After years of trying to find meaning in life, I have come to the conclusion that actually life has no meaning. So, I might as well enjoy this meaningless life as best I can.
With this somewhat profound realization, I have developed the habit of frequently asking myself what things in life nourish me and what drains me. My goal is simple. I want to increase the nourishing things and reduce the draining things so that I can maintain a healthy and happy version of myself.
Sounds so simple, right? But it’s not so simple to do, especially if you’re not used to doing self-introspection. But it’s doable. I wrote about this process in more detail here: One Simple Exercise to Rebalance Your Life
Since I’m a naturally reflective person, this process has come reasonably easy for me. When I say ‘naturally reflective,’ I mean I sometimes have moments when my mind goes out of my body without me being aware of it. By the time I have become aware, it has already visited Yangon and is on its way back on the 6000-mile journey on the first flight available.
Anyway, from time to time, I list what I do on a regular basis into two groups: things that nourish me mentally and things that don’t. Basically, if I feel energized, excited and satisfied during or after doing something, it is a nourishing activity. It could be as simple as taking a walk in the countryside or looking at vintage buildings.
The opposite of that would be things that drain me mentally. For example, a very routine-heavy admin job or listening to a family member rabbiting on about things that are wrong in their life.
Over the years, I have become better and better at keeping nourishing activities more than draining ones. However, from time to time, I have encountered some problems as some of my nourishing activities clash with the world around me.
I have discovered a couple of troublesome nourishing activities:
Singing in the shower
Eating cakes
Singing in the shower
How it nourishes me
- It makes the whole showering experience more interesting and enjoyable.
- It gives me a chance to strengthen my vocal muscles.
- It allows me to sing in the style, rhythm or keys I like, which by the way never coincide with the commonly accepted practices. I can even replace the lyrics with my own.
- I can sing in a computer-distorted voice every time I forget and swallow water mid-song.
- I can forget about any problems outside of the bathroom.
How it clashes with the world
- My singing induces manic barking from the big dog next door. I think he’s trying to join in. Unfortunately, he can’t sing in tune either.
- I’m not trying to win any awards with my singing, but I think if I do it more intensely, the whole neighbourhood would have to be evacuated for not being worthy of hearing such a once-in-a-billion-year masterpiece. It would be so majestic that no-one would be able to do anything but weep.
Since I do believe in the right not to be disturbed by someone else’s activities, it’s a moral grey area for me. On one hand, I love singing at the top of my voice in the shower. (It only works in the shower. I can’t do it in the middle of the wood when there is no one else to hear it.) On the other hand, I’m disturbing the neighbours by inviting the big dog to sing along with me at the top of his woof.
Eating Cakes
How it nourishes me
- I love biting into spongy, soft, fluffy, moist and gooey cakes. The sight of cakes never fails to brighten the moment.
- It gives me a chance to test out numerous cafés and tearooms in town to see who has the best selection of cakes.
How it clashes with the world
- Even though it’s nourishing mentally, it’s not so physically. If I keep eating cakes, my small 26-inch waist is going to revolt violently and balloon in protest. Then I would be an eyesore in the world.
I never thought things I love would cause such debilitating problems. Why does life have to be this complicated?