle":"Daily Meditation #296–12/15/2022","published":true,"storeOnArweave":true,"slug":"let-it-snow","title":"Let it Snow!","categories":["philosophy","love"],"json":"{\"type\":\"doc\",\"content\":[{\"type\":\"imageLink\",\"attrs\":{\"href\":null},\"content\":[{\"type\":\"image\",\"attrs\":{\"src\":null,\"alt\":null,\"title\":null,\"blurDataURL\":null,\"width\":null,\"float\":\"none\"}}]},{\"type\":\"image\",\"attrs\":{\"src\":\"https://storage.googleapis.com/papyrus_images/56e34d7d99e5e14893d74fea3d9f2ff8.jpg\",\"alt\":\"Free Snowy Field Near Trees Under Golden Hour Stock Photo\",\"title\":null,\"blurDataURL\":\"data:image/jpeg;base64,/9j/2wBDAAYEBQYFBAYGBQYHBwYIChAKCgkJChQODwwQFxQYGBcUFhYaHSUfGhsjHBYWICwgIyYnKSopGR8tMC0oMCUoKSj/2wBDAQcHBwoIChMKChMoGhYaKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCj/wAARCAAEAAMDASIAAhEBAxEB/8QAFQABAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAf/xAAfEAABAwMFAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABAAIEAxESBQYHEzH/xAAVAQEBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACBP/EABkRAAMAAwAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACEgFBUf/aAAwDAQACEQMRAD8AkU/k3cuqynTZUpnfVDcsAWgkAC9gbDxEROFxootun//Z\",\"width\":null,\"float\":\"none\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"attrs\":{\"textAlign\":\"left\"},\"content\":[{\"type\":\"text\",\"text\":\"There’s a great old saying ““\"},{\"type\":\"text\",\"marks\":[{\"type\":\"bold\"}],\"text\":\"If you choose not to find joy in the snow, you will have less joy in your life but still the same amount of snow\"},{\"type\":\"text\",\"text\":\".”\"}]},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"attrs\":{\"textAlign\":\"left\"},\"content\":[{\"type\":\"text\",\"text\":\"Isn’t this a fantastic way of perceiving the world?\"}]},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"attrs\":{\"textAlign\":\"left\"},\"content\":[{\"type\":\"text\",\"text\":\"We just got pounded with about a foot of wet, heavy, dense snow, here.\"}]},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"attrs\":{\"textAlign\":\"left\"},\"content\":[{\"type\":\"text\",\"text\":\"So many here will gripe and cry and complain.\"}]},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"attrs\":{\"textAlign\":\"left\"},\"content\":[{\"type\":\"text\",\"text\":\"“The roads suck.”\"},{\"type\":\"hardBreak\"},{\"type\":\"text\",\"text\":\"“Shoveling sucks.”\"},{\"type\":\"hardBreak\"},{\"type\":\"text\",\"text\":\"“The cold sucks.”\"}]},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"attrs\":{\"textAlign\":\"left\"},\"content\":[{\"type\":\"text\",\"text\":\"No, no.\"},{\"type\":\"hardBreak\"},{\"type\":\"text\",\"text\":\"The manner through which you perceive things (your attitude) sucks.\"}]},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"attrs\":{\"textAlign\":\"left\"},\"content\":[{\"type\":\"text\",\"text\":\"If you live in a place where the snow is 100% inevitable, why would you ever consider complaining about it?\"}]},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"attrs\":{\"textAlign\":\"left\"},\"content\":[{\"type\":\"text\",\"text\":\"Is it inconvenient? At times, absolutely.\"}]},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"attrs\":{\"textAlign\":\"left\"},\"content\":[{\"type\":\"text\",\"text\":\"But, should it — or \"},{\"type\":\"text\",\"marks\":[{\"type\":\"bold\"},{\"type\":\"italic\"}],\"text\":\"anything\"},{\"type\":\"text\",\"text\":\" — have the ability to rob you of \"},{\"type\":\"text\",\"marks\":[{\"type\":\"bold\"},{\"type\":\"italic\"}],\"text\":\"joy\"},{\"type\":\"text\",\"text\":\"? \"},{\"type\":\"hardBreak\"},{\"type\":\"text\",\"text\":\"Why would you ever give anything or anyone such a power?\"}]},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"attrs\":{\"textAlign\":\"left\"},\"content\":[{\"type\":\"text\",\"text\":\"Much like Thich Nhat Hanh says “just wash the dishes,” so too should we “just shovel our snow.”\"}]},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"attrs\":{\"textAlign\":\"left\"},\"content\":[{\"type\":\"text\",\"text\":\"Or do our laundry.\"},{\"type\":\"hardBreak\"},{\"type\":\"text\",\"text\":\"Or leave early to try to avoid traffic.\"},{\"type\":\"hardBreak\"},{\"type\":\"text\",\"text\":\"Or brush our teeth, go to the bathroom, or make our bed.\"}]},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"attrs\":{\"textAlign\":\"left\"},\"content\":[{\"type\":\"text\",\"text\":\"There are ample inconvenient and recurring events in our lives.\"}]},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"attrs\":{\"textAlign\":\"left\"},\"content\":[{\"type\":\"text\",\"text\":\"You can choose joy.\"},{\"type\":\"hardBreak\"},{\"type\":\"text\",\"text\":\"Or you can choose misery.\"}]},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"attrs\":{\"textAlign\":\"left\"},\"content\":[{\"type\":\"text\",\"marks\":[{\"type\":\"bold\"},{\"type\":\"italic\"}],\"text\":\"Follow for daily philosophical meditations.\"}]},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"attrs\":{\"textAlign\":\"left\"},\"content\":[{\"type\":\"text\",\"marks\":[{\"type\":\"bold\"},{\"type\":\"italic\"}],\"text\":\"These are distillations from my coming book “YouDaimonia: the Ancient Philosophy of Human Flourishing.”\"}]}]}","updatedAt":1671121779806,"id":"LGmGgr1AK5BVRDM2UUXG","votes":0,"staticHtml":"
There’s a great old saying ““If you choose not to find joy in the snow, you will have less joy in your life but still the same amount of snow.”
Isn’t this a fantastic way of perceiving the world?
We just got pounded with about a foot of wet, heavy, dense snow, here.
So many here will gripe and cry and complain.
“The roads suck.”
“Shoveling sucks.”
“The cold sucks.”
No, no.
The manner through which you perceive things (your attitude) sucks.
If you live in a place where the snow is 100% inevitable, why would you ever consider complaining about it?
Is it inconvenient? At times, absolutely.
But, should it — or anything — have the ability to rob you of joy?
Why would you ever give anything or anyone such a power?
Much like Thich Nhat Hanh says “just wash the dishes,” so too should we “just shovel our snow.”
Or do our laundry.
Or leave early to try to avoid traffic.
Or brush our teeth, go to the bathroom, or make our bed.
There are ample inconvenient and recurring events in our lives.
You can choose joy.
Or you can choose misery.
Follow for daily philosophical meditations.
These are distillations from my coming book “YouDaimonia: the Ancient Philosophy of Human Flourishing.”
","about_me":false,"createdAt":1671120473477,"accessRestriction":null,"markdown":"![Free Snowy Field Near Trees Under Golden Hour Stock Photo](https://storage.googleapis.com/papyrus_images/56e34d7d99e5e14893d74fea3d9f2ff8.jpg)\n\nThere’s a great old saying ““**If you choose not to find joy in the snow, you will have less joy in your life but still the same amount of snow**.”\n\nIsn’t this a fantastic way of perceiving the world?\n\nWe just got pounded with about a foot of wet, heavy, dense snow, here.\n\nSo many here will gripe and cry and complain.\n\n“The roads suck.” \n“Shoveling sucks.” \n“The cold sucks.”\n\nNo, no. \nThe manner through which you perceive things (your attitude) sucks.\n\nIf you live in a place where the snow is 100% inevitable, why would you ever consider complaining about it?\n\nIs it inconvenient? At times, absolutely.\n\nBut, should it — or **_anything_** — have the ability to rob you of **_joy_**? \nWhy would you ever give anything or anyone such a power?\n\nMuch like Thich Nhat Hanh says “just wash the dishes,” so too should we “just shovel our snow.”\n\nOr do our laundry. \nOr leave early to try to avoid traffic. \nOr brush our teeth, go to the bathroom, or make our bed.\n\nThere are ample inconvenient and recurring events in our lives.\n\nYou can choose joy. \nOr you can choose misery.\n\n**_Follow for daily philosophical meditations._**\n\n**_These are distillations from my coming book “YouDaimonia: the Ancient Philosophy of Human Flourishing.”_**"}