Lightly 👣

Oct 25, 2023

Preposterously Serious

It has been a stressed out few weeks for ür boy. From Hugo’s diagnosis to lots of work stress, I have started feeling quite quacked.

Below here is a piece of prose that I come back to in these times because it sums me up perfectly.

This is an excerpt from Aldous Huxley’s Island:

I am a striver. I am a struggler. I typically think that striving and struggling are the key ingredients to any progress.

But is that true or just some made-up, brainwashed, Hustle Culture bullshit? 🤔

This week’s newsletter is interactive. Get your pen and paper out.

I want you to make a list of the 10 best things that have happened to you in life.

How many of them were God winks, or beautiful moments of serendipity, given freely, and easy?

And how many did you have to beat your head against a wall for?

Here’s a few of mine:

Meet Alyssa (God wink)
Be a big brother to two incredible sisters (God wink)
Find my current job working with young guys in early recovery (God wink)
Buy the first house we toured in Austin, on our first offer, right before interest rates skyrocketed (God wink)
Bring Hugo and Jed into our family (God wink)

Am I cherry picking? Maybe. Certainly striving and struggling have been helpful in my life.

But it would be a bold-faced lie to say I have what I have today because of striving and struggling.

I have what I have today because of the grace of God.

(Or as I like to call her, Big Momma.)

This is your gentle reminder this week to Go lightly.

Your worth is not tied to your striving and struggling.

I love you,

Mike

If you liked today’s newsletter, be sure to like, share, and comment below. 👇🏻