Dear Reader, “If you could be an expert at anything, what would you choose?” It’s not an uncommon thought experiment. Especially in a world where speed, rather than patience, is often rewarded, it’s easy to dream about what it’d be like to skip to the outcome. But let’s consider the opposite: “If you could be a beginner at anything, what would you choose?” What we can learn from ‘shoshin’, or the beginner’s mind Typically, we don’t wish to be beginners. We wish that we already acquired XYZ...
12 days ago • 1 min read
Dear Reader, I just came back from a meal at a restaurant (which was very delicious). But instead of walking back home, which I normally do, I got in a car, sat, and drove. Not my first choice you see, but I’m spending the weekend at a house in an American suburb, and there was no option to walk back. Why I walk after eating Growing up in a city, if I went out to eat I would always walk home from the restaurant. Maybe take the train or bus in-between, but in general there is at least a good...
17 days ago • 1 min read
Dear Reader, I know, I know! It’s been a while since I sent out a newsletter - I have no excuses, except that I felt like I didn’t have any interesting thoughts so I logged off the Internet for a while. But I hope you've been well. I'm traveling, so all illustrations are a sketch and scan today :) Which may seem counterintuitive, because the Internet is full of interesting thoughts, so it makes sense to spend time there if you want to inspire yourself. But I’ve been finding that with the way...
about 1 month ago • 2 min read
Dear Reader, I watched my friend add an extra three tablespoons of olive oil to her broccoli with a mixture of amazement and skepticism. She then broiled it in the oven until the florets were basically charred through, and the stems soft and wilted. Then she added a dollop of butter and a dash of salt. The broccoli tasted good, but it didn’t quite taste… like broccoli anymore, I suppose. The best vegetable cooking tip I’ve ever received was also the simplest Watching my friend cook broccoli,...
4 months ago • 3 min read
Dear Reader, Life has been a bit overwhelming for me recently. I feel like I never have enough time, energy, or bandwidth, and taking care of myself can sometimes feel like an additional chore rather than a way to enhance my wellbeing. But when I feel this way, I remind myself that healthy living doesn’t need to be stressful. The steps you have to take to look after your health are not as drastic as hour-long workouts or following a ketogenic, sugar-free raw diet. It can require a bit of...
5 months ago • 3 min read
Dear Reader, What is the most beautiful Japanese word to exist? This was a question posed by the Japanese national broadcaster, NHK, in a public survey. And the answer astounded me. What may surprise you about Japanese beauty Learning about this survey, my mind immediately went to the more poetic aspects of Japanese. As a language, Japanese has a strong relationship with nature, and many words and adages are based on natural elements. For example, there is a word setsunai, which is based on...
5 months ago • 1 min read
Dear Reader, When we think about and celebrate love, we often focus on the kind that is directed towards others - oftentimes a partner, our family, or someone dear to us. We have entire holidays focused on buying gifts and writing cards, to let others know they are loved. It's beautiful! But I'd also like to take a moment to recognize the kind of love that we usually don't take the time to celebrate: self-love. The universal act of love My dad enjoys watching and sharing shiba-inu dog videos...
5 months ago • 2 min read
Dear Reader, I was not born into this world with an intuitive understanding of how to take care of my body and mind. I know some people are, and I found myself wondering for years, how do they just live their life and everything seemingly falls into place? But luckily, it was possible to learn. For many years I overate, underate, stressed about food, did every kind of exercise and diet that was supposedly life-changing, stressed about my body, and couldn’t find peace with it. For a time, I...
5 months ago • 2 min read
Dear Reader, It's February! I kind of love February, even though it's still too cold and gets dark too early to do much. It means I have more time to myself, which is a cherished kind of time for me these days. But the thing about February is it's just about the time when I'm shown (possibly harsh) truths about any goals I had set for myself at the end of last year. Am I making progress? Have I hit any of my goals? Does quitting make me a failure? I believe challenging yourself is a kind of...
6 months ago • 2 min read
