2023 was a packed year, full of travel, new hobbies, and new relationships. It is hard to believe that Iāve now been in New York for 2 years; the first year feels like a distant memory.
Last year I began long distance running, and this year Iām training for my first marathon. As I started on this journey, I thought Iād read Haruki Murakamiās āWhat I Talk About When I Talk About Runningā.
This quote stuck out:
āAfter I closed the bar and began my life as a novelist, the first thing weāand by we I mean my wife and Iādid was completely revamp our lifestyle. We decided weād go to bed soon after it got dark, and wake up with the sunā¦ā
āā¦It was a major directional changeāfrom the kind of open life weād led for seven years, to a more closed life. I think having this sort of open existence for a period was a good thing. I learned a lot of important lessons during that time. It was my real schooling. But you canāt keep up that kind of life forever. Just as with school, you enter it, learn something, and then itās time to leave.ā
I thought this characterization of life as open versus closed was a fitting metaphor for periods of exploration versus periods of focused effort. I often struggle with figuring out which ābucketā I should be in, having difficulty committing but also using quasi-commitments as reasons to avoid trying new things.
Last year, my life was on the open side. I explored new habits like running, new hobbies like pottery, and new places through travel. This year, Iām ready to narrow my foci into a few key commitments. Going along with the in/out trend:
In for 2024:
Committing to health: the software engineer lifestyle can quickly creep up on you. Though I made progress with running, it was quickly wiped out with periods of inactivity.
Committing to community: I joined some communities where I started to become a regular. Iād like to further commit to those and join a local running club, something that fits within the time I already set aside for the activity.
Out:
Being overly ambitious and setting too many goals: ever since I can remember (with too many Notion docs to prove it) Iāve set many goals that I then made little progress on. This year, for the first 6 months, my only goal is training for the marathon Iām signed up for in July. Anything extra is a bonus.
Frequent travel: I barely had 2 months that I stayed in the city continuously. Most of the year was peppered with short trips. It was great to have the opportunity to travel but it can also be jarring to transition mentally from place to place.
Being closed does not mean rejecting anything new, but deciding what is actually worth being open to. For me, being open to new people and new physical routines is important right now, while being open to new experiences through travel is not. By the end of the year I will have learned what worked and what didnāt work from the commitments I made, and I can adjust accordingly for the future.
š« Digital serendipity
Some recent standout reads:
I recently visited family in India and though Mishtiās journey was vastly different from mine, I loved the vivid descriptions of her interactions and setting.
āIndia is a place Iāve always wanted to know in a way that feels more visceral, fleshy, and real. I look andāif Iām luckyāsound the part. But the more I know, the more I donāt. Going to Lonar was about a feeling: the awareness of the space between me and something other, a growing curiosity about that other, and the tingling desire to bridge the gap.ā
I always think about this quote from Paul Grahamās essay āCities and Ambitionā: āNew York tells you, above all: you should make more moneyā. Walk through any trendy neighborhood and this message is heard loud and clear. Patricia explores what might be if cities instead promoted authenticity.
If purpose is the fountainhead from which all else springs, imagine a city whispering: āyou should be more authenticā.
To commitment in 2024,
Vadini