pleasureful stability in the senses, taken offline

I have been nomadic for a few months, and so each time I get my haircut, it is with a different person. Last time, I went to a wise, elfish barber who owned and worked in his shop for 40 years. I said something to the effect of:  wow, that level of stability seems really comforting. And he said: stability is what you make it. It is a deceptively simple statement. 

Part of the stability that I’ve been creating for myself this summer has meant being as offline as possible and centering pleasure in the sensory. I’ve had more time for long bike rides, friendship (human and non-human alike), visiting the lake, making art, meditation, reading, staring at the sky. My recommendation is: even if you don’t have the time or resources to take a vacation to recenter, or if you are untethered, create some stability for yourself through the pleasurable elements of your daily, sensory life: offline.

And a few standout books to recommend from the past month: 

The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison— a haunting gut punch, always

The Other Shore by Thich Nhat Hanh— heart sutra primer 

Clytemnestra by Costanza Casati— super sensual (and thoughtfully rec’ed by @varsha ty :)

Sublimation by Isabel J. Kim— the double consciousness of immigration 

Enjoy your body with the summer that we have left <3  Yuji Agematsu seems to practice stability in sensual noticing, so I'm sharing his work (and honestly, just bc I love it).