Good morning! The sun is shining bright in Boulder and I had two pleasant conversations on my walk to the coffee shop in which I currently reside. Things are (temporarily) lush and green—I leave here in 5 days (?!) and I’ll definitely have a great parting image in my mind. I read somewhere once that within a given experience (concert, trip, etc), the peak of the experience and the end of the experience are most important in shaping your memory of it. I’ll have to give some thought as to when I peaked during my two years here but in terms of the end, so far so good.
Here are some notes about nothing—things I’ve come across and/or observed recently that didn’t slip away into “the forgetting,” a place I just invented where most things go. Unless you’re my brother when he’s talking about previous family vacations. In that case, no detail is ever forgotten.
Blog post: Seth Godin on How Change Happens. I read this and then read it a few more times. In light of many recent events, the simplicity of this post is powerful. “Focused, persistent community action is how systems change. And systems concretize and enforce cultural norms. If you care, keep talking. Keep acting. Stay focused. And don’t get bored.”
Serendipitous missed turn: Yesterday I was on my way to the gym to put my hip through some physical therapy exercises. Lost in thought, I went through a green light where I was supposed to turn right. After a brief moment of “damn it, Elias, a U-turn’s going to be tough with all this road work” I remembered that a parking lot for a trail I love (and had nearly forgotten about in the midst of my injury) was just a bit further down the road—and the trail actually leads to the community center where the gym is! A missed turn ended up in a beautiful walk to the gym and back to my car after working out. Pics or it didn’t happen:
Blog post: Simon Sarris writing In Praise of the Gods. This is about the largely forgotten value of myths and fables in a world focused so heavily on rationality, logic, and getting to the point. “Rationalistic thinking alone leads people to downplay human nature rather than celebrate it, and the results are everywhere before us. Most of us, though we often know something is wrong or even deeply troubling with the aesthetics of a place or situation, do not even have the vocabulary to dissent.” I loved his angle on the importance of rituals and the dangers of claiming that the science on any subject has been “settled.”
Shower observation: It’s amazing how much better a great towel is than a sub-par towel. That’s all I have to say about that.
A very worthy “Did you know?”: First off, the fact that a website named monumentaltrees.com even exists—and is available in several languages—makes me very happy. The page I came across was primarily about General Sherman, the biggest tree in the world, but it had some other amazing “tree records” that were awe-inspiring, to say the least. General Sherman is 274.9 feet tall and his girth (at breast height, which I guess is the standard for these things) is 79 (79!!!!) feet. The author includes a great note on “tree volume” and the standards he used to give General Sherman such a title. There’s also info on tallest, thickest, and oldest trees
AMAZING movie: I went to see Everything, Everywhere, All At Once with the roomies yesterday, and just wow. A++ and one of my favorite movies already. Lots of laughs, lots of tears, lots of thoughts. I want to see it again and I don’t want to give any spoilers but I want to write more about this film in the future. Go see it. You will not be disappointed!
Ok, great! I’m feeling slightly over-caffeinated and I think it’s time to get back outside. Remember to make some good eye contact with those you come across. I will leave you with a quote I found this week:
What keeps my heart awake is colorful silence.
- Claude Monet
Notes About Nothing #4
I love to read your musings Elias ! You are wise . And good. and remind me of the importance of keeping an open and grateful mind. I also just came from coffee so I’m sharing a caffeinated moment with you from afar. Will check out that movie. And hope you check out Save The Redwoods league. I have a good connect for you there. Cheers! Keep writing. Take care.