Re: [silk] In praise of slowness

[Venkatesh Hariharan]

Beautifully said, Heather.

Venky

On Feb 4, 2017 9:14 PM, "Heather Madrone"  wrote:

> Shyam Sunder wrote:
>
>> "maintaining my serenity was critical to being a good mother"
>>
>> That sounds very profound, but I don't think I understood. Heather, could
>> you please say more?
>>
>
> To quote someone who said it better: Mothers are endless wells of stuff.
>
> Mothers are called upon to provide for all the needs of small people,
> 24/7. We don't get to clock out after putting in a day's work. The needs of
> small people make no allowances for the mother's commitments, exhaustion,
> illness, physical limitations, or emotional resources.
>
> At the same time, mothers are called upon to be patient and present with
> their children, to realize at all times that we are responsible for guiding
> and teaching these small human beings. We need to be compassionate with
> them, and to be good examples of all the values we want them to embody.
>
> I was a better mother when I made sure that I had the reserves to deal
> with small-person emergencies. I was a better mother when I was grounded
> and centered, focused on the essential rather than the merely necessary. I
> was a better mother when I practiced serenity minute-to-minute. Developing
> oceans of patience and compassion enabled me to respond more wisely to the
> daily challenge of raising human beings.
>
> --hmm
>
>

Re: [silk] In praise of slowness

[Heather Madrone]

Shyam Sunder wrote:

"maintaining my serenity was critical to being a good mother"

That sounds very profound, but I don't think I understood. Heather, could you 
please say more?


To quote someone who said it better: Mothers are endless wells of stuff.

Mothers are called upon to provide for all the needs of small people, 
24/7. We don't get to clock out after putting in a day's work. The needs 
of small people make no allowances for the mother's commitments, 
exhaustion, illness, physical limitations, or emotional resources.


At the same time, mothers are called upon to be patient and present with 
their children, to realize at all times that we are responsible for 
guiding and teaching these small human beings. We need to be 
compassionate with them, and to be good examples of all the values we 
want them to embody.


I was a better mother when I made sure that I had the reserves to deal 
with small-person emergencies. I was a better mother when I was grounded 
and centered, focused on the essential rather than the merely necessary. 
I was a better mother when I practiced serenity minute-to-minute. 
Developing oceans of patience and compassion enabled me to respond more 
wisely to the daily challenge of raising human beings.


--hmm

Re: [silk] In praise of slowness

[Shyam Sunder]

"maintaining my serenity was critical to being a good mother"

That sounds very profound, but I don't think I understood. Heather, could you 
please say more?

One inspiration for a full day of work that I draw from is the number of 
octogenarian politicians we see. Being alert and active, challenged each day, 
thrown curve balls all the time, somehow translates to good health and a full 
life, it seems.

Right now I am in the "will leave the office on a stretcher" kind of mindset, 
although I am sure that is nothing a few lousy days at a stretch couldn't set 
right

Sent from my iPhone
> On 24-Jan-2017, at 21:18, Heather Madrone  wrote:
> 
> maintaining my serenity was critical to being a good mother

Re: [silk] In praise of slowness

[Heather Madrone]

Shyam Sunder wrote:

 Their family perhaps doesn't want them hanging
 around all the time.


As in Sara Yogev's _For Better or for Worse, But Not for Lunch_?

You make an excellent argument, Shyam, that a person should know what 
they intend to do with their time when they slow down.


I switched over to the slow lane after the birth of my first child and 
spent > 25 years there as I raised and educated my brood. I had plenty 
to do and I had a purpose. I also got the message very early that 
maintaining my serenity was critical to being a good mother. I cut way 
back on busy-ness during that time and focused on the essential work of 
raising human beings to be happy, healthy, and productive adults.


Now that the children are well on their way, I want to merge back into 
the fast lane, to be part of the bustle and busy-ness, to do more than 
the part-time keeping-my-hand-in work that I have done for most of my 
adult life.


I have the time now to give more attention to the work that I've always 
loved. I want to merge back into the fast lane and enjoy a decade or two 
of intense effort and productivity.


My grandmother retired at 50. Over the next 43 years, her world shrank 
and she became peevish and cantankerous.


Perhaps as a result of her mother's example, my mother continued her 
psychotherapy practice until she was 75. Her brother intends to continue 
his law practice as long as he is able.


Our professions give us so much of who we are. They give us purpose and 
focus. They give us the satisfaction of making a contribution to 
society. They stimulate and irritate us and keep us from getting stagnant.


--hmm

Re: [silk] In praise of slowness

[Suresh Ramasubramanian]

On 24/01/17, 4:21 PM, Shyam Sunder wrote:

> I fear that the above describes someone who will wake up six months
> later with nothing to do during the day, and drives everyone around
> him / her up the wall! For someone aged 50, they need a plan that
> will last decades, not months

For that sort of guy a six month sabbatical from work followed by a job change 
might be just the ticket.  Or even a month’s vacation would be more than enough 
in most cases.

Re: [silk] In praise of slowness

[Bhaskar Dasgupta]

I think I'm in a different planet lol because every year I'm speeding up and 
doing more and more. 

Fun and games. 

Re: [silk] In praise of slowness

[Valsa Williams]

​I retired in July 2015 and not 2014 ! Sorry about the typo


Best regards,

Valsa



On 24 January 2017 at 17:32, Valsa Williams <valsa.willi...@gmail.com>
wrote:

> Interesting thread !
> There was an earlier thread on ‘To retire or not ‘. It motivated me to
> retire in July 2014. At Intel there is no retirement age, so I could have
> continued the 30 km commute, innumerable emails to respond to, a good
> salary package and trips to the US and rest of the world for many more
> years. The email thread on retirement had many comments, two of them which
> struck in my mind is – “No regular inflow of money into your bank” and “You
> get to see your spouse 24x7”!!! Both very true.
> However, I have finally found my space. slowed down from work but not from
> life ! I have enough time for my long walks, swimming, music, watching
> movies, hanging around with friends, staring at the rain with a cup of
> coffee.   I can take off for a holiday whenever I want. I plan to learn the
> piano this year ! I  spend my time on few topics of technical interest.
> However, it is not easy to earn as a Consultant. I am lucky that I still do
> some work for Intel.  Others that asked for my help, did not offer
> anything!
> My advise to those who plan to slow down is to ensure you keep developing
> your skills or learn new ones. Most importantly, have enough finances to
> back you up. The next big question would be 'how much' ??
>
>
> Valsa
>
>
>
> On 24 January 2017 at 16:39, Charles Haynes <charles.hay...@gmail.com>
> wrote:
>
>> > the above probably doesn't apply to the typical intelligent,
>> multi-dimensional silk lister.
>>
>> Hah. It especially applies to people who think it doesn't apply to them. I
>> found when I first started "slowing down" that my partner and I, as much
>> as
>> we love and are devoted to one another, need a certain amount of "our own"
>> time. That if we spend all of our time together we are less happy than if
>> we spend a certain amount of it apart. So we have that built in.
>>
>> For me "slowing down" has meant spending more time doing fewer things but
>> really paying attention to the things I do.
>>
>> -- Charles
>>
>> On Tue, 24 Jan 2017 at 21:51 Shyam Sunder <shyam.sun...@peakalpha.com>
>> wrote:
>>
>> > Fascinating thread. I have a slightly contrarian view.
>> >
>> > Probably not very relevant to silklisters but I am very wary when my
>> > clients talk about early retirement. Not because they would put their
>> > financial independence at risk, but because they hugely overestimate
>> their
>> > ability to fill the day with meaningful pursuits. A typical conversation
>> > (which occurs very frequently, I might add) would go along the lines of
>> >
>> > Client - I would like to explore retirement by 50.
>> > Shyam - Given your financial situation, it is quite likely you will be
>> > able to do that from a financial perspective. But what do you plan to do
>> > after you retire?
>> > Client - I really want to make time for the things I enjoy. I want to
>> > spend more time with the family (First red flare), travel (second red
>> > flare), and volunteer my time with NGOs (big third red flare) or
>> coaching
>> > young professionals or start-ups
>> > Shyam - Great. How specific are your plans?
>> > Client - What do you mean?
>> > Shyam - Is there a specific NGO you have already been associated with? /
>> > Do you currently mentor start-ups or coach?
>> > Client - Not really. But I am sure I can easily figure that out. I
>> mean, I
>> > don't want any money for it.
>> >
>> > I fear that the above describes someone who will wake up six months
>> later
>> > with nothing to do during the day, and drives everyone around him / her
>> up
>> > the wall! For someone aged 50, they need a plan that will last decades,
>> not
>> > months. Their family perhaps doesn't want them hanging around all the
>> time.
>> > Their life's travels can be completed in six months, and reasonably
>> > well-run NGOs want a volunteer who comes and wishes to
>> > optimize/streamline/improve the set-up like they want a bullet to the
>> head.
>> > For many, work gives them identity and self-worth. My advice for someone
>> > without specifics is to work for as long as they can. For most people,
>> > there is 20% of the job that makes the remaining 80% worth it.
>> >
>> > Like I said at the beginning, the above probably doe

Re: [silk] In praise of slowness

[Valsa Williams]

Interesting thread !
There was an earlier thread on ‘To retire or not ‘. It motivated me to
retire in July 2014. At Intel there is no retirement age, so I could have
continued the 30 km commute, innumerable emails to respond to, a good
salary package and trips to the US and rest of the world for many more
years. The email thread on retirement had many comments, two of them which
struck in my mind is – “No regular inflow of money into your bank” and “You
get to see your spouse 24x7”!!! Both very true.
However, I have finally found my space. slowed down from work but not from
life ! I have enough time for my long walks, swimming, music, watching
movies, hanging around with friends, staring at the rain with a cup of
coffee.   I can take off for a holiday whenever I want. I plan to learn the
piano this year ! I  spend my time on few topics of technical interest.
However, it is not easy to earn as a Consultant. I am lucky that I still do
some work for Intel.  Others that asked for my help, did not offer
anything!
My advise to those who plan to slow down is to ensure you keep developing
your skills or learn new ones. Most importantly, have enough finances to
back you up. The next big question would be 'how much' ??


Valsa



On 24 January 2017 at 16:39, Charles Haynes <charles.hay...@gmail.com>
wrote:

> > the above probably doesn't apply to the typical intelligent,
> multi-dimensional silk lister.
>
> Hah. It especially applies to people who think it doesn't apply to them. I
> found when I first started "slowing down" that my partner and I, as much as
> we love and are devoted to one another, need a certain amount of "our own"
> time. That if we spend all of our time together we are less happy than if
> we spend a certain amount of it apart. So we have that built in.
>
> For me "slowing down" has meant spending more time doing fewer things but
> really paying attention to the things I do.
>
> -- Charles
>
> On Tue, 24 Jan 2017 at 21:51 Shyam Sunder <shyam.sun...@peakalpha.com>
> wrote:
>
> > Fascinating thread. I have a slightly contrarian view.
> >
> > Probably not very relevant to silklisters but I am very wary when my
> > clients talk about early retirement. Not because they would put their
> > financial independence at risk, but because they hugely overestimate
> their
> > ability to fill the day with meaningful pursuits. A typical conversation
> > (which occurs very frequently, I might add) would go along the lines of
> >
> > Client - I would like to explore retirement by 50.
> > Shyam - Given your financial situation, it is quite likely you will be
> > able to do that from a financial perspective. But what do you plan to do
> > after you retire?
> > Client - I really want to make time for the things I enjoy. I want to
> > spend more time with the family (First red flare), travel (second red
> > flare), and volunteer my time with NGOs (big third red flare) or coaching
> > young professionals or start-ups
> > Shyam - Great. How specific are your plans?
> > Client - What do you mean?
> > Shyam - Is there a specific NGO you have already been associated with? /
> > Do you currently mentor start-ups or coach?
> > Client - Not really. But I am sure I can easily figure that out. I mean,
> I
> > don't want any money for it.
> >
> > I fear that the above describes someone who will wake up six months later
> > with nothing to do during the day, and drives everyone around him / her
> up
> > the wall! For someone aged 50, they need a plan that will last decades,
> not
> > months. Their family perhaps doesn't want them hanging around all the
> time.
> > Their life's travels can be completed in six months, and reasonably
> > well-run NGOs want a volunteer who comes and wishes to
> > optimize/streamline/improve the set-up like they want a bullet to the
> head.
> > For many, work gives them identity and self-worth. My advice for someone
> > without specifics is to work for as long as they can. For most people,
> > there is 20% of the job that makes the remaining 80% worth it.
> >
> > Like I said at the beginning, the above probably doesn't apply to the
> > typical intelligent, multi-dimensional silklister.
> >
> > Warm regards
> >
> > Shyam
> >
> > -Original Message-
> > From: silklist [mailto:silklist-bounces+shyam.sunder=
> > peakalpha@lists.hserus.net] On Behalf Of Vijay Anand
> > Sent: 24 January 2017 11:06
> > To: silklist@lists.hserus.net
> > Subject: Re: [silk] In praise of slowness
> >
> > "Slowing down" - the phase in life when making money is not the priority
> > anymore and th

Re: [silk] In praise of slowness

[Charles Haynes]

> the above probably doesn't apply to the typical intelligent,
multi-dimensional silk lister.

Hah. It especially applies to people who think it doesn't apply to them. I
found when I first started "slowing down" that my partner and I, as much as
we love and are devoted to one another, need a certain amount of "our own"
time. That if we spend all of our time together we are less happy than if
we spend a certain amount of it apart. So we have that built in.

For me "slowing down" has meant spending more time doing fewer things but
really paying attention to the things I do.

-- Charles

On Tue, 24 Jan 2017 at 21:51 Shyam Sunder <shyam.sun...@peakalpha.com>
wrote:

> Fascinating thread. I have a slightly contrarian view.
>
> Probably not very relevant to silklisters but I am very wary when my
> clients talk about early retirement. Not because they would put their
> financial independence at risk, but because they hugely overestimate their
> ability to fill the day with meaningful pursuits. A typical conversation
> (which occurs very frequently, I might add) would go along the lines of
>
> Client - I would like to explore retirement by 50.
> Shyam - Given your financial situation, it is quite likely you will be
> able to do that from a financial perspective. But what do you plan to do
> after you retire?
> Client - I really want to make time for the things I enjoy. I want to
> spend more time with the family (First red flare), travel (second red
> flare), and volunteer my time with NGOs (big third red flare) or coaching
> young professionals or start-ups
> Shyam - Great. How specific are your plans?
> Client - What do you mean?
> Shyam - Is there a specific NGO you have already been associated with? /
> Do you currently mentor start-ups or coach?
> Client - Not really. But I am sure I can easily figure that out. I mean, I
> don't want any money for it.
>
> I fear that the above describes someone who will wake up six months later
> with nothing to do during the day, and drives everyone around him / her up
> the wall! For someone aged 50, they need a plan that will last decades, not
> months. Their family perhaps doesn't want them hanging around all the time.
> Their life's travels can be completed in six months, and reasonably
> well-run NGOs want a volunteer who comes and wishes to
> optimize/streamline/improve the set-up like they want a bullet to the head.
> For many, work gives them identity and self-worth. My advice for someone
> without specifics is to work for as long as they can. For most people,
> there is 20% of the job that makes the remaining 80% worth it.
>
> Like I said at the beginning, the above probably doesn't apply to the
> typical intelligent, multi-dimensional silklister.
>
> Warm regards
>
> Shyam
>
> -Original Message-
> From: silklist [mailto:silklist-bounces+shyam.sunder=
> peakalpha@lists.hserus.net] On Behalf Of Vijay Anand
> Sent: 24 January 2017 11:06
> To: silklist@lists.hserus.net
> Subject: Re: [silk] In praise of slowness
>
> "Slowing down" - the phase in life when making money is not the priority
> anymore and there is the intention to expand to other interests that have
> been at best side projects, so that they get focus.
>
> It seems that the more i read the viewpoints, unless and if there is a) a
> significant windfall that money isnt a big concern anymore or b) you make
> the financial planning so that  there is an insurance of sorts so that
> something doesnt take you unaware - worse put your dependents ar risk, this
> is a hard one to pull off.
>
> I often mind myself going back to a bookmarked linked of self-sustainable
> farms. An acre or two of land, grow what you want and get away from the
> race of making your monthly commitments, seems like a dream. BUT...
>
> 1. Any self sufficient farm thingerie is a lot of upfront capital - to
> cure the land, and setup things needed for substanence - food, water,
> electricity.
>
> 2. Given the scenario with the government where the apt definition is
> "revolutionary governance", and what holds value, suddenly goes out of it
> and land reform policies might be on the horizon, i wonder if any of the
> planning we do would be free of risks.
>
> 3. All said and done, to keep up with inflation we need an asset that goes
> up in value and creates liquidity over time, as agri for eg will never be a
> commercially successful enterprise (atleast at that scale). And building
> assets right now, take a lifetime in India.
>
> Vijay
>
> On Jan 24, 2017 10:54 AM, "Venkatesh H R" <hrvenkat...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> > It is a terrific experience reading all your thoughts. To me, it
> > appear

Re: [silk] In praise of slowness

[Shyam Sunder]

Fascinating thread. I have a slightly contrarian view. 

Probably not very relevant to silklisters but I am very wary when my clients 
talk about early retirement. Not because they would put their financial 
independence at risk, but because they hugely overestimate their ability to 
fill the day with meaningful pursuits. A typical conversation (which occurs 
very frequently, I might add) would go along the lines of

Client - I would like to explore retirement by 50.
Shyam - Given your financial situation, it is quite likely you will be able to 
do that from a financial perspective. But what do you plan to do after you 
retire?
Client - I really want to make time for the things I enjoy. I want to spend 
more time with the family (First red flare), travel (second red flare), and 
volunteer my time with NGOs (big third red flare) or coaching young 
professionals or start-ups
Shyam - Great. How specific are your plans?
Client - What do you mean?
Shyam - Is there a specific NGO you have already been associated with? / Do you 
currently mentor start-ups or coach?
Client - Not really. But I am sure I can easily figure that out. I mean, I 
don't want any money for it.

I fear that the above describes someone who will wake up six months later with 
nothing to do during the day, and drives everyone around him / her up the wall! 
For someone aged 50, they need a plan that will last decades, not months. Their 
family perhaps doesn't want them hanging around all the time. Their life's 
travels can be completed in six months, and reasonably well-run NGOs want a 
volunteer who comes and wishes to optimize/streamline/improve the set-up like 
they want a bullet to the head. For many, work gives them identity and 
self-worth. My advice for someone without specifics is to work for as long as 
they can. For most people, there is 20% of the job that makes the remaining 80% 
worth it. 

Like I said at the beginning, the above probably doesn't apply to the typical 
intelligent, multi-dimensional silklister.

Warm regards

Shyam

-Original Message-
From: silklist 
[mailto:silklist-bounces+shyam.sunder=peakalpha@lists.hserus.net] On Behalf 
Of Vijay Anand
Sent: 24 January 2017 11:06
To: silklist@lists.hserus.net
Subject: Re: [silk] In praise of slowness

"Slowing down" - the phase in life when making money is not the priority 
anymore and there is the intention to expand to other interests that have been 
at best side projects, so that they get focus.

It seems that the more i read the viewpoints, unless and if there is a) a 
significant windfall that money isnt a big concern anymore or b) you make the 
financial planning so that  there is an insurance of sorts so that something 
doesnt take you unaware - worse put your dependents ar risk, this is a hard one 
to pull off.

I often mind myself going back to a bookmarked linked of self-sustainable 
farms. An acre or two of land, grow what you want and get away from the race of 
making your monthly commitments, seems like a dream. BUT...

1. Any self sufficient farm thingerie is a lot of upfront capital - to cure the 
land, and setup things needed for substanence - food, water, electricity.

2. Given the scenario with the government where the apt definition is 
"revolutionary governance", and what holds value, suddenly goes out of it and 
land reform policies might be on the horizon, i wonder if any of the planning 
we do would be free of risks.

3. All said and done, to keep up with inflation we need an asset that goes up 
in value and creates liquidity over time, as agri for eg will never be a 
commercially successful enterprise (atleast at that scale). And building assets 
right now, take a lifetime in India.

Vijay

On Jan 24, 2017 10:54 AM, "Venkatesh H R" <hrvenkat...@gmail.com> wrote:

> It is a terrific experience reading all your thoughts. To me, it 
> appears that most people, when talking about slowing down, are just 
> referring to removing clutter from their lives. It doesn't mean they 
> are actually slowing down.
> Indeed, in some respects they might be working harder on a few aspects 
> of their life than ever before! Of course, there is a good chance I'm 
> mistaken in this assumption.
> For what it's worth, I too am slowing down in my own way. 2012 was the 
> last time we had TV at home. And this year, I'm planning to cut down 
> significantly on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn. There is a 
> dynamic tension to this, because I depend on social media to 
> distribute my work and listen to others. So I will still use these - 
> but not on my mobile phone. For me, this is equivalent to slowing 
> down. I've just been reading Deep Work by Cal Newport, the Georgetown 
> Uni Computer Science Professor. And he is in praise of some radical 
> retooling of our calendars and priorities.
>
>
>
>
>
> On Tue, Jan 24, 2017 12:16 AM, Venkatesh Hariharan 

Re: [silk] In praise of slowness

[Suresh Ramasubramanian]

I’ve managed to work from home across three employers since 2002.

So – well, extremely flexible working hours that let me take breaks off to pick 
my kids up from school and such, in return for crazy work hours early in the 
morning and late at night (well, if you work with colleagues stateside what 
better times do you have to ensure that you can talk to them?)

This at least has meant that I can keep up with family time, buying and 
furnishing a house, quizzing, facebook and such to fill in the intervals 
between frenetic work.

The one thing I possibly regret – or maybe not - is getting email and work apps 
on a phone early on – it simply means that I’m never away from work even when 
I’m on holiday, or sick in a hospital bed (lay on one for a week, and work, fb, 
work, fb type routines are what kept me sane during intervals of high fever, 
being shot full of IV antibiotics and cavalierly poked and prodded about by 
doctors)

On 24/01/17, 1:26 PM, "silklist on behalf of rajeev chakravarthi" 
 wrote:

This post touched a nerve. Here's my experience -

I used to be an investment banker and corporate strategy (or stragedy, if
you like) person. Pursuant to a showdown with the boss, I took a break in
late 2011. Here's how I spent my time (or, as Terry Pratchett once wrote,
"What I did in my holidays")

Re: [silk] In praise of slowness

[Rajesh Mehar]

>>2. Studied piano. Played 3 piano concerts (as part of a group of pianists)
at St. Andrews Auditorium in Mumbai (with a proper audience, before you
ask). Also played a father-son concert with my older son.
3. Learnt how to read and write music. Used that to transcribe specific
songs that I've always liked - this led to interesting experiments in
arranging alternative approaches to songs, such as different tempi, bass
lines, flourishes at various places in the score...
Also ended up composing a few pieces for piano.  <<

Hey Rajeev, I would love to see any videos of your piano performances. And
also listen to any new arrangements you've created.


>
>

Re: [silk] In praise of slowness

[rajeev chakravarthi]

This post touched a nerve. Here's my experience -

I used to be an investment banker and corporate strategy (or stragedy, if
you like) person. Pursuant to a showdown with the boss, I took a break in
late 2011. Here's how I spent my time (or, as Terry Pratchett once wrote,
"What I did in my holidays")

1. Worked with an interior decorator, 3 teams of carpenters, 2 teams of
painters, masons, plumbers and sundry vendors to get my new home ready.
Project completed within budget in 4 months from start to finish (including
my better half exercising her veto right).
2. Studied piano. Played 3 piano concerts (as part of a group of pianists)
at St. Andrews Auditorium in Mumbai (with a proper audience, before you
ask). Also played a father-son concert with my older son.
3. Learnt how to read and write music. Used that to transcribe specific
songs that I've always liked - this led to interesting experiments in
arranging alternative approaches to songs, such as different tempi, bass
lines, flourishes at various places in the score...
Also ended up composing a few pieces for piano.
4. Built out book and music collection - both of which now stand at numbers
that have my father speculating about my needing a bigger home...(shades of
Chief Brody from Jaws here)
5. Improved my skills in the kitchen to the extent that my boys like to
compare restaurant fare (particularly Indian Italian or Indian Chinese)
with what I dish out at home once a week.
6. Contributed questions to quizzes being conducted around India. If
nothing else, this had the salutary effect of "reactivating disused neural
pathways".  It also considerably expanded my circle of friends, as
investment banking was not the kind of profession that put me in touch with
the people I was happy knowing.

Also caught up on movie watching with a vengeance - I really miss TNT, but
found a parlor near my home that could get me classic DVD's with enough
notice. Now I just try looking for them online.

While all of this was happening, I co-founded a startup and joined another
as employee number 1 (after the founders). I found that I could manage my
time a whole lot better since I was boss-junior combined. But there was a
whole lot more to be done, which of course had to be done pretty much solo.

I ended up getting rather jaded with the whole startup exercise, as we
ended up pushing all our internal accruals into the business and took just
enough salary to cover our mortgages. Finally, late last year, I got out of
both companies, and got back into a mature corporate job (yes, I got back
into investment banking).

On the minus side, I've lost 5 years in my career. Logic suggests that this
should not be such a drag, given that I now have a life outside work that
has plenty to occupy my time. However, I do admit to feeling a sense of
loss when I look at my former colleagues, many of whom are considerably
advanced and senior in their career paths. This, I keep telling myself, is
an all-too-human reaction. Quite a few executive search professionals I met
looked rather pityingly at me during my recent job-searching days. I don't
think Indian companies like people who take breaks like these, writing them
off as has-beens.

My advise to my new team-mates, all of whom are at least 10 years junior to
me, has been to get some hobbies outside work to occupy their minds. They
obviously look at me as if I'm not quite right in the head.

I'm not sure I went through a slowdown in the sense you describe it. I
think it was more a different path, with new skills learnt. My parents say
I'm better off having taken it. As I talk to colleagues and potential
clients to share my experiences, I see them look at me with something
bordering puzzlement.

On the other hand, I am bum chums with my sons, aged 11 and 9. My wife was
able to get back to corporate life and a full-time job, as a result of my
break,  She says she didn't quite enjoy being the dominant wage earner of
the family for the last 5 years. Interestingly, now that the pressure is
off her, she shows little sign of taking her foot off the gas. Which, I
think, may be more to do with her fear that I might be a colossal ass again
:-)

Rajeev



On Sun, Jan 22, 2017 at 2:48 PM, Venkatesh Hariharan 
wrote:

> I am going through a transition into a slower pace of life. Knowing the
> eclectic nature of this list, I wanted to hear from others who have "been
> there, done that." After years in the corporate world, I decided to quit
> the fast paced life anf become a consultant. My goal was to have more
> control over my time, but somehow I found myself living an equally busy
> life.
>
> I am now thinking of cutting down my consulting assignments and decisively
> slowing down my life, to stop hopping from one task to the other like a
> maniac, and to relish reading books and watching plays, and the company of
> friends. To those who are ahead of me in this ambitious path, my question
> is, "What do you.love the most about living a 

Re: [silk] In praise of slowness

[Rajesh Mehar]

I slowed down on 31 March 2011.

I used to work for an FM Radio station in Mumbai (having been transfered
there from the Bangalore station) and I had swiftly moved up the
organizational hierarchy from being an on-air presenter (or RJ) to being
creative supervisor, assistant program director to finally program director.

Between getting John Abraham's tuna sandwich from the Hyatt, to planning
station specials, gate keeping commercial integrations into programming,
and keeping abreast of Bollywood, I had very little time. And that wasn't
going to be enough for the kind of father i wanted to be. So, within 3
months of knowing about the impending arrival of my first child (a boy, I
would discover later) I quit, took a 20% pay cut and started working from
home for a large IT company.

Not having a 3 hour commute everyday, working in a team with a culture of
trust and collaboration, and not possessing a tv, means that I have time
for a lot of things like working out, cooking, free play with my children,
arbitrarily taking a 2 hour (one way) bus journey to a neighboring state
because my son's 5 year old brain felt like doing that one day, and just
existing very mindfully at a relaxed pace.

On the topic of removing clutter in an effort to work intensely but
impactfully, I would highly recommend Deep Work, by Cal Newport. It's a
superb resource for anyone wanting to 'slow down' in a
less-headless-chicken-work way rather than a three-beers-everyday-by-noon
way.

PS -  Really appreciate everyone's thoughts on this. It's given me a few
new directions to think in...

Re: [silk] In praise of slowness

[Vijay Anand]

"Slowing down" - the phase in life when making money is not the priority
anymore and there is the intention to expand to other interests that have
been at best side projects, so that they get focus.

It seems that the more i read the viewpoints, unless and if there is a) a
significant windfall that money isnt a big concern anymore or b) you make
the financial planning so that  there is an insurance of sorts so that
something doesnt take you unaware - worse put your dependents ar risk, this
is a hard one to pull off.

I often mind myself going back to a bookmarked linked of self-sustainable
farms. An acre or two of land, grow what you want and get away from the
race of making your monthly commitments, seems like a dream. BUT...

1. Any self sufficient farm thingerie is a lot of upfront capital - to cure
the land, and setup things needed for substanence - food, water,
electricity.

2. Given the scenario with the government where the apt definition is
"revolutionary governance", and what holds value, suddenly goes out of it
and land reform policies might be on the horizon, i wonder if any of the
planning we do would be free of risks.

3. All said and done, to keep up with inflation we need an asset that goes
up in value and creates liquidity over time, as agri for eg will never be a
commercially successful enterprise (atleast at that scale). And building
assets right now, take a lifetime in India.

Vijay

On Jan 24, 2017 10:54 AM, "Venkatesh H R"  wrote:

> It is a terrific experience reading all your thoughts. To me, it appears
> that
> most people, when talking about slowing down, are just referring to
> removing
> clutter from their lives. It doesn't mean they are actually slowing down.
> Indeed, in some respects they might be working harder on a few aspects of
> their
> life than ever before! Of course, there is a good chance I'm mistaken in
> this
> assumption.
> For what it's worth, I too am slowing down in my own way. 2012 was the
> last time
> we had TV at home. And this year, I'm planning to cut down significantly on
> Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn. There is a dynamic tension to
> this,
> because I depend on social media to distribute my work and listen to
> others. So
> I will still use these - but not on my mobile phone. For me, this is
> equivalent
> to slowing down. I've just been reading Deep Work by Cal Newport, the
> Georgetown
> Uni Computer Science Professor. And he is in praise of some radical
> retooling of
> our calendars and priorities.
>
>
>
>
>
> On Tue, Jan 24, 2017 12:16 AM, Venkatesh Hariharan ven...@gmail.com
> wrote:
> John, thanks for your hones answers. It's been enlightening to read all the
>
> answers. Charles, I hope to be as disciplined as you, one day.
>
>
>
>
> One of the biggest tensions in my life has been between the activist in me,
>
> who wants to change the world, and the recluse in me, who wants to run away
>
> from the world. Currently, I work with a non profit working on financial
>
> inclusion (www.ispirt.in & www.productnation.in). I have other consulting
>
> gigs but the iSPIRT one has been most intense and has pretty much taken
>
> over my calendar. I like the fact that this work contributes to a good
>
> cause, but there are moments when I crave intense solitude. I never liked
>
> multi-tasking and doing too many things at the same time. I stopped
>
> watching TV many, many years ago... try not to spend too much time on
>
> Twitter and Facebook... and thoroughly hate the always-on online lifestyle.
>
> With age, I have realized that time is not money. Time is precious and we
>
> choose to exchange it for those things that we value the most, whether
>
> that be taking care of our health, a walk in the park, meeting loved ones,
>
> or reading a book. I find that there is great joy in doing things slowly,
>
> meditatively... However, my working life has all been about cramming as
>
> much as possible into every minute available, and doing a hundred things at
>
> once... not complaining, but just making an observation... after all, it is
>
> those jobs that gave me a degree of financial independence. For a change, I
>
> want my life to be not always about efficiency, but also about beauty and
>
> the joy of each moment. Let's see how this works out :-)
>
>
>
>
> Venky
>
>
>
>
> On Mon, Jan 23, 2017 at 10:32 PM, Radhika, Y.  wrote:
>
>
>
>
> > ​Thank you so much for your honesty John. Other accounts for slowing down
>
> > always sound like they come from wherever lotuses grow (supposedly that
> is
>
> > where Vancouverites live!).
>
> >
>
> > best wishes.
>
> > Radhika
>
> >
>
>
>
>
>
>
> H R VenkateshTow-Knight Fellow 2016, New YorkCo-ordinator, Hacks/Hackers
> New
> Delhi
> Ph: +1 646-874-9924Twitter: @hrvenkatesh
>

Re: [silk] In praise of slowness

[Venkatesh H R]

It is a terrific experience reading all your thoughts. To me, it appears that
most people, when talking about slowing down, are just referring to removing
clutter from their lives. It doesn't mean they are actually slowing down.
Indeed, in some respects they might be working harder on a few aspects of their
life than ever before! Of course, there is a good chance I'm mistaken in this
assumption. 
For what it's worth, I too am slowing down in my own way. 2012 was the last time
we had TV at home. And this year, I'm planning to cut down significantly on
Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn. There is a dynamic tension to this,
because I depend on social media to distribute my work and listen to others. So
I will still use these - but not on my mobile phone. For me, this is equivalent
to slowing down. I've just been reading Deep Work by Cal Newport, the Georgetown
Uni Computer Science Professor. And he is in praise of some radical retooling of
our calendars and priorities. 





On Tue, Jan 24, 2017 12:16 AM, Venkatesh Hariharan ven...@gmail.com  wrote:
John, thanks for your hones answers. It's been enlightening to read all the

answers. Charles, I hope to be as disciplined as you, one day.




One of the biggest tensions in my life has been between the activist in me,

who wants to change the world, and the recluse in me, who wants to run away

from the world. Currently, I work with a non profit working on financial

inclusion (www.ispirt.in & www.productnation.in). I have other consulting

gigs but the iSPIRT one has been most intense and has pretty much taken

over my calendar. I like the fact that this work contributes to a good

cause, but there are moments when I crave intense solitude. I never liked

multi-tasking and doing too many things at the same time. I stopped

watching TV many, many years ago... try not to spend too much time on

Twitter and Facebook... and thoroughly hate the always-on online lifestyle.

With age, I have realized that time is not money. Time is precious and we

choose to exchange it for those things that we value the most, whether

that be taking care of our health, a walk in the park, meeting loved ones,

or reading a book. I find that there is great joy in doing things slowly,

meditatively... However, my working life has all been about cramming as

much as possible into every minute available, and doing a hundred things at

once... not complaining, but just making an observation... after all, it is

those jobs that gave me a degree of financial independence. For a change, I

want my life to be not always about efficiency, but also about beauty and

the joy of each moment. Let's see how this works out :-)




Venky




On Mon, Jan 23, 2017 at 10:32 PM, Radhika, Y.  wrote:




> ​Thank you so much for your honesty John. Other accounts for slowing down

> always sound like they come from wherever lotuses grow (supposedly that is

> where Vancouverites live!).

>

> best wishes.

> Radhika

>






H R VenkateshTow-Knight Fellow 2016, New YorkCo-ordinator, Hacks/Hackers New
Delhi
Ph: +1 646-874-9924Twitter: @hrvenkatesh

Re: [silk] In praise of slowness

[Venkatesh Hariharan]

John, thanks for your hones answers. It's been enlightening to read all the
answers. Charles, I hope to be as disciplined as you, one day.

One of the biggest tensions in my life has been between the activist in me,
who wants to change the world, and the recluse in me, who wants to run away
from the world. Currently, I work with a non profit working on financial
inclusion (www.ispirt.in & www.productnation.in). I have other consulting
gigs but the iSPIRT one has been most intense and has pretty much taken
over my calendar. I like the fact that this work contributes to a good
cause, but there are moments when I crave intense solitude. I never liked
multi-tasking and doing too many things at the same time. I stopped
watching TV many, many years ago... try not to spend too much time on
Twitter and Facebook... and thoroughly hate the always-on online lifestyle.
With age, I have realized that time is not money. Time is precious and we
choose to exchange it for those things that  we value the most, whether
that be taking care of our health, a walk in the park, meeting loved ones,
or reading a book. I find that there is great joy in doing things slowly,
meditatively... However, my working life has all been about cramming as
much as possible into every minute available, and doing a hundred things at
once... not complaining, but just making an observation... after all, it is
those jobs that gave me a degree of financial independence. For a change, I
want my life to be not always about efficiency, but also about beauty and
the joy of each moment.  Let's see how this works out :-)

Venky

On Mon, Jan 23, 2017 at 10:32 PM, Radhika, Y.  wrote:

> ​Thank you so much for your honesty John. Other accounts for slowing down
> always sound like they come from wherever lotuses grow (supposedly that is
> where Vancouverites live!).
>
> best wishes.
> Radhika
>

Re: [silk] In praise of slowness

[Radhika, Y.]

​Thank you so much for your honesty John. Other accounts for slowing down
always sound like they come from wherever lotuses grow (supposedly that is
where Vancouverites live!).

best wishes.
Radhika

Re: [silk] In praise of slowness

[Charles Haynes]

Your goals sound similar to mine, I too stopped working as a full time
salaried employee and became a consultant. That does give you control over
your time, and allows you to slow down your life, but only if you commit
 yourself to that. It's all too easy to let clients soak up all of your
time. I've found I have to set firm boundaries both in my own mind, and
explicitly with my clients. As an example, for the last few years I've not
worked Mondays. I make it clear to myself and my clients that Mondays are
for doing those things I wouldn't have time for otherwise - reading books,
watching plays, visiting with friends (or in my case, working on little
hardware projects that bring me joy but aren't for a client.)

The hardest thing for me was becoming more comfortable in enforcing that
limit, and saying "no" to clients. "I'm sorry I can't come to that meeting,
I don't work Mondays." I've learned you don't have to give an explanation,
just "I don't work Mondays." Smile, and if they ask why I just say "I only
work four days a week." And I keep strict "work hours" as well. I set aside
time for reading, for cooking, for doing ceramics, the things I know give
me pleasure and energize me.

The best part of slowing down is making more space in my life for the
things I love most. Stepping back and taking a clear-eyed look at those
things and those people that I actually enjoy, and not paying so much
attention to the things I think I'm *supposed* to enjoy. Mostly what
slowing down has allowed me to do is to *stop* doing things. Things that
don't give back joy or energy in proportion to the time they take.

So I just spent three weeks in Tasmania, in a campervan. Each morning we'd
decide where we wanted to go (within at most 2 hours of driving) and then
go there. Set up camp, and just be wherever we were. It was glorious.
Tasmania is incredibly beautiful, and it can feel almost uninhabited.

-- Charles

On Mon, 23 Jan 2017 at 16:32 Venkat  wrote:

>
>
> On 23/01/17 10:49 AM, Udhay Shankar N wrote:
> > On Sun, Jan 22, 2017 at 2:48 PM, Venkatesh Hariharan 
> > wrote:
> >
> > "What do you.love the most about living a slower life?"
> >
> >
> > ​To be able to do things on the spur of the moment. This is more a goal
> > than an achievement at this point, but still.​
> >
> > ​Oh, and naps.​ One of the great pleasures of life and a criminally
> > underrated productivity enhancer.
> And travel. Although I would not call mine a slow life, I took off for
> Kabini on a whim last Tuesday and spent a few days there. But I am
> gainfully employed with some freedom.
>
> --
>
> Cheers,
> Venkat
>
>
>

Re: [silk] In praise of slowness

[Venkat]

On 23/01/17 10:49 AM, Udhay Shankar N wrote:

On Sun, Jan 22, 2017 at 2:48 PM, Venkatesh Hariharan 
wrote:

"What do you.love the most about living a slower life?"


​To be able to do things on the spur of the moment. This is more a goal
than an achievement at this point, but still.​

​Oh, and naps.​ One of the great pleasures of life and a criminally
underrated productivity enhancer.
And travel. Although I would not call mine a slow life, I took off for 
Kabini on a whim last Tuesday and spent a few days there. But I am 
gainfully employed with some freedom.


--

Cheers,
Venkat

Re: [silk] In praise of slowness

[Tim Bray]

I’m getting kinda old and I’m still in the heart of the furnace, helping
keep AWS on the air, watching the savings expand as the shares vest.  Some
days I really don’t feel like going to work.  Some days I feel criminally
lucky - I get well-paid to write software that affects huge numbers of
lives, and occasionally nudge the Internet’s steering wheel.  One half of
me wants to step away, the other tells me that’s crazy talk, what would I
find to do that’s as compelling as what I’m doing?I have no shortage of
amusements, some of them - like sitting in libraries and editing obscure
Wikipedia entries - very nearly free.

So I probably wouldn’t be bored.

My Dad retired very poorly, hadn’t figured out what next and so didn’t do
much at all, then the dementia was on him in his early seventies.

Color me baffled.

On Sun, Jan 22, 2017 at 9:19 PM, Gautam John  wrote:

> I took a year and a half sabbatical to be a stay at home parent. While
> I'd hesitate to call it slowness (heck, anyone with a toddler can
> never be slow - put that dnnn *runs*) what it did allow me
> was re-evaluate the things that I want to maximise for and, more
> importantly, truly understand the intrinsic value of these things. It
> was otherwise very abstract - to spend time at home, to cook on a
> daily basis, to get some exercise etc. So yeah, when I did go back to
> work I did choose to find something that offered balance between the
> things I found new value in. That said, it is a luxury I am fortunate
> to have and did not involve as much sacrifice. I do not know how I
> would react to such a decision had it involved a greater than 40% hit
> on finances.
>
>


-- 
- Tim Bray (If you’d like to send me a private message, see
https://keybase.io/timbray)

Re: [silk] In praise of slowness

[Gautam John]

I took a year and a half sabbatical to be a stay at home parent. While
I'd hesitate to call it slowness (heck, anyone with a toddler can
never be slow - put that dnnn *runs*) what it did allow me
was re-evaluate the things that I want to maximise for and, more
importantly, truly understand the intrinsic value of these things. It
was otherwise very abstract - to spend time at home, to cook on a
daily basis, to get some exercise etc. So yeah, when I did go back to
work I did choose to find something that offered balance between the
things I found new value in. That said, it is a luxury I am fortunate
to have and did not involve as much sacrifice. I do not know how I
would react to such a decision had it involved a greater than 40% hit
on finances.

Re: [silk] In praise of slowness

[Udhay Shankar N]

On Sun, Jan 22, 2017 at 2:48 PM, Venkatesh Hariharan 
wrote:

"What do you.love the most about living a slower life?"


​To be able to do things on the spur of the moment. This is more a goal
than an achievement at this point, but still.​

​Oh, and naps.​ One of the great pleasures of life and a criminally
underrated productivity enhancer.

​Udhay​
-- 

((Udhay Shankar N)) ((udhay @ pobox.com)) ((www.digeratus.com))

Re: [silk] In praise of slowness

[Mohit]

On Mon, Jan 23, 2017 at 7:49 AM, John Sundman  wrote:

> I realize that all of the above is likely Too Much Information, but I
> suspect that my experience with regard to the question below is about as
> extreme as one is likely to see on this list, so in that spirit I offer it
> as an anchor point.
>

​This was useful, and enlightening. Far too often we are sold a certain
lifestyle as the "true way". It's important to hear these experiences first
hand to realise life is significantly complex.

Thanks John

Regards,
Mohit

Re: [silk] In praise of slowness

[John Sundman]

Not sure I should attempt an answer at this, but what the heck, here goes. I’ll 
try to keep it short.

After 15+ years in US computer industry as technical writer, manager of 
publications, and manager of software engineering, including 9 years working 
for Sun Microsystems when I had offices in both Massachusetts and in Silicon 
Valley California & spent much of my life on airplanes flying across the USA, I 
quit the high-tech, rat-race life and moved with my young family to the rural 
(and touristy) island of Martha’s Vineyard, 5 miles south of Cape Cod, 
Massachusetts in 1993. At that time my children were around 5, 10 & 12 years 
old. Since then we’ve lived various places on the island, but for the last 13 
years we’ve been in a small house on an unpaved road that dead-ends into a 
nature preserve. (Our children have long since grown up, although for health 
reasons our 28-year-old had to move back in with us 3 years ago. . .)

Moving to Martha’s Vineyard was a total change in lifestyle for us and the 
reasons for it were complex.

My intention was to earn my living writing technical books for publishers like 
O’Reilly. That didn’t work out so well. 

Over the last 25 years I’ve had one 2-year gig at a company in Cambridge, MA, 
and one 5 year gig at a company based in San Francisco. These jobs required me 
to rent minimal lodgings near Boston, but also allowed me to do some amount of 
work at my home on the Vineyard. Over the last decades I’ve also had dozens of 
short freelance technical writing contracts for clients all over North America; 
I did virtually all of that work from home, with the occasional trip to San 
Francisco or Palo Alto, etc.

Over the rest of that period I’ve made my living as a manual laborer, including 
warehouse work, furniture moving, and construction labor. 

I’ve also written novels and stories and done journalism of one stripe or 
another. I’m sure that it’s my novels that got me onto Silklist, for example.

My wife and I have become enmeshed in the island community. She runs the 
lecture series at our library, which brings in locally and sometimes nationally 
and internationally-known speakers, and she is also a prominent figure in 
fighting food insecurity here. 

http://www.vineyardstyle.com/marthas-vineyard.php/114/The-Serving-Hands-of-Betty-Burton
 


I work with her on the food insecurity stuff and I’m also a volunteer 
firefighter. Here’s where I was last Wednesday: 

http://www.mvtimes.com/2017/01/18/chimney-catches-fire-vineyard-haven-house/

I still make most of my income doing manual labor.  See for example

http://eepurl.com/cxC4mn 

It’s a far cry from Silicon Valley. 

I wish I could make my living as a writer. I still dream of that. I still work 
towards that. But it hasn’t happened yet. I do not miss the high tech/high 
stress life of Silicon Valley. I enjoy construction work, moving heavy shit 
from here to there, demolishing buildings, clambering up unsteady walls, 
swinging sledge hammers, and so forth. But the pay is crap and I’m not young.  
I’m strong and fit, but I’m 64 years old and I’m not all that stupid, so I know 
that some day, maybe soon, my body will give out and I won’t be able to do this 
kind of work any more. And then what?

But as to lifestyle choices, my concerns are different from anyone considering 
a move such as I made who has financial resources. Things are so much different 
when you’re poor.

For reasons I won’t go into now (children in health crises being a big part of 
it), money has always nearly always been an issue for us. For various reasons, 
even when I had high-paying jobs 30 years ago, money was an issue. 

I feel guilt over the stress my wife has endured, and especially for what my 
children endured, as we went from middle class to working class to poor. 

So why did we move to a remote island, where making money is hard to do, from 
mainland Massachusetts, where it was theoretically easier to make a buck?   
Again, the reasons are complex. They mostly have to do with complex medical 
situations.  Why did I attempt to write novels instead of going back to make 
money in the computer industry, before age discrimination shut that door for 
me? That’s too hard a question for me to deal with right now.

In retrospect I don’t know what I would have done differently. But I wish 
everything hadn’t been so fucking difficult. I wish it wasn’t so hard now. 

Maybe my next novel will bring a change in my situation. I have high hopes for 
it. But then again, I may be nuts.

I realize that all of the above is likely Too Much Information, but I suspect 
that my experience with regard to the question below is about as extreme as one 
is likely to see on this list, so in that spirit I offer it as an anchor point.

jrs

P.S. I see that I failed to keep it short. Oh well. Believe me, it could have 
been much, much longer. 

Re: [silk] In praise of slowness

[Thaths]

On Sun, Jan 22, 2017 at 8:18 PM Venkatesh Hariharan 
wrote:

I am now thinking of cutting down my consulting assignments and decisively
slowing down my life, to stop hopping from one task to the other like a
maniac, and to relish reading books and watching plays, and the company of
friends. To those who are ahead of me in this ambitious path, my question
is, "What do you.love the most about living a slower life?"


Though my work:life balance is reasonably good at the moment, it is not
where I would ideally like it to be.

There have been months and years in the past when this balance was in the
right zone. So I speak from this past experience.

What I loved about it?  Having long lunches, going for long walks, spending
months traveling slowly through a country absorbing the local
culture/food/politics, going on long retreats practicing meditation,
reading only printed material (nothing online), learning to make
(carpentry, electronics, programming, etc.), being more mindful of how I
spend money,...

Thaths

Re: [silk] In praise of slowness

[Bruce A. Metcalf]

On 01/22/2017 04:18 AM, Venkatesh Hariharan wrote:


I am going through a transition into a slower pace of life. Knowing the
eclectic nature of this list, I wanted to hear from others who have "been
there, done that." ...

I am now thinking of cutting down my consulting assignments and decisively
slowing down my life, to stop hopping from one task to the other like a
maniac, and to relish reading books and watching plays, and the company of
friends. To those who are ahead of me in this ambitious path, my question
is, "What do you.love the most about living a slower life?"


Well, it's complicated.

I tried going cold-turkey on full-time work, and lasted ten months, 
picking up a part-time job just for fun. I wasn't ready for that much 
downtime all at once, and fortunately I found something useful to do, 
rather than taking up golf or an affair.


Over fifteen years, the part-time job ramped down from four shifts/week 
to one shift/month, providing a nice glide down from full-time to 
nothing. I've now been at "nothing" for two years, and retirement seems 
to be sticking this time.


As for what I love about slowing down (gradually), I'd have to say it's 
a sense of time to do new things. In my case that was cooking and 
getting back into model railroading, but those are specific to me. It's 
not that I didn't have time for these before -- for one can always make 
time -- but now I have utterly no excuse for not living the life I 
imagine (save SWMBO's ideas for my time).


SWMBO has filled some of my time with travel. Living in Florida, quick 
cruises to the Caribbean are a commonplace, but in the next year we'll 
be sailing to Australia/New Zealand/lotsa islands; the Northwest Passage 
(Vancouver to New York the hard way); and a loop around South American 
and back through the canal (not sure if new, old, or Chinese).


But to your question, "What do I love most?" I think my answer has to be 
that it is an opportunity (more honestly, an excuse) to give myself 
permission to live more of the life that I imagine I desire. I may find 
that my imagination is false, and that this life does not satisfy, but 
that is already expected, and I look forward to what I will learn of 
myself as a result.


I hope you also find the search of value.

Cheers,
/ Bruce /

[silk] In praise of slowness

[Venkatesh Hariharan]

I am going through a transition into a slower pace of life. Knowing the
eclectic nature of this list, I wanted to hear from others who have "been
there, done that." After years in the corporate world, I decided to quit
the fast paced life anf become a consultant. My goal was to have more
control over my time, but somehow I found myself living an equally busy
life.

I am now thinking of cutting down my consulting assignments and decisively
slowing down my life, to stop hopping from one task to the other like a
maniac, and to relish reading books and watching plays, and the company of
friends. To those who are ahead of me in this ambitious path, my question
is, "What do you.love the most about living a slower life?"

Looking forward to the answers.

Veny

PS: Yup, confirmation bias :-)