Last year, Heidi read a NY Times article that named the general malaise many were feeling, using the term “languishing,” a sense of “stagnation and emptiness.” It struck a chord with Heidi at the time.
It strikes a chord with me now. I have completed Level 1 of the Bangkok Game: arrival and settling in, overcoming the initial challenges. My problem is this: I haven’t unlocked Level 2. I’m a little short on purpose, feeling some “stagnation and emptiness.”
My current roles include taking care of our household and working on this website. I enjoy both, but the first one doesn’t require much and the second still feels dilettante-ish.
Heidi’s experience of languishing resulted mostly from external forces, consequences of a pandemic she neither created nor could control. Its resolution came with new choices and opportunities.
My experience of languishing has roots in my own choices, how I feel about what I’m doing. It’s up to me to chart a course beyond languishing.