The rub

“To what extent should one involute?”

I don’t know if you have a choice Trent. I think it’s a matter of helpless focus. Things move around and either they remain important or not. Maybe it’s about making room. A little over here, under there, the need for less or more head space. Things which neither warrant attention nor demand attention are no longer required, so we drop them, or leave them behind.

Perhaps it’s a speed issue, like being able to run faster if you abandon pieces of luggage. I’m not sure really, but I like to think of involution in terms of “er”.

Smarter

Faster

Simpler

Except faster in this case means slower, more compact. The smarter, faster, more attuned you are, the more you shrink. Perhaps shrinking is a good thing? Perhaps smaller is better. In one of my favourite novels the author tells of his affection for small spaces. He describes his happiness as inversely proportionate to his living space. I suppose if you can touch all four walls around you physically or otherwise then there is solace to be found in that. It reminds me of something I read on a blog the other day:

Question
I own a young hermit crab, Finlay, who has never changed shells before. This is the first time. When I woke up he had left his first shell. He won't go into the new shells. I'm not sure why. Or what shell is best. What should I do?

Answer
Dear Hannah,
Thank you for your question.
It's usually a bad sign when a crab goes naked,

Make sure that the humidity is high, at least 80% to prevent him from drying out. You cannot do much more than keeping him moist and offering shells.

Be smart Trenton, Never be a naked crab.

All the best
Beth