No Water, No AC, and Stoicism
Two months ago, I took up Stoicism to gain greater self-mastery and self-control. This came in handy today. Our building's chiller pump broke last Sunday, leaving us without air conditioning. The AC will not be back on until Tuesday. This morning, we found our water had been shut off. I called the front desk and they said the water would be back on in 3-4 hours. I wasn't able to work out or bathe.
Fortunately, I had to do errands across town, so that would get me out of the house and into public transit and stores with A/C. It was also a lovely day with plenty of breezes. I threw on some clothes, tied my hair up in a messy bun, and hoped for the best. The store where I picked up magical supplies was a lovely botanica with entire shelves full of candles alone of all sizes and colors and purposes. Racks of incense filled an entire aisle. In short, the store had useful supplies for all faiths. Newage BS was entirely absent, which was a refreshing change from the fare of the typical occult store. Best of all, the prices were amazingly cheap. We're going on a field trip in the fall when it's cooler out.
I also ran other, more mundane errands. I appreciated the AC all the more because I don't know when we'll get it back. The cool air blowing on me in the Metro trains and buses, plus the lovely breezes, mitigated the stickness of my unwashed, unshaved body. I realized that cleanliness is a privilege. I should not be hasty to judge people when they aren't clean. Maybe they don't have access to water to wash themselves regularly. They also may be too depressed to bathe or lack the ability to bathe due to an invisible physical disability that limits mobility.
By the time I got back home, my wife reported the water had been restored. I gratefully threw my stinky clothes into the hamper and took a nice, refreshing bath.
Where did Stoicism come in? By reflecting on the good things I could access, I kept myself from freaking out about lacking A/C and water. Through the principles of amor fati (accepting what is) and gratitude for what I had that day, I stayed calm and functional.
Fortunately, I had to do errands across town, so that would get me out of the house and into public transit and stores with A/C. It was also a lovely day with plenty of breezes. I threw on some clothes, tied my hair up in a messy bun, and hoped for the best. The store where I picked up magical supplies was a lovely botanica with entire shelves full of candles alone of all sizes and colors and purposes. Racks of incense filled an entire aisle. In short, the store had useful supplies for all faiths. Newage BS was entirely absent, which was a refreshing change from the fare of the typical occult store. Best of all, the prices were amazingly cheap. We're going on a field trip in the fall when it's cooler out.
I also ran other, more mundane errands. I appreciated the AC all the more because I don't know when we'll get it back. The cool air blowing on me in the Metro trains and buses, plus the lovely breezes, mitigated the stickness of my unwashed, unshaved body. I realized that cleanliness is a privilege. I should not be hasty to judge people when they aren't clean. Maybe they don't have access to water to wash themselves regularly. They also may be too depressed to bathe or lack the ability to bathe due to an invisible physical disability that limits mobility.
By the time I got back home, my wife reported the water had been restored. I gratefully threw my stinky clothes into the hamper and took a nice, refreshing bath.
Where did Stoicism come in? By reflecting on the good things I could access, I kept myself from freaking out about lacking A/C and water. Through the principles of amor fati (accepting what is) and gratitude for what I had that day, I stayed calm and functional.