I spent last week in a cabin in the woods. One of the best things about that experience was enjoying the night sky. On a clear night, I could see the Milky Way and constellations normally concealed by city lights. It has been a while since I have seen the sky with such clarity. For me, the stars have always created a sense of wonder. We all should aim to get out where we can see the stars regularly. It can help to get perspective on what matters and what does not.
Demon Copperhead, by Barbara Kingsolver, is a 2022 award-winning novel which retells Dickens’ David Copperfield. It trades the poverty of industrial England for the deprivation of post-industrial Appalachia. It is a masterfully written book whose main character keeps his moral compass, thus remaining sympathetic even while making horrible choices.
Some, like Lorraine Berry (“Mountains of the damned”), who call the work poverty porn and ask, “Is it wrong to stare at the people of a doomed Appalachia?” seem to miss the point. I am from a poor rural area in Newfoundland, where the main industry failed; this is to say that I would be sensitive to text about poverty that felt exploitative. The institutional forces that create these broken families, generational poverty and drug and alcohol abuse made their presence known throughout the novel. The choices that lead the characters to various misfortunes make sense, given the world they inhabit. The characters never feel like they are there for us to gawk or laugh at. While having no experience in Appalachia, these characters feel real; they evolve and change throughout the novel. They felt like people I had known growing up. The book even captured the struggle of leaving the place where you have all your social connections to get an education or a better job and the decision to return.
Demon Copperhead was a great read but not an easy one. Several times I stopped partway through a chapter and was reluctant to restart as I knew something terrible awaited the protagonist. Kingsolver is a giant of the American literary scene, and this work deserves the accolades it has received.
If we would have new knowledge, we must get us a whole new world of questions.
Susanne K. Langer
I started reading “change your questions, change your life” by Marilee Adams, and yes, it is all lowercase. I have yet to get far enough to have much of an opinion. Still, the title got me thinking about the quality of the questions I am asking myself.
We are an answer-driven society. But the answers depend on the questions, and maybe we don’t spend the time we should thinking about our questions. I, in the past, tended to ask unkind questions of myself. “What’s wrong with me?” or “how do I do everything I need to do?”. I think better questions would have been “how can I improve?” and “what really deserves my focus?’. The answers to the first two questions were “lots, let me make a list.”, and “I can’t, and I am going to fail.” The second set of questions seems more growth-minded and less limiting.
Are you asking good questions? If not, how can you upgrade them?
Why am I writing a blog?
The honest answer is that I have always wanted to maintain a regular writing habit. I find that I tend to think best when I think out loud or on the page, so I decided I would make a post a day and see if it helped work out some ideas. I like to write to figure out what I think. I am hoping to unblock some creativity.
Ok, so I could have done that in a journal or a Word doc; so why a blog where people can see it. (Of course, this audience is more notional than real.) There are three main reasons: firstly, it scared me. One of my concerns with getting older is falling into patterns where I am no longer challenged in some way. Writing in a public fashion, makes the whole thing seem a little more serious and makes me want to be clearer in my thoughts than I would be if I was writing for myself.
I spend money on getting a two-year subscription to WordPress. I hope that the idea I am wasting money by not posting will make me post daily. (This technique has failed me in the past, as my Planet Fitness membership demonstrates.) I spent the money upfront, I might as well use the tools for which I paid. ( I Plan to go to the gym tomorrow, for real this time.)
Finally, I did it without really thinking about it, and that is on purpose. I tend to plan rather than do. I have had many periods where I read fitness books rather than work out, read productivity books rather than work on the project that needed doing and so on. I had the thought I wanted to try a blog and rather than do a bunch of research and never get around to a blog, I figured I would just start one. I will figure out the features of WoodPress as I go. I likely have made mistakes and maybe could benefit from spending some time watching tutorials, but I wanted to get in motion rather than having a good plan which is never executed. I will get better by doing.
I am surprised that the Russia situation seems to have stepped back from the abyss. I thought that once Wagner started advancing on Moscow that there was no turning back. It appears I was wrong about this. I would love to know that reassurances were given to Prigozhin that he won’t fall out a window. Hopefully, the situation gave some advantage to Ukraine.
I do think that the last 24 or so hours have shown that there are underlying tensions in the Russian state. We will see if Putin can suppress or heal these tensions or will the situation slip out of his control.
Just under 30 years ago, there was a Coup attempt in Russia. While the causes of the current Wagner situation are quite different than that event, it shows, along with the 1991 coup, that there are deep issues in the Russian nation, and the tectonic plates of the Russian power structure may be shifting once again.
I am not sure what the outcome of this will be, or even what I hope will happen. I am worried that it is going to get far more violent and dangerous than these previous events. I hope I am wrong, but fear I am not. I will be delighted to be wrong, but there is a history in Russia of unpopular wars causing revolts.
“Yesterday’s the past, tomorrow’s the future, but today is a gift. That’s why it’s called the present.”
Bill Keane
I turned fifty today. I, in the last week, have done a lot of thinking about how fast the time has gone. It took forever to get through my teens. My twenties went by a little faster but not too bad. My thirties and forties flew by and here I am at fifty.
But I think I have figured out how to slow down time. The key is novelty. In your teens everything is new and novel. Somewhere in the twenties, people start falling into routines and time speeds up. And this trend continues for most people.
But my last year has seemed much longer because I decided to embrace trying new things, things that push me out of my comfort zone. Start a blog, travel, talk to strangers, sign up for something different, say yes to stuff that challenges you, try different music and you just might find time slowing down again.
I am actively trying to regain a sense of wonder in the world. There is a lot of amazing stuff going on, and I want to experience it.
What are you going to do today that slows down time?
“Everything you’ve ever wanted is sitting on the other side of fear” George Addair
My reworking is that everything you’ve ever wanted is sitting on the other side of looking silly.
I went standup paddleboarding yesterday. I have horrible balance and no experience, but I went and did it anyway.
An earlier version of me would have avoided standup paddleboarding because I knew I would look silly. But I went and did it. Did I look silly, sure. Did I fall a bunch, you betcha. Did anyone care, no!
I have figured out that the fear of looking silly is the wrong approach. I am approaching trying new things with a learning mindset. Trying new things always risks looking silly but often you are the only one who cares.
I urge you to shed the fear of looking silly and take the leap into the unknown. Remember that the opinions of others matter far less than your own personal growth and fulfillment. By embracing the joy of looking silly, you’ll discover a world of endless possibilities and experiences waiting to be explored. So, go ahead, step onto that metaphorical paddleboard and navigate through the waters of life with an open mind and a heart unburdened by the fear of judgment
The thing about signing up for group activities with a group of people you don’t know is that you get to live and work with people you don’t know.
In a new group there are going to be people you like and those you don’t. I have decided that rather than be irritated by some of those people I want to use it as a learning experience.
Often those that irritate us are those we can learn the most from. What is it I am finding irritating. Is it a mirror on me. Does that person reflect something that I don’t like or fear about myself. Do they represent something I want to be myself.
Being irritated is a low energy state, learning and being curious is a higher energy.
Note this is all aspirational. I still get irritated all the time but I am trying to do better.
Throughout writing this I kept writing irradiated instead of irritated. I don’t recommend getting irradiated as a learning experience.
I am away this week with Soldier On, which provides veterans and serving members with opportunities for meaningful physical activity. I will be rafting and kayaking with them for the rest of the week.
Part of being retired for me has been trying to say yes to things I might want to do. In the past I let anxiety or negative thoughts stop me. But retirement is not for wimps and I am taking this as time to learn and grow.
retirereadreflect.ca 