Week 40, 2024
Week 40 of 2024 has arrived. The Fall is here. Not the cyclical partial collapse of human civilization, but the cyclical nature of the trees shedding their leaves. If it's all cycles, and I think it might be, then you can temper your sadness about the fall with the hope for the rebirth... both.
Time to walk over to your 4K Weeks poster and fill in another square. Done?
I like old cars. I have two. This one and this one. The algorithm knows this about me, and so whenever I open instagram... which is more and more rarely, it shows me pretty sweet "Barn Finds".
A barn find is an old car that has been discovered decades after being left in some kind of dry storage. They are the holy grail of auto collectors, and can run all the way from "active raccoon home" to perfect condition, with only a thick layer of dust removal and an oil change needed.
Every barn find is someone's derailed plans.
The only reason you put a car in a barn and cover it with a tarp is because you plan to come back to it next spring.... when the weather is nicer, or there is a bit more money in the bank, or you hope to have a bit more time.
I think it's beautiful that we have this hope for our future. As I was thinking about this, I was putting the lawn mower away in the shed for the winter. I'm going to get it back out in the spring, but one year I won't.
P.S. Time waits for no one... get to your priorities. The 33 Day Foundation streak tool will launch later this year. If you want to get on the wait list, send Eli a message with "33" in the subject line...Info@4kweeks.com
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Listen to this blog as a podcast! Search "4000 Weeks #40" in your app. |
Remarkable Weeks
Week 40 of 1923, Edwin Hubble identified the Cepheid variable star, which became crucial for calculating the distance of stars from Earth. He is best known for the "Hubble sequence," which provided key evidence for the expansion of the universe. He was 1,767.29 (33.89 yrs).
Week 40 of 1945, Joe Louis was awarded the Legion of Merit and honorably discharged from the U.S. Army. As the first African American widely regarded as a national hero, he broke racial barriers through his boxing achievements and military service, boosting morale during World War II. He was 1,637.71 weeks old (31.40 yrs).
Week 40 of 1950, Charles M. Schulz had the first strip of Charlie Brown published in seven papers nationwide. He was 1,453.14 weeks (27.86 yrs).
This Week's Quote
I am revisiting quotes from some previous weeks as I am on vacation. This one is from Week #40, 2023. It's a good one... Epictetus was the original mic dropper.
If you wish to be a writer, write. -Epictetus
Everything else is ego.
Everything that gets in the way of the thing you want to do is ego. It is so simple. Do the thing.
All of the other stuff is ego. There is a place for accolades and encouragement, but every aspect of "being a writer" other than: generate idea, write idea down, try to improve written idea... is ego.
Are you published? EGO. Did the book sell? EGO. Do you make your living as a writer? EGO. Did you get a 5 star review? EGO.
Everything else is ego. And ego can never be satisfied.
It always wants more, but it is rarely enough to keep your butt in the chair for 1000 words a day, or whatever your fear is keeping you from doing
What I am Consuming This Week
I am in Copenhagen this week on vacation. I have written the next few emails in advance, but I wanted to share some of the things I have been consuming and seeing along the way!
| Severance. I watched this on the 8 hour plane ride. I don't watch much tv, and when I do I like it to make me think or feel deeply. This is a very well filmed, acted, and edited show, which is awesome... but the premise brings up a whole host of questions. If you can't access a large portion of your memories, does it make you a different person? 5 stars. | 
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| This set of old spiral stairs. I want to know all the things. We saw these while walking in Copenhagen. They are closed off and go much deeper underground than I could see... What is the deal? What were they for? If I could build a time machine I would use it to go back and find these things out. Or, even better, a qr code generator for every random mystery. Remember when we were kids (Gen X) and we couldn't just know everything with a few clicks? |  |
| The Elephant Gate. We toured the Carlsberg Brewery, and one of the really awesome landmarks nearby is part of the Ny Carlsberg brewery. (A since-mended family rending split off from the original a few blocks away.) It's called the ElefantPorten, and is 4 massive granite elephants that act as supports for the structure above. Why not carve the supports into beautiful sculptures... other than the exponential cost! |  |
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BIKES!
So many bikes. Everywhere. Also, so many fit people. Hardly any obesity to be seen. Seriously... almost no one.
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What I am Thinking About This Week
This is the second post in a series of posts about how to get your crap in order, so that you can get the most out of your little square each week.
Some of these may not apply to you, and that’s great… congratulations.
But… I know that I find new value in Epictetus’s Enchiridion every time I read it… so review can be good too. My plan is to write this out, and then, once it is complete, give it away to anyone who needs a map from where they are to the beautiful land of life satisfaction. If you have thoughts, I would love to hear them.
Gratefulness.
Did you read last week? If you did, do you know what I bet you didn’t do? I bet you didn’t wonder “Where the heck am I going to get 124 ounces of water every day?”.
Lucky you!
Here is an objective truth. Regardless of how bad or good you think your life is, it is true that you are better off than nearly everyone that has ever existed. You take for granted, every day, things that would put all the riches in Ancient Egypt to shame.
But, since you evolved to focus on negative stimulus (a very useful tool if you are prey), it can be hard to remember this whole universe of awesome. Yes, our lives are all filled with hardship, and inconveniences big and small, but they are also full of wonder, and joy, and magic.
You just need to develop a habit of noticing the right stuff.
Have you ever bought a car, and then suddenly realized that the same style of car is all over the place? It’s called the Baader-Meinhof Phenomenon. Your brain, and its selective attention and confirmation bias, works to both notice the familiar thing more often, and reassure yourself that, yes indeed… “These things are suddenly everywhere!”.
But the truth is, all those other cars were always out there, you have just started to notice them.
So here is what we are going to do. We are going to use the Baader-Meinhof Phenomenon to your advantage for a change!
Every day, at least once a day, but preferably twice a day - just after you have your morning coffee and right before you go to bed works well - you are going to write 3 things you are grateful for.
I think this works best if you are actually writing them down as opposed to dictating them into an app, but I am not going to let the perfect be the enemy of the good for you.
So, get a journal, (I started with this one 10 years ago) or a notebook, or a pad of paper, and every day write 3 things you are grateful for, twice a day.
Here are mine from yesterday… 1) talking with my kids 2) coffee 3) basketball.
They don’t have to be profound - in fact, sometimes the more mundane wonders are harder to notice, but they are wonders just the same. (Toilet paper! I mean come on! So thankful for that!)
Make a habit of doing this, and your life will get better, no question. It’s science.
Next week…
Spencer
Dad Joke O' The Week
What’s the best way to watch a fly-fishing tournament?
Via live stream
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