Guest blogger David Erskine joins us again to share Stoic insights from ten minutes north of the Golden Gate Bridge.
I’ve written before about my daily practice of reading Stoicism. Recently I’ve begun writing in Ryan Holiday’s Daily Stoic JournalEvery The Journal offers a daily ready and then a question. I don’t read the questions in advance, so the experience stays full of surprises and intrigue. More importantly it brings me into the moment and gives me the opportunity to be completely present.
Over time, I’ve realized how important it is to exercise my spiritual journal daily—just like jogging. I’m here to tell you that it works! This week, I decided to write about choosing presence over panic.
Begin with a view from above.
To quote Marcus Aurelius, “Watch the stars, and see yourself running with them.” Ryan Holiday explains that in his contemplation, Marcus discovered that “everything in the world was constantly changing and that remembering this can eliminate so many stresses and concerns.” Thinking about these quotes, a question arises. We can ask ourselves, “What should I think about before I take action?”
My answer is that the best course of action for me is to be proactive, give back, be kind, help others, and most importantly, remember that my ego is not my amigo. Guided this way, I can come back to the present moment and avoid fearing the future, which I cannot control.
What is in your way is the way.
Marcus Aurelius wrote, “The impediment to action advances action; what stands in the way becomes the way.” My daily practice asked, “Am I expecting the possible, and not just what I want?” As I see it, expecting the possible is a way of living in the present. Today, I made progress by facing my fear of the future and feeling those fearful thoughts drift away. This helped rewire my brain to let go of fear. It helps me understand what’s in the way, or that my obstacle is the way.
Look at adversity as an opportunity to be present. Adversity comes and goes: it’s never a permanent condition. obstacles beomce choices to accept adn be present with, or lament and play the victim. Which do you choose?
Practice gentleness, not anger
Marcus Aurelius had a simple exercise to replace anger with gentleness. I think he would also think of anger as a weakness. So then the question becomes: “What would forgiveness feel like?” For me, it would be a gift that continues to give over and over again. It would be a reminder that forgiveness is a solo act. It benefits the person who is forgiving, letting go of grievances, and finding more light and consciousness in their life.
This is a gift that settles my gut and transforms the feelings in my body into serenity.
David Erskine
World Traveler, Poet, Actor, Taxi-Driver, Author, Tech Sales Director, 20 Times Dipsea Survivor, World Cup Fan, and Blogger
If you enjoy David’s posts, check out his new book Fifty Poems Five Decades Fifty Thousand Miles, available now on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.
