Decades of research stemming from Csikszentmihalyi's original ESM (experience sampling method) experiments validate that the act of going deep orders the consciousness in a way that makes life worthwhile. — Cal Newport, "Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World" Some of you may recognize the name Csikszentmihalyi from my posts on the flow state. [...]
I lost a friend this week. I first met Tim in high school. We were never romantically involved, in fact, he dated two of my good friends, but I admired him always. In the 80s he introduced mohawks and the punk rock group, The Butthole Surfers, to our tiny-town high school. I remember learning that he used egg whites to [...]
Six or seven years ago when my eyes first fluttered awake, I was drawn to individuals who had similar core values and beautiful ways of expressing them. I reveled in layered conversations rich with introspection and feelings regarding the human condition. I sought safe places to practice being the real me. The old definition of introvert (shy, [...]
She doesn't want to be married to me. That's the answer my ex-husband gave his mother when she asked, prior to our divorce, if we had a chance at reconciliation. The truth of it stung my ears. What kind of a bitch am I?, I wondered. My own mother questioned me repeatedly about my decision to [...]
My mind is buzzing (in the bad way) about my snowblower situation. The weather clock shows snow for this weekend. The snowblower (or thrower depending on where you are from) I ordered from Sears is in. I simply have to pick it up, prepare it to work and clear my driveway. Rent - a - man? The thought and [...]
One of the gifts of introversion is that we have to be discriminating about our relationships. We know we only have so much energy for reaching out; if we’re going to invest, we want it to be good. ~ Laurie Helgoe, Introvert Power Often this gift of discriminating taste feels more like a burden than a [...]
