Despair is easy. Hope is much harder, but also more rewarding. I find the best way to hope is to look down at where I’m standing, then look up at the sky. I try to savor the now of it all, although I’m not always great at this. (I suppose that’s why they call itContinue reading “a tiny reminder”
Author Archives: joshua chamberlain
many things at once
This morning’s Writer’s Almanac had an interesting quote from Raymond Chandler, discussing Philip Marlowe, the protagonist of his novel The Big Sleep: He must be the best man in his world and good enough for any world. I do not care much about his private life; he is neither a eunuch nor a satyr; IContinue reading “many things at once”
farmers, pirates, and Anthony Bourdain
I went to see Morgan Neville’s Roadrunner: A Film about Anthony Bourdain this weekend. Twice. Perhaps it’s the season of life in which I find myself, but Bourdain’s story resonated with me on a level that summoned a deep discomfort. The film paints a portrait of Bourdain as a contradictory soul–a man in search ofContinue reading “farmers, pirates, and Anthony Bourdain”
self-care
There’s a reason we tell one another, “Take care of yourself,” when we part ways. In the moments when we’re alone, it becomes imperative that we treat ourselves graciously. That we’re gentle and generous to ourselves the same way we are to others. that we tune our inner voice to speak kindly. That we areContinue reading “self-care”
why people need people
A friend said to me recently, “You’re very hard on yourself.” “What makes you say that?” I asked. “Listening to you for the last two hours,” he replied. It’s almost impossible to hear ourselves. We self-censor, both our words and thoughts. We’re not always conscious of the things that slip past our lips or howContinue reading “why people need people”
let it be awful
I’ve been playing around with paint recently. I’m not good at painting, but that’s the whole point. Allowing the work to be terrible to a joyful kind of letting go. Without the pressure of trying to meet anyone expectations (including my own), there’s a freedom to play, to wonder, to explore. And isn’t this whyContinue reading “let it be awful”
touching the wound
As I plow through Mad Men once again, I’m struck by the way every scene touches Don Draper’s core misconception: that he is is unworthy of love and affection. There’s plenty to unpack regarding enmeshment of masculinity, personal worth, and upward mobility in a capitalist society, but these things all tie back to Don Draper’sContinue reading “touching the wound”
assembling yourself
I’m slowly nibbling my way through Mark Harris’s new book, Mike Nichols: A Life, an account of the late film director’s life and career. There’s a whole slew of things I didn’t know about Nichols, from the circumstances of his childhood as a Jew fleeing Germany in the late 30s to the heights of hisContinue reading “assembling yourself”
“Take Your Time”
Art is theft. Sometimes, we quote other people because they put an idea into words better than we ever could. Such is the case with Seth Godin’s recent reflection on taking your time: [Taking your time] means two very different things. When a person or a marketer takes your time, they’re stealing. Something irretrievable isContinue reading ““Take Your Time””
back to the well
I’ve always been fascinated with the art of playing politics. I’m not talking the madness going on in Washington at the moment so much as the shrewd tactics used to maneuver against competitio; things like the classic Mad Men episode, “The Chrysanthemum and The Sword.” This of course had led me to read a varietyContinue reading “back to the well”
