How many of you have experienced “flow,” that feeling of such focused energy you feel when making art, participating in sports, writing, or trying to solve a problem? I have. And I credit it for keeping me sane during some dark political days and throughout the pandemic. Time seems non-existent. One minute you are aware of what you’re doing. And, suddenly, you realize it’s three hours later.

Not only is the experience wonderful, the afterglow, that sense of accomplishment, also carries the feeling even after you’ve re-entered the real world. After a day of focused creativity, making posters, or writing, I think about it when I go to bed and fall fast asleep. Even when my creative process occurs over many days—and even when my initial attempts just aren’t working, I consider my time well-spent. Failure doesn’t prevent me from being in the flow.

Psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi coined “Flow” in his 1990 book, Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience. Dr. Csikszentmihalyi died last week at 87. He was interested in researching the psychology of fulfillment when most of the field was focused on our misery.

In a 1996 interview in Wired, Csikszentmihalyi described the flow as “being completely involved in an activity for its own sake. The ego falls away. Time flies. Every action, movement, and thought follows inevitably from the previous one, like playing jazz. Your whole being is involved, and you’re using your skills to the utmost.”

Thank you, Dr. Csikszentmihalyi! Godspeed, and I hope there’s flow after death.