🦊 Greatest Hits 2023
A tour of my best newsletters and favorite books of the past year
Last week, I announced my book of fables is launching on January 23rd, 2024. The book will ship with paperback, digital ebook and audiobook editions. We’re just three weeks away now!
I’m throwing an online launch party at 4PM PST on January 23rd to celebrate—join the fun and RSVP here: lu.ma/wandering-spirits.
2023 was a tough year filled with many personal challenges for me, but I also reached several milestones, including finishing my book.
Today I’m taking a look back at some of my best newsletters that resonated with you most, followed by a quick list of some of my favorite reads of the year.
Enjoy!
#1 — On doing whatever’s necessary to get over the hurdles and finish:
🦊 Finish It
“Finish something. Anything. Stop researching, planning, and preparing to do the work and just do the work. It doesn't matter how good or how bad it is. You don't need to set the world on fire with your first try. You just need to prove to yourself that you have what it takes to produce something.” —James Clear
#2 — The wayward story of how I started drawing, and the mindset shift that kept me going:
🦊 Reviving my childhood artist
“All children are born artists, the problem is to remain an artist as we grow up.” — Pablo Picasso. As a child, I was good at drawing, but I never kept up with it. That little artist died in grade school. He was buried under the burdens of doing well in “real” subjects like mathematics and science, getting into a good university, and pursuing a successful …
#3 — A fable of a fish, described by one reader as an “Inspiring story which reminds me of all the lessons I learned from Buddhism, Alan Watts, Thich Nhat Hanh. ‘Be here, accept what have you. Look for the beauty in.’”:
🐺 The Other Side
“I like it here,” says the young sunfish. His mother frowns at him. “We’re leaving, and that’s final. It's too dangerous. Did you already forget what happened yesterday, when you were caught by one of those invisible hooks? Or a week ago, when your sister was trapped in a monstrous black web? There’s danger everywhere. This is no place for little fish.”
#4 — On the brittleness of life, and slowing down to appreciate it:
🦊 Finding The Words
Last weekend, I attended a meditation retreat. After an hour of sitting, a loud thump broke the silence. A man had just collapsed onto the floor. At first I thought he just fell asleep. Then he began shaking. I quickly got up and tried to help him. Another man, who just happened to be a doctor, knelt next to me...
#5 — A tribute to my beloved cat Scooby, who we lost earlier this year:
So long, sweet Scooby
Last week, we buried our darling cat, Scooby. He went missing the day I left for a work trip, and a few days later when I returned, we found his remains, attacked by some animal unknown. I won’t say more about how he died. I only wish to speak about how he lived.
A few favorite books
This year, I spent a lot of time reading through an assortment of books of fables, old and new. Here are just a few I’ve delved into:
The Black Sheep and Other Fables by Monterroso
Fables and Fairy Tales by Leo Tolstoy
Friedman’s Fables by Edwin Friedman
Turkish Folk-Tales by Barbara Walker
I also explored some of the ancient classics which gave birth to fables:
Panchatantra by Vishnu Sharma
Tales of a Parrot (a.k.a. Tuti-Nama) by Muhammed Simsar
And I’m just getting started! I find these old tomes of wisdom endlessly enjoyable and insightful, and they offer great inspiration for my own fable writing. In the coming year, I hope to find ways to share some of their best stories with you (alongside my own originals).
I strongly believe the modern world could use more old wisdom.
Beyond fables, here are a few books I really enjoyed this year:
Starting Point by Hayao Miyazaki (1979-1996) — I loved this book. It’s a collection of lectures by Hayao Miyazaki, filled with wisdom from his early years making films. I love that he is honest about the pain and struggle of creating something that truly moves people. It’s not easy to do great work. There are no tricks, no shortcuts. There are many days where you are exhausted, deflated from pushing yourself so hard. But for those of us that are driven in this way, those that want to make something that evokes, moves, and touches people, it’s not really a choice. I relate with and deeply appreciate the wisdom he shares in how he makes his films.
50 Greatest Short Stories — Most short story collections I’ve read have been somewhat disappointing. They’ll include a few great stories, and the rest make me wonder why I bothered. But with this collection, I found almost every story was worth its words. So many riveting, surprising, and delightful gems are found in this book.
Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind — I haven’t quite finished this, but I’ve gotten deep enough into it to say that it is one of the most insightful books on Zen I’ve ever read. I wish I had found it sooner!
I’ll leave you with some lovely compositions by Paul Oscar Droege (1898-1983) shared by Tohad, highlighting the importance of shapes and depth:
