In episode 176 of Road Work John Roderick talks to Dan Benjamin about compression. He says, “I’m not depressed…I’m in a place where I can’t go any higher.” He states that he’s experiencing, “Compression…a limiter…connected to a disease of the spirit.”
I'm not claiming to have a disease of the spirit nor am I feeling depressed...but I do feel limited. I find it hard to give myself permission to be happy when things are going well…which...if I'm realistic...is close to 99.9% of the time. It is my default choice to focus a lot of my waking hours on the .1%, feeling this limit. If I really slow down and I and think about it… I have a great life!
I’m in a successful marriage! We live in an amazing house! I have my PhD. I’ve co-authored a book and written several magazine articles related to education! I am a successful teacher! I have friends and family that care about me! I’m physically healthier now than I’ve been at any time in my life! I’ve cultivated a spiritual path that helps me!
Am I supposed to “go any higher?” Am I limited? Why is my self-proclaimed great life feel like it's not enough?
NOTE: I’ve decided that, for now, I will be dedicating subsequent blogposts to what I’ve been writing about for the last 7 days…what it means to “teach” from home during the Coronavirus.