A little bit is better than nothing

Daily Meditation 926–9/13/2024

I’ve been sick on and off for the better part of a full week. Totally unheard of for me!

No fever, but aches, a sore throat that just won’t go away, headache which fades in and out, and a few other periodic and odd symptoms. But overall, very tired and low energy. I miss having the gusto to go blast at the gym, jog, or to get all my 13,000 steps every day!

But here’s the rub:

I do something!

Even if I don’t bench or squat or deadlift in this state, I’m getting outside in the sun and fresh air to walk while I feel okay. I hop on the treadmill for a few minutes here or there. I do my writing and work with my bursts of “feeling good” energy.

I do something instead of allowing myself to just accept the excuse of “I’m sick!” to keep me from doing anything.

When you feel badly like this it is quite easy to be like “You know? I’m gonna just play Zelda all day.”

Try not to. Don’t overdo it, either, but avoid the temptation of laying about all day while you’re ill.

In closing — walk the block, sit outside to read or rest, go up and down your steps, take advantage of the moment you’ve got a bit of energy. Don’t let your illness crush you more with excessive rest.

Hit the ✉️Email Subscribe✉️ button to get these DAILY in your inbox!

Follow for daily philosophical meditations.

These are distillations from my coming book “YouDaimonia: the Philosophy of Human Flourishing.”