Fun take on the curse of the shifting baseline. On peaches and other fruit specifically, people say that the tastiest varieties don’t keep or ship well, so the supermarkets order the lines that have been bred to withstand long journeys. Maybe growing your own is the way to achieve the dizzy heights for flavour junkies..
So close- near Park Güell. Oppressively hot day, walking up a hill toward the park, hungry, tired, overheating and a random shop that sold fruit and icy poles had the perfect peach. I bought two, and they were both heavenly. I was 20. God I’m feeling nostalgic!
I also love Barcelona. I have many friends there. And Park Güell was beautiful, and Casa Battló was sweet. Definitely I place I would go back. Si us plau!
I have been to Granada - LOVED IT. I have an ancestral connection to Spain. It’s one of my favourite countries and I would love to go back to explore Granada again.
Here in Fortaleza, Brasil, I tasted one of the best watermelon juices ever. Just the natural taste, the perfect sweetness. It will be hard to top that one up.
How would you contrast these peak experiences with states of flow? (I have also heard flow states referred to as "peak" experiences which is what inspired this question). To me the "flow state" as articulated by Csikszentmihalyi is more replicable so to speak? One may experience this state of absorption almost every time they ski, play the piano, write, etc. and each time it is psychologically nourishing yet it doesn't necessarily create this new excessively high benchmark of comparison... That's my thought but would love your take on this!
Hey Jackson I love Csiksentmihalyi’s concept of flow. But replicable? I don’t know if I’d use that term. Do check out this satirical piece on how poorly it’s described where the causes are often the same thing as flow itself making it a mess.
You don’t need to be in flow to have a peak experience (that subtitle is just great marketing). Think about hugging your kid whose throat hurts. Laughing hysterically after someone does a cute rap song about you. Being at breakfast when your daughter shows you a video of one of your delivered songs being redone in a way that is mesmerizing. And that’s just what happened to me in the last hour. None of these were flow states. They don’t meet the criteria. But damn did I feel connection and feel alive. Peaks of my day.
Totally hear you, it's a messy construct. But great examples I see what you mean about peaks that aren't necessarily "flow" -- thanks for the dialogue!
A much needed expansion on the Maximizer/Satisificer concept.
You mention a very important aspect of this: our ever-changing selves/moods contribute to the very fleeting nature of these experiences. What a fricking zen-like insight. This could be a koan.
This is so important. Our moods tend to keep some type of peak experiences in the immediate memory. And it's interesting to see what your peak experiences your mind remembers when your depressed and not on the good mood. If you fight with your wife, you remember the great sex you had with a previous couple?
Memory is a funny thing when you have those relevant experiences that aren’t powerful beyond measure, yet still have important resonance. I know what it’s like to have a positive, peak experience by myself at the beach; I really realize that it’s not ever the same, yet just like my poetry as a Poet and a Writer, transitions have value and are good to the very core. Much appreciated, Todd!
I like you mention words like resonance and transitions. We tend to forget those in-between and ligato-stacattos that make our experience of life richer and much more than a discreet sum of peak/valley episodes.
This was a pretty fun read. It makes me remember a time I felt like a cougar chaser as I went out with a couple (my wife still jokes about this everytime we see older women). And I had a peak experience regarding a specific activity. Won't go any further. It suffices to say it was hard to not comparing it to others.
Anyway, it makes sense we tend to overvalue those peak experiences and forget the whole journey. I even distinctly remember talking to my wife years ago (while we were still friends) and tell her, despite the sex with this person was great, something was missing.
So, peak experiences can cloud our mind, but there are always signals we want something else. We probably need to learn how to gain perspective and see that experience from a distance and from the larger journey that is life.
Thanks for the read, it brought memories and for sure, insights.
Fun take on the curse of the shifting baseline. On peaches and other fruit specifically, people say that the tastiest varieties don’t keep or ship well, so the supermarkets order the lines that have been bred to withstand long journeys. Maybe growing your own is the way to achieve the dizzy heights for flavour junkies..
Great farming perspective
Well I’m more of a gardener but I do have fruit trees. Sadly, not peaches, tasty or otherwise- it’s too cold in the part of the UK I live in 😭
I once had the perfect peach in Barcelona. I've never been able to replicate it and had to stop trying because it was ruining my love for peaches.
It's a great reminder of enjoying what you have and appreciating the gradient (except for the really gross things).
Thanks. And I felt that. Right off las ramblas.
So close- near Park Güell. Oppressively hot day, walking up a hill toward the park, hungry, tired, overheating and a random shop that sold fruit and icy poles had the perfect peach. I bought two, and they were both heavenly. I was 20. God I’m feeling nostalgic!
Okay I need to go back. I remember reading about Oscar Wao while eating a fudge cone there.
Hey, I hope you can come to Chile in the future so we can have a good Chilean wine!
Park Guell can make everything taste like a peak peach! Come visit Spain again, I’d recommend Granada, have you been?
I also love Barcelona. I have many friends there. And Park Güell was beautiful, and Casa Battló was sweet. Definitely I place I would go back. Si us plau!
Casa Batlló is my favourite!!!
I have been to Granada - LOVED IT. I have an ancestral connection to Spain. It’s one of my favourite countries and I would love to go back to explore Granada again.
I am quite close and would love to see you if it works! Spain is such a special place, very grateful to live here.
Here in Fortaleza, Brasil, I tasted one of the best watermelon juices ever. Just the natural taste, the perfect sweetness. It will be hard to top that one up.
Sounds heavenly! I had the perfect watermelon juice in Israel. I need to come to Brasil compare :)
Please come. So much juicy and sweet food around here :)
How would you contrast these peak experiences with states of flow? (I have also heard flow states referred to as "peak" experiences which is what inspired this question). To me the "flow state" as articulated by Csikszentmihalyi is more replicable so to speak? One may experience this state of absorption almost every time they ski, play the piano, write, etc. and each time it is psychologically nourishing yet it doesn't necessarily create this new excessively high benchmark of comparison... That's my thought but would love your take on this!
Hey Jackson I love Csiksentmihalyi’s concept of flow. But replicable? I don’t know if I’d use that term. Do check out this satirical piece on how poorly it’s described where the causes are often the same thing as flow itself making it a mess.
You don’t need to be in flow to have a peak experience (that subtitle is just great marketing). Think about hugging your kid whose throat hurts. Laughing hysterically after someone does a cute rap song about you. Being at breakfast when your daughter shows you a video of one of your delivered songs being redone in a way that is mesmerizing. And that’s just what happened to me in the last hour. None of these were flow states. They don’t meet the criteria. But damn did I feel connection and feel alive. Peaks of my day.
Totally hear you, it's a messy construct. But great examples I see what you mean about peaks that aren't necessarily "flow" -- thanks for the dialogue!
I should have said it’s a fantastic question
A much needed expansion on the Maximizer/Satisificer concept.
You mention a very important aspect of this: our ever-changing selves/moods contribute to the very fleeting nature of these experiences. What a fricking zen-like insight. This could be a koan.
This compliment is enormous. And I needed this. Tough call in 2.5 hours. Thank you!
Hope that call turns out good.
This is so important. Our moods tend to keep some type of peak experiences in the immediate memory. And it's interesting to see what your peak experiences your mind remembers when your depressed and not on the good mood. If you fight with your wife, you remember the great sex you had with a previous couple?
Memory is a funny thing when you have those relevant experiences that aren’t powerful beyond measure, yet still have important resonance. I know what it’s like to have a positive, peak experience by myself at the beach; I really realize that it’s not ever the same, yet just like my poetry as a Poet and a Writer, transitions have value and are good to the very core. Much appreciated, Todd!
I like you mention words like resonance and transitions. We tend to forget those in-between and ligato-stacattos that make our experience of life richer and much more than a discreet sum of peak/valley episodes.
This was a pretty fun read. It makes me remember a time I felt like a cougar chaser as I went out with a couple (my wife still jokes about this everytime we see older women). And I had a peak experience regarding a specific activity. Won't go any further. It suffices to say it was hard to not comparing it to others.
Anyway, it makes sense we tend to overvalue those peak experiences and forget the whole journey. I even distinctly remember talking to my wife years ago (while we were still friends) and tell her, despite the sex with this person was great, something was missing.
So, peak experiences can cloud our mind, but there are always signals we want something else. We probably need to learn how to gain perspective and see that experience from a distance and from the larger journey that is life.
Thanks for the read, it brought memories and for sure, insights.