Hey there, existential wanderers!
How has the last week been to you? I feel like I’ve been stuck in a modern rendition of Groundhog Day, and I’m just plain tired. Realizing that relentless optimism is not an ally of chronic illness, I’ve been embracing Stoicism: I can’t control external events, but I can control my response.
Where I am, it is finally starting to cool down a bit. I saw a family of raccoons in my urban neighborhood for the very first time, and my declining health is forcing me to (quiet literally) slow down and savor the small things. This weekend, I’m going to a theatrical production of Legally Blonde with my grandparents. My grandfather has Alzheimer’s disease, so I’m cherishing every minute I get to spend with my aging relatives.
What lovely things are you looking forward to this weekend? What interesting things have you stumbled across over the last few days? Feel free to share anything fun in the comments.
- Love these creative lettering pieces by Joey Bearbower.
- I quit the Catholic church: I’m not giving up my faith, but I’m losing my religion. Having been brought up Catholic and having lost faith after a scandal in my own parish, it saddens me to see such widespread abuse coming to light. My heart aches for all the victims.
- Cuteness overload. If you like animals, click here. Oh, and here, too.
- Quote I’m pondering: “However difficult life may seem, there is always something you can do and succeed at.” –Stephen Hawking
- Kiva gives you the chance to make small loans to borrowers working to start businesses and improve their lives. I’ve re-lent the same $50 over and over for eight years for a total of $3,000 lent!
- “Night owls are not owls by choice. They are bound to a delayed schedule by unavoidable DNA hard wiring. It is not their conscious fault, but rather their genetic fate.” Fascinating article.
- We need more trick questions. Great thought on education from Seth Godin.
- What I’m listening to: Breathturn by Hammock. Lovely instrumentals and beautiful visual reminder that even when we’re broken, we can discover new ways to fly.
existential ergonomics 
My week has been the same as usual; good. Busy at work, crazy maintaining a household while getting the kids to their various activities (shout-out to The Boss, without whose support I couldn’t do it!), and enough free time to enjoy some reading, writing, and blogging. Looking forward to a weekend full of family fun and house- & yardwork and hoping we don’t get as much rain as is forecast, so I can mow. Nice links, especially to Kiva. I may have to look into that one!
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The best weeks are those where you can balance necessity with pleasure–managing to get all the chores done, while also finding the free time to enjoy life. 🙂 Hope your weekend was wonderful and rain-free! Kiva has been one of my favorite organizations for the last 7-8 years, and I’d highly recommend. I’m sure it could also be a neat lesson for kids on money, giving, loans, how people live in 3rd world countries, etc.
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