“Waking up this morning, I smile. Twenty-four brand new hours are before me. I vow to live fully in each moment and to look at all beings with eyes of compassion.”
―Thich Nhat Hanh
This is a good one for me. Especially when my alarm pulls me out of a deep dream because I decided I want to start waking up earlier to really make the most of the morning hours, which I love. Anyway, Happy Friday. Some stuff that I’ve come across lately that you might be inclined to check out:
Great collection of photos: The Carbon Almanac Photobook. We’re kind of on the brink of collapse, but that doesn’t mean there’s nothing to do about it. This is a great set of images (part of a larger set of resources) for reminding us where we’re at and the fact that we have a lot of solutions right in front of us. Great things can happen when we realize our own power, hold those in power accountable, and start imagining what might be.
Intriguing podcast: Mango Mania: How the American Mango Lost its Flavor—and How it Might Just Get it Back. This Gastropod episode explains why mangoes outside the U.S. (particularly in India) are amazing—in fact, orgy-inducing—while our domestic mangoes are not amazing at all. Turns out we tried to bring some seeds back and make our own delicious mangoes but we chose the wrong survivor and now our most transportable and aesthetically pleasing mangoes are red and not tasty. What other one-time decisions have had a drastic impact on the way we consume/approach [insert thing here] without many of us knowing about it? I knew there was a reason why Thailand mangoes hit different.
Universally reasonable suggestion: A reminder to join your public library, wherever you are! I made it my mission this week to get my library card to get access to one of the several branches the city of Palo Alto has to offer. I’m already astounded at the amount offered beyond (free!) books (which, as we know, rock)… free skill learning courses, events to attend, etc.
Framework I am considering: "Getting Things Done.” This was schemed up by author David Allen but was summarized very nicely here. Seems like a lot of moving parts but sounds quite promising if you can get past the initial big lift and get somewhat of a system in place. I am going to be holding multiple jobs and still want to write in my free time, make sure I’m keeping in touch with people, etc. so I am giving this one a long think. I’m sure there are other checklist organization methods out there—hit me with them!
Important point made: This short article titled “Scary headlines about food shortages are misleading. Here’s why” flies in the face of the countless news reports talking about food shortages. Growing levels of hunger are often more about politics, power, and capitalist incentives than actual supplies of available food. For more, see Agriculture’s Greatest Myth.
More to come as I continue to explore my surroundings and dive into some *job* stuff. I think I want to start learning about the different types of trees out here because I keep wondering about them on my walks.