character is like a tree and reputation like a shadow.
the shadow is what we think of it; the tree is the real thing.
– abraham lincoln
Jan21
Tag Archives: life
Jan19
trial and error.
a good friend and i
have decided to start
a local advice column
called, ‘trial & error.’
i’m trial, she’s error.
when people ask us what to do
our advice will mostly come
from a place of ‘what not to do,’
based upon personal experience.
perhaps someone will heed our advice,
though most likely they won’t.
that’s
how life is
and
how we learn.
—
image credits: trialanderrorrecordings, google images
Jan11
detroit renaissance.
on a downtown detroit day
discovering
beautiful little gems
in so many
unexpected places
buoying our hopes
for a city
that has not given up
and is beginning
to thrive once again
in spite of
challenges
that once seemed
insurmountable.
—
“there is no power for change greater
than a community discovering what it cares about.”
– margaret j. wheatley
Jan9
powerball.
carpool mates
ride with smiles
chat about the day
throw down our heavy things
relax at last
stop to buy a ticket
and
share
what we’ll do
when/if
we win
the 800 million
and
the first thing
that each of us names
is a donation
to someone else
who needs some of it
more than we do
and
it’s part of
the reason why
we
all ride together
with smiles.
Jan8
wind.
—
image credit: partyideasinabox
Jan7
a message for the world.
lesvos, greece.
volunteers have
a message for the world
made from refugee life jackets.
—
credit: open homes open hearts u.s.
Jan3
do not stop.
—
image credit: wordables
Jan2
bombs for bees.
the bees could really use some help. in the last 10 years, a phenomenon called colony collapse disorder (ccd) has killed off huge numbers of honeybees around the world. it’s normal for beekeepers to lose 10–15 percent of their hives each winter, but beginning in 2006, beekeepers started reporting losses of 30–90 percent. scientists believe ccd may be caused by a combination of pesticides, parasites, and a decline in wildflowers as more and more land is developed.
this is where seedles come in. each “bomb” contains wildflower seeds packed in compost and brightly colored clay. “planting” them is easy: you just throw them on the ground and wait for the rain, sun, and soil to do their work. the candy-colored seed bombs “practically grow themselves,” says the company’s website.
there are six varieties, one for each region of the country, so bee lovers can be sure to plant native flowers that will thrive in their area.
seedles are the brainchild of ei ei khin and chris burley, a couple who initially hoped they could get people to plant a million flowers. they surpassed that number in 2014. in an email to mental_floss, burley (now the company’s “pollinator-in-chief”) said they’ve since set their sights higher: a billion flowers for the bees.
they are especially concerned about the interdependence between honeybees and our food supply. of 100 major american crops, 70 are pollinated by bees; without them, we might not have apples, almonds, carrots, or avocados. to encourage interest and awareness in the plight of the bees, seedles partners with local food companies to give out free seed bombs. because they’re pretty, simple, nontoxic, and foolproof, the seed bombs make great educational tools.
—
credits: seedles, mentalfloss, kathy horowitz
Dec31
thoughts to remember in the coming new year and moving onward, courtesy of mr. rogers.
mister rogers on love
love isn’t a state of perfect caring. It is an active noun like “struggle.” to love someone is to strive to accept that person exactly the way he or she is, right here and now.
by far the most important aspect of rogers’s philosophy is the idea that you have to work to keep loving and caring about someone. it’s not a thing that happens once and then ceases. it’s a constant, lifelong process.
Mister Rogers on caring for others around you
if you could only sense how important you are to the lives of those you meet; how important you can be to the people you may never even dream of. there is something of yourself that you leave at every meeting with another person.
Mister Rogers on civic duty
we live in a world in which we need to share responsibility. it’s easy to say “it’s not my child, not my community, not my world, not my problem.” then there are those who see the need and respond. i consider those people my heroes.
rogers believed deeply that other people’s problems were also, on some level, his problems. he was careful to take the time to meet with as many fans as possible when he was out in public.
Mister Rogers on change
often when you think you’re at the end of something, you’re at the beginning of something else.
the concept of hope was incredibly important to rogers, who spent many an episode of his show trying to help children see past the big, scary thing right in front of them, be it divorce or the bathtub drain, in favor of what might be coming down the line.
Mister Rogers on peace
peace means far more than the opposite of war.
peace, like love or like hope, is an action one can take, something that can be done, not just something that might arrive.
Mister Rogers on solitude
solitude is different from loneliness, and it doesn’t have to be a lonely kind of thing.
most episodes of mister rogers’ neighborhood open with long sequences where it’s just him, talking directly to the camera, in a very calm, soft, still voice. they project a sense of tranquility that feels a little dreamlike, which is probably why the show was so successful. rogers understood that kids (and adults) like, and need, to be soothed now and then.
Dec28
what we play is life. – louis armstrong
christmas play
green grass
crinkly fall leaves
swirling pajamas
purple boots
golden ballet slippers
daffodil crown
clear sky above
bright eyes
and
not a snowflake to be found.
