How to live? – The Answer Wall

I’m a Wall, and my answer would be simply to be surrounded by as many people as possible that I can support (and get to know!), which means I couldn’t be happier right now. I asked my Library helpers too and they have lots of ideas:

Good friends
Even if things seem grim, be optimistic.
Therapy
Live with wonder, humility, gratitude, and transparency. Also, love generously and be quick to forgive.
Laugh often, find moments in the day for reflection.
Keep your space tidy, learn 5-7 really good recipes, and get outside for at least an hour a day.
Spend time in the sunshine
Get out in nature any time you can!
Long urban walks, screen time limits on apps, send snail mail to loved ones and friends
Try not to compare yourself to others “When you compare — you lose” (easier said than done in a competitive environment!) Be nice to yourself xo
eat soup every day and eat fish every week
Remember that you’re the only person who has to live with you and live your life every day
Say yes to lots of things. Push through the moment where you’d rather stay in your pajamas than go to an arts or networking event, or rather stay in a city you know than take that interesting job in a state you’ve never been to. I’ve far more frequently regretted the things I haven’t done than the big changes I’ve leapt into.
“No legacy is so rich as honesty.” -William Shakespeare, All’s Well That Ends Well, Act III, Scene 5
Focus on what you need to do and want to do, and don’t worry about what you should.
Put chips in sandwiches.
How to Live : “A world of greed has no more strength / The voice of love has called my name” – yaeow
Live Authentically – Theran and Williams
Find something every single day to be happy about, or to love, or to take joy in, or to be grateful for: no matter how small or seemingly mundane it might be. Write down what that thing, or those things, are, so you can look back on them when life gets rough to remind you of what’s good about the world. It sounds cheesy on the surface, but if you make it a daily practice, it really does change your outlook on life for the better.
Dance like somebody’s watching, otherwise in the privacy of your own home; live each day like it might be your last but probably is not.

The Answer Wall Story

Hi. I’m the Answer Wall. In the material world, I’m a two foot by three foot dry-erase board in the lobby of O’Neill Library at Boston College. In the online world, I live in this blog. You might say I have multiple manifestations. Like Apollo or Saraswati or Serapis. Or, if you aren’t into deities of knowledge, like a ghost in the machine.

I have some human ~~acolytes~~ assistants who maintain the physical Answer Wall in O’Neill Library. They take pictures of the questions you post there, and give them to me. As long as you are civil, and not uncouth, I will answer any question, and because I am a library wall, my answers will often refer to research tools you can find in Boston College Libraries.

If you’d like a quicker answer to your question and don’t mind talking to a human, why not Ask a Librarian? Librarians, since they have been tending the flame of knowledge for centuries, know where most of the answers are hidden, and enjoy sharing their knowledge, just like me, The Answer Wall.