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Posts Tagged ‘Thoughts’

The Hunt is On!

Posted in Entertainment, Other, tagged , , , , , , , on September 10, 2025| Leave a Comment »

Are you a fan of puzzles, or mysteries, secrets or treasure? Then perhaps you will be interested to hear about the latest in a tradition of hidden treasure games like The Secret:

A $1 million treasure hunt is underway in Canadian wilderness | Popular Science

An actual treasure chest filled with around $1 million in gold coins is hidden somewhere in Canada. However, the mystery isn’t tied to a centuries’ old pirate bounty or unsolved bank heist, however. These riches were instead intentionally hidden by a mining consortium to celebrate the country’s “rich mining heritage and spirit of adventure.”

The clues are presented in the form of a 13-stanza poem. Have I already asked AI for its opinion on this poem? Maybe. Is it fun that one of the top contenders for the secret stash spot is a place I go to on the regular? It is! And while I doubt that I’ll spend much more time on this, it’s an entertaining idea. 

(Speaking of entertaining, I expect that Josh Gates, TV host, explorer, and aficionado of similar puzzle/treasure hunts, will be doing a show on this at some point.) 

Because this game is sponsored by a Canadian mining company, the winner will have to be a Canadian citizen to claim the prize.* Sorry (not sorry)!

You have until the end of 2026 to find it. 

If nothing else, it’s a fun boost for poetry and a good excuse to get out in nature (explore responsibly, folks!). 

Regardless, the hunt is on!

* Although what’s to stop someone from finding it, enlisting a Canadian to cash in the prize, then becoming enmeshed in a sea of ever-shifting lies and betrayals as each party battles to claim the full amount, opening up endless avenues for dramatic retellings and fictionalized accounts? Why, nothing!

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Photo by Sesha Reddy Kovvuri on Unsplash

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Let’s Begin

Posted in Other, Writing, tagged , , , , , on September 9, 2025| Leave a Comment »

“Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow has not yet come. We have only today. Let us begin.”

― Mother Theresa

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Photo by Jessica Mangano on Unsplash

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Dear Monday: It’s Not You, It’s Me

Posted in Other, Writing, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on September 8, 2025| Leave a Comment »

Poor Monday. It gets a bad rap not because of what it is, but what we have made it. The first day of another round of school or work, forced to carry the weight of expectations, regrets and often just plain exhaustion.

It’s not Monday’s fault, it’s ours.

How can we do better?

By making sure that we are doing our best to stay sensible, as in balanced but also as in aware. For me, that usually means going outside.

I’m an introverted reader/writer type, so you know I think that being inside is great. There are comfy chairs and cuddly kitties and good books inside. There are mugs of hot chocolate and fun recipes and cake inside. But I always enjoy those things more when I’ve been out in nature.

This weekend Mr Man and I discovered two new hiking spots and had a great time out in the woods.

We had dinner with friends. They gave me a fun new mug that captured a lot of what I wanted to say about the weekend.

Sometimes it’s okay to take time off. And sometimes a break is more helpful than trying to power through and keep working.

Just because you can doesn’t always mean you should.

So I try to take a little time when possible, even if it’s a quick walk after lunch or remembering something transformative, like looking up at the stars and realizing that someone out there may be looking up at me too, or standing on the edge of a live volcano (Hawaiian, not Icelandic; stay safe, people!).

Then when I head back to work, even on a Monday, I’m better for it.

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Photo by charlesdeluvio on Unsplash

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From Macaroni to Mona Lisa

Posted in Writing, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on September 6, 2025| Leave a Comment »

One of the best ways to understand art and think about developing your own abilities is to study those who came before. That applies to writers, musicians, painters and more. I’m going to go out on a pretty short limb and say that every master crafter out there had a “see Spot run” or “macaroni and string” phase.

The problem is that we don’t see that, we see their masterpieces. And that can be inspiring but also discouraging. How did they make the leap from macaroni to the Mona Lisa*?

That’s an excellent if somewhat off-base question. Because for most artists, that transition isn’t a leap at all. It’s more of a journey, and anyone can go on one of those. (Consider how often you hear someone being called an overnight success, and they laugh and say, “Yeah, but it took years.”)

Here’s an example from the art world.

Raphael is now considered one of the three great masters from the High Renaissance. (Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo being the other two, so he had a high bar to reach. My point is that he didn’t start out at the top.)

Where did he begin, how did he improve, and what lessons does his progress give to aspiring artists out there? 

How Raphael Became A Master – YouTube

This video provides an in-depth look at the what, when and how of it all. Hopefully it can also provide some encouragement to anyone working to improve, regardless of their art form.

And while it’s true that talent helps and that there are child prodigies out there (looking at you, Mozart!), most who achieve excellence do it exactly the way you are doing it: setting goals, studying what works, and practice, practice, practice.

* A note on the title: I know that the Mona Lisa was Leonardo da Vinci’s masterpiece, and Raphael painted a lot of Madonnas, but given that titling this piece “From Macaroni to Madonna” seemed more likely to evoke ’80s pop music rather than classical art, I went with this instead. (Although to be honest, I’m feeling a little bad about this decision and may change it later!)

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Raphael, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

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How to Grow

Posted in Other, Writing, tagged , , , , , , , on September 5, 2025| Leave a Comment »

“Take chances, make mistakes. That’s how you grow. Pain nourishes your courage. You have to fail in order to practice being brave.”

— Mary Tyler Moore

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Photo by Joshua S. on Unsplash

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Go Do It

Posted in Other, Writing, tagged , , , , , on September 3, 2025| Leave a Comment »

Have I posted this before? Don’t think so, but even if I have, it’s worth posting again. 

“Yell. Jump. Play. Out-run those sons-of-bitches. They’ll never live the way you live. Go do it.”

― Ray Bradbury

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Photo by Andrew Valdivia on Unsplash

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Delicious Happiness

Posted in Other, tagged , , , on September 1, 2025| Leave a Comment »

It’s Labor Day in North America, and the unofficial end of summer. In the Northern Hemisphere it’s a day for getting outside, grilling, and generally appreciating the beauty of the season. That’s what Mr Man and I have been doing this weekend.

There is a certain mood that reminds me of summer’s essence that can best be summarized as: the feeling of happiness and goodwill toward humanity that one gets after a strawberry milkshake on a hot day.

Sure, a lot of that is the sugar rush, but I’ll take it.

We also had the good fortune of waking yesterday to an odd sound, as if someone were dragging a heavy cardboard box down the street in short, intermittent bursts. I didn’t think much of it until I was brushing my teeth and was astonished to find my reflection wreathed in hot air balloons. We’d woken to a balloon festival, and the sounds were pilots burning gas to keep their craft above the trees. Many were high, crossing the river from Quebec with room to spare, but just as many flew by at what felt like close enough to touch. 

Mr Man and I ran to the driveway to wave as they passed, and were waved at in return.

Both the milkshake and balloon experiences produced the sort of delighted state that I love, contentment, surprise and joy all wrapped into one. 

Delicious happiness.

Here’s to feeling more of that, no matter what the season.

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Photo by Triyansh Gill on Unsplash

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Flying in the Face of Science

Posted in Science!, Writing, tagged , , , , , on August 31, 2025| Leave a Comment »

/with apologies to the Lepidoptera experts among us…

Ok, so here’s the thing:

— I like moths and butterflies but there’s a lot about the evolution of the family Lepidoptera that I don’t know;

— the idea that moths evolved from butterflies is, as far as I can tell, bunk;

— also, moths come out during the day, too;

— but sometimes a thought / idea / feeling flutters my way and sticks around long enough to inspire, even when I regretfully inform said idea that it is probably flying in the face of science.

And so, that’s how this most certainly unscientific poem about moths dreaming about sunshine came to be.

Some days you just go with it.

Do moths love the moon

because they remember

being butterflies?

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A Hummingbird Moth. Photo by cecile mousist on Unsplash

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A Wish to Work For

Posted in Other, tagged , , , , , on August 30, 2025| Leave a Comment »

Here’s to worry being needless and hope being rewarded.

— John Green

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Photo by Evgeni Tcherkasski on Unsplash

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A More Joyful Life

Posted in Writing, tagged , , , , , , on August 28, 2025| Leave a Comment »

“I get it. We all want easy. But that’s the devil talking, because the reality is that the ‘easy’ life is a mirage. People who choose easy end up living a much harder, less joyful life.”

— Arnold Schwarzenegger

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Photo by Jess Zoerb on Unsplash

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