Hey friends,

I'm in Korea visiting my parents, and will be here for another month before returning back to Los Angeles. The summer is usually a time in which I slow down on the creative front, and given the pace in which I worked for the first half of the year, this is necessary. While I’ve yet to announce the big project I’ve been working on, just know that as a newsletter reader, you’ll be among the first to know.

In the meantime, I wanted to continue sharing both new and old posts via this newsletter. I’ve had to process a lot of things on the personal front recently, and while I won’t detail the specifics here, much of it has been an exercise in navigating uncertainty. I’ve found that one of the more helpful ways to clear the haze is with creative expression, which is why I want to share its byproducts with you from time to time.

For today, I wanted to re-share a story on the precariousness of life. We often think that what we experience today will extend outward to tomorrow, but this is mostly an exercise in quelling the unknown. The truth is that the line of continuity can be broken at any time, and without justification. Disorder knows no bounds, and it never has to explain why it dances the way it does.

The best you can do is to be grateful for everything you have, knowing that one day, you will long for the very things you currently retain. This is the topic for today’s story, which makes me a bit emotional every time I read it. Many readers have told me that it’s had the same effect for them as well.

Hope today’s piece helps you see just how precious your life really is:

​The Finality of Everything​

The Examined Writer is 40% off

I rarely offer a discount this steep, but this is an appropriate time to do it as things slow down for the summer.

My self-paced writing course, The Examined Writer, will be 40% off for a (very) limited time. You’ll get lifetime access to 36 high-quality video lessons, all of which will show you how to write reflections for the modern reader. Students from all around the world have taken it, and I’m confident you’ll get a lot out of it.

The Premium edition is just $150, usually $265. (The Essential edition will stay the same.)

If you’ve been thinking about taking this course, today’s the time to do it. Hit the button below for the discounted link:

Hope you enjoy it =).

An Illustrated Insight

"Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes - including you." — Anne Lamott

A Thought I’ve Been Pondering

As you spend time with your loved ones this summer, it's worth reminding yourself of the importance of asking questions. Here's a brief thought I shared the other day on Twitter/X:

The more questions you ask, the more you learn. It seems like such an obvious statement, but it’s quite shocking how few questions you ask when you’re with people you’re comfortable with. There are many reasons why this may be the case, but the most salient is that your curiosity toward the person has been extinguished.

Krishnamurti said that a mind that doesn’t ask questions is one that is dead. This also applies to relationships as well. If you’re no longer curious to know about the person in front of you - be it your childhood friend or your father - then that relationship is devoid of life. You can say that you love someone, but if you no longer seek to inquire about that person’s heart and mind, then that love will fade into complacency and then into nothingness.

A Brief Parting Question

I’ve been reading a book called How to Be Sick, which details the author’s harrowing descent into chronic illness, and her heartening ascent through a reframing of her predicament. Reading this made me want to reach out to those of you that may be struggling with something similar.

For those of you that are experiencing (or have experienced) a challenging health issue, how are you navigating the uncertainty that accompanies it? How are you cultivating peace, even when the underlying condition continues to afflict you?

I know this is a personal question, but that hasn’t stopped many of you from reaching out with deeply personal responses. Just know that every word you write will be read by me.

As always, hit reply to share any thoughts, to respond to the parting question, or to simply say hello. I love hearing from you.

Thanks for reading, and feel free to share this email with anyone who might enjoy it. Have a great rest of your week!

-Lawrence Yeo

P.S. Thanks to Mickey Patel, Julie England, Mauricio Gill, and Del Slane for adding your support on Patreon! It means so much. If you’d like to support More To That and get access to book recommendations, exclusive AMAs, offline posts, and other reflections, join as a patron today.

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