I recently finished “A Man in Full” by Tom Wolfe.  It is a great, long novel for a Heroic Stoic to read.  One of the great questions that are posed to the reader of this book is, “What if you lost everything?”   What if you lost all of your possessions, your family, your health, your reputation, or any combination of these?  I think it is healthy to mentally prepare for the possibility.

Try imagining your life without any of these things: 1) everything you own 2) your spouse or children 3) or your ability to walk, see, hear, etc.

Try actually depriving yourself, maybe even for a day, of something you take for granted:  1) shoes 2) air conditioning 3) electricity 4) solid food.

These practices will help you in a time when maybe you might need to deal with similar situations, a situation that is not so severe, AND it will help you appreciate those things that you have.

“Never in any case say I have lost such a thing, but I have returned it.  Is your child dead?  It is a return. Is your wife dead? It is a return. Are you deprived of your estate?  Is not this also a return?”  – Epictetus