I’m Nathan Langley and this is Maackia, a monthly newsletter on an envelope, habits, and weeding.
DAVID BRANCACCIO: There’s a little sweet moment, I’ve got to say, in a very intense book — your latest — in which you’re heading out the door and your wife says what are you doing? I think you say — I’m getting — I’m going to buy an envelope.
KURT VONNEGUT: Yeah.
DAVID BRANCACCIO: What happens then?
KURT VONNEGUT: Oh, she says well, you’re not a poor man. You know, why don’t you go online and buy a hundred envelopes and put them in the closet? And so I pretend not to hear her. And go out to get an envelope because I’m going to have a hell of a good time in the process of buying one envelope.
I meet a lot of people. And, see some great looking babes. And a fire engine goes by. And I give them the thumbs up. And, ask a woman what kind of dog that is. And, and I don’t know…
And, of course, the computers will do us out of that. And, what the computer people don’t realize, or they don’t care, is we’re dancing animals. You know, we love to move around. And, we’re not supposed to dance at all anymore.
— PBS Interview with Kurt Vonnegut
I have been reading Atomic Habits again. At this point, it’s almost like my version of a New Years resolution. A refresher to see what my eyes pick up that is different this time around the sun. The most glaring issue that is literally staring me in the face is my phone. I do not like the relationship I have with it, particularly with the news the way that it is right now. For my own sanity, I have to do better.
To start, I have tried to turn it into a purposeful tool again, rather than an all-in-one device. No more social media; no games. It is now focused on reading (Apple News, Books, RSS via the app Reeder), work (time tracking via Toggl, calendar, email), direct communication (phone, iMessage), health, and music / podcasts.
Despite my best efforts, I still have a habit of checking the news on Reddit more than I would like. Particularly when I am trying to relax before falling asleep. A negative habit, as they say in the book. The core problem, however, isn’t reading Reddit more than I would like. It’s that my phone is the trigger for my negative habit, and my phone is always with me.
So I am trying something new this year: no more phone in the same room as I sleep. Instead, I want to strengthen a different habit. I want to read more books. I am who I am, though, and I prefer reading on a device. I like to create highlights and notes as I go along. One, because that is another habit I developed during school, and two, I like to see what I had thought was important during my first read through if I return to the book again at a later date.
There are lots of different devices that I could have employed to help with this problem, but I went with the most obvious solution for me. I bought an iPad mini. Once it arrived, I locked the device down except for three apps: Books, Kindle, and my local library’s digital borrowing app.
So far, it has had the desired effect. I am reading more books! And because it is literally locked down except for those three apps, there is no more cue to browse the web or get distracted by anything else it can do.
As a result of my little habit experiment, I have also started re-reading Why Buddhism is True. In this reading, my mind seemed to stick on the difference between concentration and mindfulness meditation in relation to the overall gardening act. I am coming to the realization that maybe (maybe!), weeding plays a crucial role in the enjoyment of a garden beyond the physical act of weeding and that without it, a garden becomes yet another thing that is easily ignored and forgotten.
Let’s start with the obvious. What is the difference between concentration and mindfulness meditation (according to the book, anyway)? The typical example of concentration meditation is focusing on your breath. Watching it go in and out, over and over again, for an extended period of time. It sounds ridiculous if you are new to the world of meditation, but it leads to something important.
Mustering some concentration is what liberates you from the default mode network and stops the mental chatter that normally preoccupies you.
— Why Buddhism is True
In other words, by focusing on your breath, you become aware of the thoughts that are inundating your mind all the time.
Then, having used concentration meditation to stabilize your attention, you can shift your attention to whatever it is you’re now going to be mindful of…”
— Why Buddhism is True
Like the sounds, smells, colours, etc. coming from your garden! Mindfulness brings with it a greater depth of awareness. Maybe you begin to notice subtle shades of colour between plants, or hear the drone of bees nearby that you hadn’t realized were there before. Or maybe you begin to see the subtle changes in growth as each plant wakes up from winter, grows, flowers, sets seeds, and then goes back to sleep.
I guess the concentration part of this cycle doesn’t have to be from weeding. You could probably reach a similar state if you are pruning an apple tree, for example. But the overall point remains: if you are going to truly enjoy a garden and all that it brings, you likely need to spend numerous hours doing physical labour within that space. And you need to do it repeatedly.
As this newsletter is getting to be a bit on the long side, let’s end on a few questions.
Is wanting a “low / no maintenance” garden actually doing you any favours (skipping over the fact that a “no maintenance” garden doesn’t exist)?
Will you end up with a beautiful space that you appreciate and enjoy looking at if you chase the low maintenance dream?
Or, will the garden become yet another thing you don’t have time for and a burden on your mind among all the other things you have floating around in there vying for attention?
Maybe weeding is the point after all.
n