XXXXVIII. On Finding Enough & Groundless Fears
Start noticing the quiet marvels that are already here—like a perfectly ripe avocado or a day our music app plays bangers back to back
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“Give yourself a gift: the present moment.” – Marcus Aurelius
On Finding Enough
Morning Reflection
Making this moment enough is like realizing you’ve been carrying a pen in your pocket all day when you really needed one.
It’s not earth-shattering, but it’s oddly satisfying.
The trick is to stop waiting for life to throw us confetti and start noticing the quiet marvels that are already here—like a perfectly ripe avocado or an hour our music app plays bangers back to back.
We’ve survived a lot to get to this moment—bad haircuts, awkward goodbyes where both parties walked in the same direction, overly talkative strangers, political debates with relatives, and that time we tried to assemble furniture without reading the instructions.
Right now, we have what we need: the chance to choose joy.
Whether that means creating something meaningful, loving someone wholeheartedly—even if they annoy us with dumb questions, sipping our coffee before it cools, a sink without dirty dishes, or simply enjoying the fact that we’re alive and not on hold with customer service, this moment is enough if we let it be.
Evening Reflection
As the day winds down, it’s worth asking:
Why do we let the minor inconveniences of life steal the spotlight?
Yes, the Wi-Fi dropped out, the soup was too salty, and the neighbor sounded like he had a fun night wrestling a goat—but none of these deserve the final word on our day.
We can wrap things up by focusing on what went right.
Maybe we didn’t climb Everest, but did we make it through without setting anything, or anyone, on fire?
Did we find a moment to laugh, even if it was at ourselves?
That’s a win.
Tomorrow’s quirks and chaos will arrive soon enough, but for tonight, let’s end the day with a quiet smile and a nod to the absurd brilliance of being alive.
On Groundless Fears
Morning Reflection
The fear of losing things is as common as forgetting why we walked into a room, or getting a song stuck in our head—annoying, persistent, and often irrational.
For some of us, it’s about money.
For others, it’s relationships, freedom, or the Wi-Fi connection during an important video call.
But when we sit with these fears, we realize they’re often overblown, like being convinced we need 20 kinds of snacks for a two-hour bus ride.
Money, for example, is like a cat—fickle, prone to wandering, and always slipping away just when you think you’ve got it under control.
Relationships, too, are less about keeping and more about cherishing; some stay, some go, and some teach us why locking our phone during an argument is a good idea.
Possessions? Half of what we worry about losing hasn’t been touched since the day we bought it.
Look at the drawer full of cables and a closet full of someday clothes.
What matters most can’t be misplaced, forgotten, or cracked—it’s our character, our adaptability, our dreams, and our ability to laugh in the face of whatever absurdity life throws our way.
Evening Reflection
By the time the day winds down, the fears we carried earlier often shrink, like shadows at sunset.
The job that didn’t work out? A chance to rethink what we really want.
The friendship that’s drifted? Maybe it’s making room for a new connection that doesn’t involve debating who owes whom a gift.
Even the disappearance of our favorite hoodie can be less devastating—though still mildly infuriating.
Loss is rarely as catastrophic as it seems.
We’re always more equipped to handle it than we think — if we premeditate it without being too worried and aren’t too attached to material things and people.
If we can laugh about it—even if it’s just the faint, rueful chuckle of someone who’s accidentally deleted their 2000-word draft—then we’ve already won half the battle.
What I'm trying to say is...
Life isn’t about chasing grand, perfect moments.
It’s about finding joy in the ordinary ones, like finding change on the couch just when you need it.
A well-timed breeze, the first bite of our favorite burger, or a random moment of peace when no one needs us—these are the treasures that make up a full life.
Loss, while uncomfortable, is rarely as world-ending as it seems.
It’s more like spilling your drink—it’s messy and inconvenient, but eventually, you clean it up and move on.
What we lose makes room for what’s next, and what’s next is often far better than we expected.
So, here’s to this moment—not perfect, but perfectly ours. And honestly, isn’t that more than enough?
Practical Steps to Make the Most of This Meditation
Reflecting on the beauty of the present moment and reframing our fears about loss can be profoundly transformative.
Here are practical, actionable steps to carry throughout your day as we talked about on how to get the most out of Stoicism:
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