Mindful Matter
If we are gonna heal, let it be glorious.
This week we are continuing to lean into uncertainty, as new questions arise and new inspiration finds us. We were most moved by author and activist Sonya Renee Taylor’s powerful call to dream and prepare for a new, more glorious world to come: “We will not go back to normal. Normal never was. Our pre-corona existence was not normal other than we normalized greed, inequity, exhaustion, depletion, extraction, disconnection, confusion, rage, hoarding, hate and lack. We should not long to return my friends. We are being given the opportunity to stitch a new garment. One that fits all of humanity and nature. What we have been forced to leave behind we needed to leave behind. What is getting us through is what we will need to take forward, all the rest is up to us. DREAM. While [you] have so much time. DREAM of the life you want. DREAM of the world you desire to exist in. Look for the places in your new dreams that have parts of the old world and remove them. What is the dream then? From there we can add to the collective weaving of whatever it is that is next. If we are gonna heal, let it be glorious.” Take a moment to write down your dream — of the life you want and the world you want to exist in. What does your life in this new world look like? In what ways does this new world look different from the old world? Journal your response, privately and for free, at Reflection.app. To our collective, glorious healing, Dave RadparvarCo-Founder, Holstee
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Leaning into uncertainty.
“Times of great uncertainty serve as wake-up calls in our lives, inviting us to lean into whatever is awoken, curious and compassionate about what wants to emerge. We deepen trust as we explore moments we may have never imagined, with perspectives we never expected to hold. This is the birthplace of compassion, creativity, action, and transformation.”These wise words from our friends at Gratefulness.org struck a chord with me. The uncertainty, the loss, and the everyday challenges we are experiencing right now can shake our foundation. They can cause us to question our understanding of the world and our place in it.But the uncertainty around this pandemic can be re-tooled into an inquiry — a deep dive exploration into all aspects of our lives. If we lean into this reflection process and the daunting questions that come with it, this period might even be the start of a profound transformation.My question for you today is: How has the pandemic changed your perspective? What values and priorities will you have coming out of this experience that you didn't have before?Journal your response, privately and for free, at Reflection.app.Wishing you clarity and perspective through reflection, Dave RadparvarCo-Founder, Holstee
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Staying grounded in uncertain times.
I wasn’t planning on writing anything about the coronavirus. The truth is, I am finding it hard to focus on anything in this present moment. The uncertainty has me unsettled. The present is constantly overshadowed by thoughts of the future. What if my friends or family get the virus? What if our city goes into full lockdown mode? How is the world going to recover? Feeling overwhelmed, I turned to my journal and reflected on past moments of uncertainty. I started making a list of things to remember, things that could ground me, bring perspective and return me to the present. I wanted to send these to you in an email in case there is something in here that resonates with you — but also because I’d love to hear how you are coping. Here are a few items from the list: Meditation. Impermanence, or anicca as it is called in the Buddhist tradition, is the idea that things are constantly changing. And that we can observe that change without becoming consumed by it. A core concept behind Vipassana meditation and mindfulness is to experience the feeling of anicca in your own body by becoming aware of your bodily sensations without reacting to them with desire or aversion. Practicing this during meditation helps prepare us so that when we are met with unexpected sensations or experiences in our everyday lives, we are better prepared to experience them with a healthy level of perspective and equanimity. I have been returning to meditation regularly these past few weeks to help recenter me. Practice gratitude. This may sound counter-intuitive when it seems like there’s more to be scared, angry or anxious about. But I come back to these words from Brother David Steindl-Rast: “I didn't say we can be grateful for everything. I said we can be grateful in every given moment…” It is not that we need to be grateful for the virus or the school closings or the delayed travel plans. But every single moment has something that we can give thanks for, if we open ourselves up to it. Our breath — which reminds us that we have the opportunity to be here and be present — is a perfect example. Journaling. Just writing things down does wonders to help me sort through and get to the bottom of how I am actually feeling. This email is a perfect example. It started with a rant answering the seemingly simple question I am prompted with every time I open my journaling app: “Hey Dave, how are you feeling today?” Getting these thoughts out of my head and onto the page is a way of acknowledging the thoughts that are racing around my head. And as I acknowledge the thoughts, I notice that they begin to quiet. Support each other. In difficult times, it’s easy to think we are alone, especially with the currently prescribed “social distancing”. Reach out to those you care about — but instead of just trading fears and anxieties, try bringing a positive element to the conversation. Let your loved ones know you are thinking about them and tell them something you appreciate about them. Spreading the love is a great way to feel the love. Support others and you will feel supported. I’d love to hear, how do you stay grounded in times of uncertainty? Dave RadparvarCo-Founder, Holstee
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Stay the course.
I was recently looking through some past Holstee artwork and came across our Stay The Course Print. Reading the caption on the back was just the Monday morning inspiration I needed. Perhaps it will resonate with you today too... Trying obstacles and turbulent waters will come up for all of us, but how we react to them is what matters most. A small ship in a large, endless ocean seems insignificant, but braving the waves not only allows the ship to sail on, it alters the entire ocean. Our individual effort may feel trivial, but the rippling effect we each make on the world is immeasurable. Approach life’s greatest challenges with your fullest conviction and keep moving forward. Stay the course, Mike RadparvarCo-Founder, Holstee P.S. We only have 14 pieces of this letterpress 5x7 print left. If these words and design resonate with you, pick one up for just $10.
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Weekly Wins
When Mike and I first started Holstee, we learned a simple lesson the hard way. Much like today, we had endless to-do lists. Logging 10-12 hours each day, we were just two young and scrappy 20-somethings trying to do it all. But we felt like we were hardly making a dent in our work. So we dialed it up even more — more cups of coffee, later nights, earlier mornings — determined to get on top of our workload. But every time we crossed 10 things off those lists, 10 more popped up — the modern equivalent of Sisyphus pushing a boulder up a hill for eternity. Despite doing a lot, we never got the reward of feeling like we were moving forward. We never felt fulfilled. Inevitably, we’d end the week feeling defeated. It took a few months before we realized that this was not sustainable — not for our minds, our bodies, or our business. So we put in place a tradition that we still practice today, 10 years later. Every Friday, each Holstee team member identifies their highlights and accomplishments from the past week. They then share this list in a dedicated “Wins” channel on Slack, our team communication platform. While the length of our to-do lists hasn't changed and we still burn the midnight oil on occasion, we now feel we can end the week reflecting on how far we’ve come and acknowledge the small steps it takes to get there. This helps us enter the weekend feeling accomplished. So much of how we feel is informed by our outlook, which can often be skewed. Sometimes all we need to do is create a practice to reflect on our days and weeks to see how far we’ve actually come — to fire up that sense of fulfillment we all deserve to feel. It's easy to see what's yet to be done, but don't forget to celebrate all you’ve accomplished. Dave RadparvarCo-Founder, Holstee P.S. We have brought this tradition to our member community, with members sharing their Weekly Wins every Friday in our online group. Become a Holstee Member and join us in this weekly practice for yourself!
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Release the tension.
I was thinking recently about tension. First, the literal concept of tension — how a rope gets tense when it’s pulled in opposite directions. The greater the distance or force between the two ends, the tighter the rope gets. Then, I started thinking about the tension in my life — the stress of feeling pushed and pulled by what is and what could be. I realized that the tensions are similar. If I am stressed about something, it’s usually because there’s a gap between my desired state and my reality. The further the distance between those two states, the less tranquil I feel. Instead, I feel stressed, twisted, and wound up. But similar to rope, there is no tension if the force from one side stops. So if I can acknowledge a wishful thought and recognize the desire in it, I can see that thought for what it is without being overtaken by it. I can let go of the “desire” side of my internal rope and be at peace with my reality. Releasing one end of the rope doesn’t mean we give up. But rather, we acknowledge the desire without letting it pull, or consume us. We can still strive for what could be, while being at peace with what is. Perhaps when we let go, our desired state will stop pulling away. Perhaps without feeling the need to pull away, it may even float in our direction. To letting go (but not giving up), Dave RadparvarCo-Founder, Holstee P.S. Our monthly membership helps people take a step back, decide what it is they truly want, and pursue that — instead of getting pulled around by the ropes of life.
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It’s never, and always, the right time.
“It isn’t a good week for a day off; things are bit too hectic.” “It’s too soon to tell her how I feel.” “It’s too late to ask for help.” It often feels like now is not the right time. But is it ever really? I notice this tension daily between the things I really want to devote my energy to versus the things that pull at my attention. Most recently, I encountered it while trying to build a new meditation habit. I had decided that it was important to me to carve out 20 minutes a day to sit quietly with my thoughts. Rationally it made sense — the science is there — and I was determined to make meditation a priority in my life. But day after day, once I got into the swing of my to-do list everything else felt higher in priority and definitely more urgent then sitting quietly for 20 minutes, even though I knew from experience that I could bring more energy and clarity to my work after even a short meditation. I saw this happening in other areas of my life as well. My wife and I recently planned a getaway for a few days. As it got closer, it just didn’t feel like the right time to get away — there was too much uncertainty, too much work, too many things that had to be done. With a non-refundable travel itinerary booked, we went despite my anxieties. And of course, the moment our train left the station and I started seeing the landscape pass by, I was reminded of the power of perspective and fresh energy that can come with distance. When it comes to things that are important but not urgent — taking time to recharge, having that conversation, reflecting on how you feel — it almost always feels like it’s not the “right time”. I’ve come to appreciate that there may never be a “right time” for many of the important things in life — and because of that, almost any time is. To making time for the important things, Dave RadparvarCo-Founder, Holstee P.S. Our goal with the Holstee Membership is to help you connect and reflect on what is important in your life through the lens of 12 mindful themes.
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A holy moment.
“This moment, it's holy. But we walk around like it's not holy. We walk around like there are some holy moments and there are all the other moments that are not holy … but this moment is holy, right?” This quote comes from a conversation in Waking Life, a 2001 animated film that takes us in and out of surreal conversations, raising deep questions about our dreams and reality while blurring the lines between them. I rewatched the movie over the weekend and love this scene, as well as so much of the movie. It reminds me just how incredible every waking moment is. In our day-to-day lives, it’s easy to forget and even easier to take for granted the magic of right now — magical in the sense that so many unlikely, incomprehensible events had to transpire in this universe to make this very moment possible. Even the sad moments, the stressful moments, the mundane moments — these are of course magical too, but rarely feel that way in the moment. Then there are the moments where you can definitely feel the magic. Like the moment I made my newborn daughter, Mala, smile for the first time. I will never forget that unbelievable sense of wonder and connection. It is a gift to appreciate the magic of what’s happening right now. What is one magical memory that you have from this year? Mike RadparvarCo-Founder, Holstee P.S. This question is just one of 100+ thought-provoking questions and conversation starters in our new Reflection Cards, which are perfect for sparking meaningful conversations with friends, family, and coworkers. There are less than 60 hours left, pre-order a deck on Kickstarter!
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