On Leaving the House
Am I the only person who doesn’t enjoy leaving the house? It doesn’t matter where I have to go, to work, to meet someone, or to go for a mind-clearing walk. I hate going outside. Part of the reason for this is I don’t like to see people, but also because I live in a building and every time I open my door I might see a stranger.
When I come back in, I don’t see just any person, I see a concierge, and while I’m fully aware that they are there to keep me and my property safe, it’s another person. I always say hello to them and chat if they look bored1.
If you need any more proof that we have a tendency to not want to leave the house, look at how slowly a family moves at this project. It must take hours of coordination to get kids to simply walk out the door at the time you all agreed to do so.
Of course, once I finally pack my things and leave the house, I love being outside as long as the weather is not gross.
All of this highlights to me our procrastination to leave our comfort zone. We get comfortable at home, and leaving the house signals that it’s time to face the unknown. So this week I challenge you, when you notice you are procrastinating leaving the house, ask yourself what you’re afraid of or uncertain about and see how fast you can move through that.
Three Ideas from My Notebooks
Hustle culture tries to teach us that strength is achieved by attaining our goals, but sometimes it’s nice to realize that strength is achieved in the opposite way: By creating an environment of internal peace.
There is a “hot zone” with all work. That means the oven is on and ready to cook the thing finished. If I don’t finish a piece of music in this zone, it almost never gets done. If you don’t reply to an email within a certain window, it’s going to just sit there and it gets harder and harder to respond to.
Some people go to talk therapy, but learning classical guitar became my best therapy option. Working with my teacher we break down the process of how we learn new skills and then it’s up to me to overcome my challenges and excuses during the week. Let’s be honest, our shortcomings are all just a bunch of excuses wearing different outfits. When I finally get over my bullshit, the world around me evaporates as I do my reps to learn these lines - what they call “getting it in your fingers”.
If you want to learn guitar I will teach you a lesson for free, just write me back and we’ll put it in the schedule. You don’t have to learn classical to start with but I do recommend going in the direction of fingerstyle guitar so you don’t have to use backing tracks to play.
Elliott’s Newest Piece
I titled this one Ring of Saturn, but the timing of it coincided with me editing this timelapse video of a sunrise shot in Algonquin Park in Ontario a few weeks ago (Maple Leaf Lake on the Western Uplands trail).
My friends known as the Red Rockers organized a fantastic weekend which got me out of the house in ways that are not possible on my own.
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Paid supporters of The Sunday Bagel are sent these songs before everyone else with an mp3 download link and some added commentary on how the song came into existence.
Thanks for reading, sending prayers for peace throughout our world. Look to the bagel as always.
Elliott
Another great find from Missy 🙂
Sidenote about concierges - in New York City they can be like an extended family member who knows everything about you and your relatives. A sufficient tip at Christmas time keeps all your secrets safe.