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402 days. 402 (plus or minus… mostly minus) posts.

Month: February, 2013

February 13, 2013

Day 81: Manifesto

I will wake up every morning glad to be awake. I will be open and honest. I will feed my fish. When I fear I’m becoming closed off or closed in, I will gently peel back my layers.

I will turn my face to the sun. I will change directions. I will sleep soundly.

I will look for the light in others. I will be confidently intuitive. When my confidence fades, I will be happily self-conscious.

I will be smart. I will be savvy. Maybe not savvy.

I will be wrong sometimes. When I am wrong, I will admit it. I will eat cookies. I will cook lentils. I will smile at children and I will pet puppies. I will swim like a turtle. I will not judge others. When judgment creeps in, I will notice it and take a breath. I will not be perfect.

I will love my family. I will hug my friends.

I will be so quiet that I can hear every leaf shifting on every tree in my neighborhood. I will laugh so loudly every leaf will shift. I will cry. I will let go.

I will stand up for those who can’t. I will water my plants. I will lose hope. I will find joy. I will remember to buy toilet paper before the last roll runs out. I will ask for help and I will help others.

I will dance. I will rest. I will write.

turtle glide

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February 12, 2013

Day 80: Starstuff

During one of the next 322 days, I will write a thorough post in honor of one of my favorite scientists, the brilliant and passionate late astronomer, Carl Sagan.

For today, please enjoy the knowledge that “we are made of starstuff.”

“Science is not only compatible with spirituality; it is a profound source of spirituality.”
– Carl Sagan

The glowing cloud Sharpless 2-296, part of the Seagull Nebula

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February 11, 2013

Day 79: The Yes Story

Sometimes there’s more to the yes story. Here are some translations:

Can you finish this today? Yes.
Translation: Six hours and two coffees later, I actually meant to say no.

May I borrow that shirt? Yes.
Translation: I might try to kid myself at first, but I know it’s no longer my shirt.

Do you want to watch a movie? Yes.
Translation: Yes.

Will you help me with this tiny project? Yes.
Translation: Yes, because my understanding of your “tiny project” is about seven times smaller than your understanding of it.

Did you enjoy meeting my parents? Yes.
Translation: Of course. And if I meant no, I’d absolutely never tell you.

Do you like spicy food? Yes.
Translation: Totally, assuming you mean in comparison to uncooked potatoes.

Does this look okay? Yes.
Translation: I do mean yes, but I don’t really know what “not okay” looks like.

Can you fix this? Yes.
Translation: Definitely. I can fix anything. If your question is, “Will this work after you fix it?” the answer might be no.

Are you sure? Yes.
Translation: Now that I’ve already said it, I have to keep saying yes.

You agree with me, right? Yes.
Translation: “Right?” is a powerful addition to any question.

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February 10, 2013

Day 78: Snowstorm Preparedness Kit

So, there’s been a lot of snowing across the U.S. this week. In order to ease overall snow anxiety, I put together a list of stuff everyone should have in their snowstorm preparedness kit.

Items:

Apples. Apples are great in any situation. They’re delicious and healthy.

Board games. If you’re one of the strange few who doesn’t like board games, you can use the boards to shovel snow.

Snow shovel. In case you don’t want to ruin your board games.

Watermelon licorice. It’s actually even better than the raspberry licorice I recommended for the build-your-own-bunker kit.

A gas stove. If your radiant heat stops working, you’ll probably want to turn on the oven, open the oven door and bask in some warm gas.

Your pets. They should probably be inside, especially if they have white fur.

Coal, a carrot, a scarf, a top hat and some sticks (you know why).

A whole lot of Parliament on your iTunes playlist. You should probably download it now just in case your computer suffers from snow exhaustion.

Parliament-Mothership-Connection

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February 9, 2013

Day 77: Two Things

Just two things to say today:

1. If I had known so many of you were going to read Dating Dancers, I might have spruced it up with some pictures of ballet shoes and old T-shirts. Lesson learned. Thank you for reading!

2. The Earth is beautiful. Both NASA and Wired Science have collections of some gorgeous spacey photos, but I recently found Chris Hadfield’s Twitter feed and am hooked. He’s a Canadian astronaut living aboard the International Space Station. The relatively low orbit of the space station enables him to see Earth on a global scale (literally) but still pick up on the details of changing climates, cities and landmarks. He shares his photos every day. If you’re a Twitterer (Tweeter? Twit?), you may want to check him out.

Australian outbackNope—this is not a Gerhard Richter painting. It’s the Australian outback from space.

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