Splash No. 166 - Meters
Splash No. 166 - Meters
Meters
In the latest edition of my favorite newsletter Maybe, Baby, Haley Nahman proposes a theory of life, in which different aspects of ourselves lay on a two-sided meter where one side is “too much,” one side is “too little,” and the absolute middle is “just right.” So, at any given time, your sleep meter will land somewhere in between too much and too little and will sometimes be just right. And the same will be true for your working meter and your vegetable consumption meter and your yoga meter and so on and so forth. Nahman suggests that growing up doesn’t mean finding the balance in all of these meters, but rather growing to accept the variability in each meter.
This interpretation feels good to me, especially in contrast to another life theory that I used to think about: the four burners theory of work-life balance. The Four Burners Theory says that your life can be divided into the four burners of health, work, family, and friends and, “in order to be successful you have to cut off one of your burners. And in order to be really successful you have to cut off two.” When I first discovered this idea a few years ago, it made a lot of sense to me, but looking at it now, it just sounds simplistic — assuming that fulfilling work requires massive amounts of time that ruin relationships or health.
When I divide my burners up into a bunch of meters each, things start to seem more manageable. I have a ton of meters around whose values bounce around like a metronome, but I also have the ability to look around and pay attention to certain ones with particular focus and intention. I can’t possibly control every aspect of my life, especially not the Taco Bell consumption meter, but I can give special attention to the parts that do matter to me, like sleep and family. As I focus on the ones that matter to me, the other ones like mental health and general well-being would improve as well. And there are the meters that are hazier: is it possible to be too honest or too authentic in life? Is it worthwhile to pay attention to the meters in that case?
Maybe not — maybe it’s better to let my attention move slowly from one meter to another, allowing them to shift in and out of focus. A few months ago, chess was my favorite hobby and now I can’t remember the last time I played a game. But I don’t mind; I like the idea that there are seasons for what I love and what I don’t, room for change in who I am constantly. My dreams of yesterday aren’t my dreams of today, and who I am today may not be who I am tomorrow.
Drops of the Week
PLAYLIST - The Wind Down - nice chill vibes to wind down before bed
ARTICLE - "Recalibrating What's Good" by Kate McKean - maybe bad things can be good too
POEM - "A Portable Paradise" by Roger Robinson - great piece!!
With each day, we can move closer to a more equitable world. Reminders:
Resources for Afghanistan Mutual Aid Networks
Anti-racism resources
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Metrically,
Nikhil