Like as the waves make towards the pebbled shore,
~ William Shakespeare
So do our minutes hasten to their end;
Each changing place with that which goes before,
In sequent toil all forwards do content.
slip:4a580.
Towards the pebbled shore →
Organic →
But then I realized a larger, unsettling truth: Much of the food grown in this country isn’t the medicine it should—or used—to be. We’re collectively getting sicker, not healthier. And for others to have the same healing I was privileged to experience; we must start with the soil.
As a man named J.I. Rodale once said:
“Healthy Soil = Healthy Food = Healthy People.”
~ Jeff Tkach from, Our Healing Begins in the Soil – Rodale Institute
slip:4urobo1.
When you’re growing up, you don’t really notice where you are doing it. Your parents, (or legal guardian(s) or perhaps even the State,) chose where you were planted. Bereshith, you’re planted in a very tiny space, then gradually moved to progressively larger spaces with fewer physical boundaries. Until one day you realize there’s basically no one left telling you what to do nor where to do it. If you never really thought about it, and nothing forced you to move, you’re probably still close to that original very tiny space, and probably still close to the progressively larger spaces too.
Then one day—I really do hope—you start to wonder what’s happened before, in the wherever you are now. I’ve a litany of, “woa, that’s cool!” historical bits and pieces found in my surrounds. But that the idea of “organic”—all of it, the word, the principles, everything—originated with one guy, within walking distance of my home, that’s sort of amazing. Rodale, (the family members, and the eponymous companies,) have done a lot—some good, some bad—but I find it unsurprising they did it here, in the Lehigh Valley. There’s a lot this area has going for it.
ɕ
Flow with Claudia Velandia →
How does the creative process of hosting a podcast foster meaningful connections and insights for both the host and listeners?
The exchange examines the balance between preparation and spontaneity in meaningful dialogue.
The intention of the podcast was always just listening to flow. Let’s allow the creativity to flow through us. So now sometimes when we are so focused on our mind about what is next, what’s going to be said next, and planning ahead, we close ourselves to the possibility of allowing for the insights that can come from a deeper place, more wisdom that can bring more light to the conversation.
~ Claudia Velandia (1:46)
The conversation explores the creative dynamics of podcasting, emphasizing the role of flow and intentionality. Claudia describes how her podcast began as a way to capture the insightful, spontaneous conversations she shared with friends. Over time, the podcast evolved to include guests whose journeys provide value to listeners. She reflects on the challenges of staying present and resisting the urge to overly plan, as such planning can limit the emergence of deeper insights and wisdom.
Claudia shares how setting intentions before recording helps create an open and authentic environment. She discusses how mindfulness practices, such as meditating and grounding oneself, foster connection and creativity. The discussion also touches on broader themes of success, which Claudia defines as staying aligned with her purpose and enjoying the process. She emphasizes that even a single listener connecting with the podcast’s message makes the effort worthwhile, reinforcing her commitment to creating meaningful content.
(more…)More sweet than truth →
I have known days like that, of warm winds drowsing in the heat of noon and all of summer spinning slowly on its reel, days briefly lived, that leave long music in the mind more sweet that truth; I play and rewind.
~ Russel Hoban
slip:4a579.
When thus prepared →
And when you are thus prepared and thus trained to distinguish what is not your own from your own, what is subject to hindrance from what is not, to regard the latter as your concern and the form as not, and carefully keep your desire directed toward the latter, and your aversion directed towards the former, will there any longer be anyone for you to fear?
~ Epictetus
slip:4a215.
Great and noble and valuable →
Further, then, answer me this: Do you think freedom to be something great and noble and valuable? — “How should I not?” Is it possible, then, that he who acquires anything so great and valuable and noble should be mean-spirited?
~ Epictetus
slip:4a220.
Gorge-ous →
Sometimes I take photographs, but usually not many.
I flipped over the way I think about taking photographs: I only take a photograph if I have a plan for doing something with it. When I took these, I was thinking that they would be good to share as a blog post—if you’re far away from Watkins Glen, you’d enjoy a bit of a virtual visit. I’ll also capture a photograph if I know someone would appreciate receiving it; at someone’s 90th birthday party, I corralled 50 people into a group photo—and then had it large-format printed, framed and delivered as a gift. …and I printed smaller copies for others, and one is framed and hanging in our house. I’ve set up multiple digital photo-frames, to which images are added by my emailing them to special addresses. The one in my sight has 500+ images that span my photography as well as selections from my father’s vast slide-film collection. There’s an enormous collection on my blog in the Photos category posts, and the best-of-the-best are on my featured photography page.
I have vast processes for everything related to my images. Custom software for managing them in archives, including automagic duplication and checksumming to protect against data degradation. (Hint: A backup of a corrupted image is also corrupted.) I have backups to the “cloud.” I have a recurring “maintenance” todo item that prompts me to go through the photos I’ve taken and move them through all my processes.
And I’m fully aware, that shortly after I die, this small eddy of organization where I’m pushing away entropy will be swept away. That’s precisely why I work so hard (although not actually that often) at doing something with the images.
ɕ
Normal →
Nobody realizes that some people expend tremendous energy merely to be normal.
~ Albert Camus
slip:4a605.
Like waves crashing on the beach →
It isn’t clear why you’ve been sent back. Maybe it was a cosmic accounting error, or a boon from a playful God. All you know is that you’re here again, walking the earth, having been inexplicably returned to the temporary and mysterious state of Being Alive.
~ David Cain from, How to Remember You’re Alive
slip:4uraho14.
But first, pardon me while I get a song stuck in your head… like, all-day stuck.
She could hear the cars roll by
~ Tom Petty, but you knew that
Out on 441
Like waves crashin’ on the beach
And for one desperate moment there
He crept back in her memory
God it’s so painful
Something that’s so close
And still so far out of reach
Tom Petty died in 2017—I hope that wasn’t a spoiler. It seems, based on my quick search, that his last public performance included this as the last song he performed. omg the feels. Stop, go watch that entire 7-minute video. If that doesn’t move you…
There’s a moment late in the video where the jumbo-screen behind them says, “without YOU, there’d be no US” — or something close to that second part, it’s obscured. I think that points to something exceptional about TPatHB. Forty years, and grateful for the experience of that specific night.
Now, reread the pull-quote and then read Cain’s suggested practice.
ɕ