The Age of Learning
You Might Surprise Yourself
One of time’s few consolations is the clarity of aging. You know what you like and can pursue that. Self-knowledge narrows the list of authors to read, clothes to wear and cities to visit. Listen to the new Bill Callahan album (he’s looking good at 59!) and it’s the sound of man who knows exactly what needs, and it’s less than you think.
This newsletter makes the case for returning to places that matter to you. But I’m trying to balance those traditions with new ones. Too much self-assurance goes hand in hand with a sense of rigidity, something I’m susceptible to. You draw a line so many times you forget that you might want to step over it. Sometimes you wisely avoid what doesn’t suit you, but does that come at the expense of cutting yourself off from a worthwhile new experience?
This was on my mind because I was just on a 10-day fast in Spain at the Buchinger Wilhelmi clinic. The first time I did this, just over a year ago, was with a healthy amount of skepticism (and to write a story for Esquire). It turned out so well I returned on my own. The fast was the main event, naturally, but while I was there, I tried to engage more. I came out of tennis retirement, I even, gasp, took my first pilates lesson (and then a second).
