The Right Hook
There’s an old folk saying that goes something like, “some people forget to live as if a giant lobster could fall onto their head at any moment”. Or maybe you prefer Mike Tyson’s version: “everybody has a plan until they get punched in the face”. Either way, I think we can all agree that something horrible, shocking, and unprecedented has happened, and we don’t really know how to react to it. I think our first instinct, reflexively, is to compare this with historical events, because knowing that “we’ve been through this before” gives us peace of mind. I’ve seen people talk about the Vietnam War, 9/11, and the first SARS outbreak, but I’m 23 and don’t have that perspective. The closest parallel I can think of is the 2007 financial crisis, but back then I was trading Pokemon cards, not stocks. It just doesn’t carry the same emotional weight for me.
The Fool’s Game
So… what can we do? For me, the first step was to stop pressing for immediate answers and to embrace the uncertainty that’s sure to lie ahead in the next couple months. This is a difficult concept to grasp, especially in a culture that moves as quickly as ours. We expect our packages to arrive within the day, our crush to respond within the hour, our Uber driver to arrive within the minute, and our news to arrive within the second. The reality is that certain events just have longer time horizons, and that’s OK. I try not to focus on when this will all end - when I can go back to playing basketball again, when I can grab beers with friends again, when I can look like a roller-blading flamingo on the dance floor again - and instead focus on the fact that it will end. It may not be for months, it may not be for a year, but it will end. Coming to terms with this has been empowering. Instead of worrying about the fool’s game of prediction, it’s allowed me to focus on the things that really matter - mental/physical health, meaningful relationships, and laughter.
The Long Game
My morning routine is simple. I go outside for a walk, grab a coffee from my favorite local store, and call my parents to see how they’re doing. Most of our conversations are unremarkable, but that’s not the point. It’s just a way for us to stay connected and to take a break from being assaulted by exponential graphs. Having run a small business in San Francisco for over 30 years, my parents have seen a lot of shit. They may have never experienced a global pandemic, but they’ve been hit by their fair share of lobsters falling from the sky. If there’s anything I’ve learned from them over the years, it’s that the key to being resilient is to visualize the best case and prepare for the worst case. Lean too much either way and you risk missing out on opportunities, or, worse, being knocked out cold by an unsuspecting haymaker from Mike Tyson. I think how you choose to respond to the current situation is no different. I personally lean towards the optimistic side, because I think it’s the healthier long-term perspective. It may not seem like it now, but a glass of SPILT MILK can still be half-full.
by Ben Geffner - Frontier Seeker. Disbeliever of Boredom. Professional Pants Ripper.
Follow Ben on Instagram @bean.gaffner
Follow SPILT MILK on Instagram @spiltmilk_clothing
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