Unraveled Wednesday: 11/13/24

I'm joining Kat and the Unravelers today with a decent bit done on the blue hat redux and some bonus sparkles.

Both of these have provided enjoyable knitting time when I feel the need to withdraw from the world for a while. The cable crossings in the hat are different every other row and this provides just enough for me to concentrate on without being overwhelming. Working on a Hitchhiker and knitting meditative garter stitch is good for what ails me, and the sparkles (even if you can't see them in the photo) make it even better. 

I haven't been able to concentrate enough to read much but I did manage Meditations for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman. I have previously enjoyed two of Burkeman's books, The Antidote: Happiness for People Who Can't Stand Positive Thinking and Four Thousand Weeks, so when I saw this one, I immediately placed a hold at my library. It seemed to take forever because they only had one copy, but I'd like to think that The Universe had a little something to do with me getting this book the week that guy was re-elected. While not specifically about that guy, Burkeman does offer ways for me to think about things that may make it easier to accept.

What is true is already so. Owning up to it doesn't make it worse. Not being open about it doesn't make it go away. And because it's true, it is what is there to be interacted with. Anything untrue isn't there to be lived. People can stand what is true, for they are already enduring it. - Eugene Gendlin

The author has arranged the book in short chapters and the reader is advised to read one each day. The first week is Being Finite; week two is Taking Action; the third week is Letting Go, and the last week is Showing Up. Burkeman suggests that peace comes not from adding more tasks and trying to accomplish them efficiently, but by accepting what we cannot do or control, a theme he discusses with honesty and humor. Unlike conventional self-help books, Burkeman’s work feels less prescriptive and more reflective, encouraging readers to confront uncomfortable truths about time, imperfection, and deciding whether you want to face the consequences of the choices you might be considering.

I've done a poor job of reviewing this book, but I think that almost anyone and everyone could benefit from reading it. Each of us has to decide what we care about and how we spend our time, and while these short chapters might be simple, that does not necessarily translate into easy or simplistic. As soon as I finished the book, I bought a copy because I knew this is a book I wanted to read, re-read, and truly absorb. I don't have four thousand weeks left, but I'd like to make the best use of and enjoy the approximately (hopefully) four hundred weeks left to me. Four and a half stars rounded up.

Just a note about the quotes Burkeman chose to include: I thought they were some of the most enjoyable things about the book, and they illustrate his ideas well. They are almost like fortune cookies in that they can apply to many situations and they are wonderfully entertaining at the same time.

If you find yourself lost in the woods, fuck it, build a house. "Well, I was lost, but now I live here! I have severely improved my predicament!" - Mitch Hedberg

What are you making and reading this week?