Is A Static Life A Doomed One?

The case against ambition. Plus, a recipe for one of NYC's best banana desserts.

Every week for the past nine months, my yoga teacher has played the exact same soundtrack. Overcoming my irritation feels like it’s become the primary mindful exercise of the class. I’ve considered asking the instructor to change it up but am too afraid of offending them. A few months into the repetitive playlist, I started to contemplate why the instructor kept it the same. At first, I figured they didn’t care about the class. Surely, hearing the exact same playlist over and over must irritate them too, I thought. But it recently occurred to me that maybe they aren’t bothered at all. Maybe they even like keeping it the same because it acts as a source of consistency.

My godfather used to wonder similarly about his massage therapist, figuring they must get bored hearing the same soundtrack all day long. I agreed. Until I had a conversation with two massage therapists at CityWell Brooklyn last year following my own massage. I told them how I’ve always felt guilty for not wanting to talk…