“Imagination is the highest kite one can fly.”
— Lauren Bacall
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Posts Tagged ‘Thoughts’
Up In the Sky
Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2025, creativity, quoteandaprettypicture, Thoughts, Writers, writing on June 21, 2025| Leave a Comment »
Laughing Too
Posted in Science!, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2025, climate change, climate communication, comedy, creativity, humor, science, Thoughts on June 18, 2025| Leave a Comment »
First let me make clear that what I’m about to share is 100% not safe for work. Or delicate ears. I mean, yeah, there’s a lot of swearing. That said, the subject matter is one of those topics that almost requires strong language.
This series of videos pairs climate scientists with comedians who translate for us regular folks.
Again, there’s definitely swearing!
Here’s an article about what they’re doing and why with a link to the main site.
And here’s an example:
David Cross Meets Prof Michael Oppenheimer | NSFW – YouTube
Watch Emmy Award-winning comedian David Cross and Professor Michael Oppenheimer pretty much fix the climate crisis between them, in the first US pilot of the hit “Climate Science Translated” series. What’s the gist? Most Americans (74%) actually want more climate action from government. What no one wants is sky-high insurance bills, a home destroyed by extreme weather, or to pass on a ruined planet to their kids.
The films use humor (and profuse swearing) to translate the urgency of the problem, and bring it back down to Earth.
For more, check out the playlist. They even made PG versions, if that’s your thing!
And yes, climate change is something to cry about. But we can laugh too.
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Things My Father Taught Us
Posted in Holidays, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2025, Father's Day, inspiration, thanks Dad, Thoughts on June 15, 2025| Leave a Comment »
Just some of the things my father passed on:
- be kind
- listen to others’ opinions, even if you don’t always agree
- money is a useful thing, but not the most important thing
- read to your children
- a warm kitchen makes a home
- a good chef’s knife is important
- a good library is critical, and
- you can always do more than you think you can.
To the man who introduced me to Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, good food, good music, and good writing, Happy Father’s Day!
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This Passing Thing
Posted in Other, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2025, challenging times, Thoughts on June 14, 2025| Leave a Comment »
“It’s like in the great stories, Mr. Frodo. The ones that really mattered. Full of darkness and danger they were. And sometimes you didn’t want to know the end… because how could the end be happy? How could the world go back to the way it was when so much bad had happened? But in the end, it’s only a passing thing… this shadow. Even darkness must pass.”
― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Two Towers
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Happy Friday!
Posted in Other, Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2025, inspiration, quotes, Thoughts on June 13, 2025| Leave a Comment »
I’m behind and my to do list is calling, but I’ve managed to sneak in some of the things that really matter. Like a little writing, food for the birds, and making Mr Man laugh.
“Be the reason someone smiles. Be the reason someone feels loved and believes in the goodness in people.”
― Roy T. Bennett
Hope your day is a good one!
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Seven Words
Posted in Other, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2025, creativity, inspiration, life, Thoughts on June 12, 2025| 2 Comments »
As part of an answer to a woman looking for answers to big questions (excuse me, Big Questions), blogger Darius Foroux was asked to sum up his definition of life in 50 words or less. His answer?
No one knows what they are doing.
— Darius Foroux
I find this both reassuring and encouraging. I mean, sure, a lot of people know a lot of things, but no one knows everything. Everyone has questions, everyone has areas for improvement, and we’re all just wading through life trying to keep our feet dry (or not, you do you!).
Here’s to doing it anyway.
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Be Bold
Posted in Other, Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2025, #adventure, art, creativity, failure, fear, inspiration, persistence, Thoughts, Writers, writing on June 11, 2025| Leave a Comment »
“If we are bold, love strikes away the chains of fear from our souls.”
— Maya Angelou
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Wisp of a Dream
Posted in Other, Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2025, dreams, fantasy, history, inspiration, J.R.R. Tolkien, language, Middle Earth, runes, Thoughts, Writers, writing on June 10, 2025| Leave a Comment »
You know how some days you wake up at 5:30 and lie there in the early morning sun wondering what brought your mind up from sleep? That was me this morning. And as I lay there, the answer bubbled up from my dreams, slow and obscure but clear: Elder Futhark.
Weird, I thought, but I’m sure I’ll get over it.
Nope. For the past few hours every time my mind is unoccupied for more than a moment, what pops into my mind? Elder Futhark.
Wondering what I’m going on about? Runes. Let me give you a brief (very brief!) introduction to this early Germanic writing system.
The Elder Futhark (or Fuþark, /ˈfuːðɑːrk/), also known as the Older Futhark, Old Futhark, or Germanic Futhark, is the oldest form of the runic alphabets. It was a writing system used by Germanic peoples for Northwest Germanic dialects in the Migration Period. Inscriptions are found on artifacts including jewelry, amulets, plateware, tools, and weapons, as well as runestones, from the 2nd to the 8th centuries…. knowledge of how to read the Elder Futhark was forgotten until 1865, when it was deciphered by Norwegian scholar Sophus Bugge.
Why would I have this stuck in my head? No idea. My mother studied it once upon a time, and of course, the runes of Middle Earth owe a lot to the old runic languages.
Here’s Gandalf’s mark, Certh rune no. 19:
And here’s the letter F in Elder Futhark: ᚠ
As for what it means? What can I say, the mind works in odd ways.
This wisp of a dream got me thinking about language, and how a characteristic of civilization that we think of as both ubiquitous and permanent, like an alphabet, can just… disappear.
What’s really interesting to me about this, aside from the historical progression of written language, is that what that language represents hasn’t changed all that much.
Writing systems transform, but the stories, the ideas we’re trying to communicate and pass on with that language, those haven’t changed much at all.
I mean, sure, a not insignificant part of language has always been about keeping track of death and taxes, but those aren’t the only things that are inevitable.
No matter the language, stories remind us that we are not alone, help us give structure to the problems we face, and provide an outlet for our experiences.
We’re still interested in heroes and villains, quests and homecomings, pain and joy, and the idea that no matter what challenges we face, there is always hope.
Always.
“Remember, language is fun! It is also magical, so use it well and use it wisely!”
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One Precious Monday
Posted in Other, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2025, inspiration, quotes, Thoughts, Writers on June 9, 2025| Leave a Comment »
“We are travelers on a cosmic journey, stardust, swirling and dancing in the eddies and whirlpools of infinity. Life is eternal. We have stopped for a moment to encounter each other, to meet, to love, to share. This is a precious moment. It is a little parenthesis in eternity.”
― Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist
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Getting to the Point
Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2025, creativity, inspiration, persistence, Thoughts, Writers, writing on June 8, 2025| Leave a Comment »
“Winning is fun… Sure. But winning is not the point. Wanting to win is the point. Not giving up is the point. Never letting up is the point. Never being satisfied with what you’ve done is the point.”
— Pat Summitt
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