I'm on leave for the next several weeks, so I have queued up a series of "reboot" posts, revisiting evergreen material from this blog and elsewhere on the interwebs. (This isn't technically a reboot, but I've done a lot of resource list posts, so it's in that spirit.)
A lot of folks do link round-up posts weekly, and I appreciate them. But, I never feel like I can keep up, especially with the scads of important-sounding, fascinating, and never-thought-to-think-about-it books on these lists. So, I've never done link round-ups myself, on the assumption that y'all are treading water on whatever sources of such lists you follow. [1]
Instead, today I'm sharing a list of things that matter to me. [2] Things that enrich my life, remind me that my job isn't the only source of meaning, and keep me connected to people and the planet. This list of good stuff helps keep me going when I am swamped with over-commitment, bogged down by systemic resistance, and hitting the friction of folks who just don't care that it takes everyone to make things better.
There's a high probability that your list would look far different from mine. I'm sharing this as a reminder for myself, the next time the previous paragraph takes over. Maybe the stuff on my list will nudge you toward a list of your own.
Things that enrich my life (in no particular order)
Going to an art museum
Turning a corner and ducking out of the wind, into sunshine and calm
Mary Oliver poetry
Thrifting for black or outrageous shirts and huge earrings
Soup
Bumping into someone I know at the grocery store (I'm a small-town gal at heart)
Happy house plants
Mellow classical music in the morning
Hiking with my dog
Camping with my husband
Sleeping in
Turning on Spanish-language pop music and throwing pots at the community clay studio
Summer evenings in Quebec City
Transplanting perennial herbs
A good scarf
Tulips and geraniums (thanks, Granma!)
Time with close friends
Rhubarb sauce (thanks to both grandmas)
New-to-me genres of global music
Voice messages from my nephews
Rockhounding, any time, anywhere
Writing and receiving letters in the mail
Comics, like the dailies
Community fundraiser events
Second-hand book stores
Recognizing wildflowers as they bloom each spring
Time with my family
Eating dinner outside
The way my hair lives its best life when it's really humid out
Floating a calm river
Pithy quotes that say exactly what I'm feeling
Gorgeous, unusual children's books
Writing something new in my No-tebook
Boosting someone else's confidence by teaching them how to do something at a higher skill/awareness/strategy level
Conversations and music in French
The smell of jasmine blossoms
Being near running water
NOTES
[1] I also don't do link round-ups here because, during the school year, I run a weekly newsletter of scicomm activities, trainings, events, and resources. If you're looking for that kind of content, subscribe here.
[2] There is purposely nothing relating to work on this list. Things about my work are fulfilling and meaningful, yes. But, I'm on leave because it's vital for me to hold space for other sources of meaning. This list reflects that intention.
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