Cool Films, Belonging, Writing Practices, and Morning Zen

Hello friends and welcome back to Life Reimagined, a free weekly elixir designed to make you feel good and live better.

This week, we’ll hop around the chaos of my mind to learn about a cool filmmaker, helpful writing practices, a word that describes my favorite morning practice, and a poem that may help you see the world differently.

Before we dive in, if you want to submit a question for me to answer in a future newsletter for the Dear Cal Reader Q&A Series, you can do so here. You can also reply directly to this email.

🎥 I. Filmmaker I’m Enjoying

I recently watched Triangle of Sadness (2022) and Force Majeure (2014). Both films were dark comedies written and directed by Ruben Östlund, a Swedish filmmaker who has a fascinating style that makes you so uncomfortable that you sometimes find yourself laughing.

Neither of these films was my favorite of all time, but I appreciated their unique style and break from the orthodoxy of traditional big-picture movies.

🕊️ II. Fun Word I’m Thinking About

Gökotta is an untranslatable Swedish word that means to rise at dawn in order to go outside and listen to the birds sing. I loved learning this word because it gave me a concept to describe a practice that I do on most mornings.

Right when I wake up, before engaging with my phone or anything I need to do that day, I make an espresso and go outside. And whether it’s sunny, rainy, foggy, or windy, I immerse myself in the elements of the day and listen to the birds sing if they’ve decided to grace me with their presence that morning.

This little morning ritual is often the most enjoyable part of my day and something that has never gotten old. It’s one of the few dedicated times I have to connect with the beauty of nature and take in the sensations of being alive before the buzz of real-world busyness takes over my mind and schedule.

📝 III. Writing Practice That’s Working

I’ve been writing a lot for the first time in a while, and that’s in part due to some writing practices I’ve been using from Natalie Goldberg’s Wild Mind.

For all of the writing practices that I share below, I follow four rules that Goldberg suggests to help create flow and true writing. These rules help a ton, especially if you’ve been creatively blocked as I have for some time.

1. Keep your hand moving. “When you sit down to write, whether it’s for ten minutes or an hour, once you begin, don’t stop. If an atom bomb drops at your feet eight minutes after you have begun and you were going to write for ten minutes, don’t budge. You’ll go out writing.”

2. Lose control. “Say what you want to say. Don’t worry if it’s correct, polite, appropriate. Just let it rip.”

3. Be specific. “Not car, but Cadillac. Not fruit, but apple. Not bird, but wren. Not a codependent, neurotic man, but Harry, who runs to open the refrigerator for his wife, thinking she wants an apple, when she is headed for the gas stove to light her cigarette.”

4. Don’t think. “We usually live in the realm of second or third thoughts, thoughts on thoughts, rather than in the realm of first thoughts, the real way we flash on something. Stay with the first flash. Writing practice will help you contact first thoughts. Just practice and forget everything else.”

Operating within these rules, I’ve used a series of timed writing practices in which I answer a prompt that starts with a question or a few words. Depending on the day and the prompt, I set my timer for 5, 10, 20, or 30 minutes.

Here are a few examples of prompts:

• Start with I remember and write for 10 minutes. Then set another timer for 10 minutes and start with I don’t remember. You can use a variety of prompts that follow this structure: I know / I don’t know. I’m thinking of / I’m not thinking of. I want / I don’t want. I feel / I don’t feel.

• Write everything you know and don’t know about sleep. Dig into the details of your relationship with sleep over your life.

• Write everything you know and don’t know about death. Include your abstract understanding of death, in addition to experiences that you’ve had.

• Start with “I want to write about” and list out the specifics of everything you want to write about. If you are not a writer, you can try other things: “I want to create,” “I want my business to be,” and so on. You can also use the structure of “I don’t want to write about” in another timed session.

Honestly, the specific prompts don’t matter as much as sitting down, setting a timer, and following Goldberg’s four rules until the timer goes off.

So far, I’ve produced 50 pages of writing with these exercises. Most of the writing is rubbish, but some of it will likely turn into articles I hope to share in the coming months as I spend more time writing.

🏠 IV. Poem I’m Enjoying

The “House of Belonging” by David Whyte is one of my favorite poems.

What you take away from the poem changes every time you read it. Lately, it’s been a gentle reminder for me to slow down and appreciate every day that I have to live in this fragile, beautiful, and sometimes painful world.

🧠 V. Something I’m Thinking About

No one writes about surfing like William Finnegan. His memoir, Barbarian Days, is the best book around for anyone who wants to understand the surfer’s path.

I love many passages from the book, but have a particular fondness for his description of the feelings that emerge following a surf session.

— Cal

🌎️ Three other things you might enjoy

1. Doing Time Right: Everyone wants to get more done in less time. This course will show you exactly how to do that with the eliminate, automate, delegate, and iterate framework.

2. Foundations. Looking for good books to read? Check out Foundations, a growing digital notebook with notes & lessons from 100+ timeless books.

3. Listen to the Podcast: Feel like school didn't prepare you for adulthood? The Sh*t You Don't Learn in School podcast exists to help make up for this societal failure.