Sunday, April 3, 2016

Sunday, March 6, 2016

Changes; or a tiny love letter to my blogging heroines

It seems to me that no one really knows what they’re talking about. I think this may just be a reflection of my worldview at this point in my life. At 26, I am still transitioning into adulthood in many ways. For most of my life I’ve been of the belief that most adults know what they are doing. I believed that there is a right way to do things. I believed that things stay stable and constant. Now I’m learning this is not true.


I started reading Minimalist Knitter around 2008. Robyn’s focus was clear - minimalism and knitting. These were things I was also interested in. 

A few years ago, that changed. Now her blog is She Makes Hats. Different focus than before. I thought "Well, I want to make more than hats. Is this something I'm still interested in?" She also started a second Instagram account devoted to books and reading. This is different, too. 

Since she is older than me, I felt that she was stable and her life wouldn’t change significantly. That’s not the case.


I also started reading Rowdy Kittens in 2008. Tammy was working towards a minimalist life in a tiny house. I remember when she moved into that house. And, I remember when she moved out several years later. I admired that tiny house. I thought it was a great goal and I was happy when she achieved that goal. But then, her life changed. Even recently I've observed her changing. Within two months of finally signing up for her Little Letter, she chose to end it.


I’ve been following both of these blogs for about 8 years, and I’ve seen goals and priorities change. I’ve seen both of these women grow and evolve. It has been confusing at times, especially for a younger observer, but it has also been helpful. These two women are role models for me in that way. It’s okay to change, even if your changes will be viewed and noticed and have an effect.


This perspective makes it less surprising when new bloggers I follow make sudden changes.


Last year I was very interested in capsule wardrobes. I loved reading Un-Fancy. Caroline made it both stylish and approachable. I got a lot out of that blog. Within a year of me discovering her blog, though, she chose to end it. And then, just recently, she started back up.


I started following Amanda Sandlin’s art and ideas within the last few months. I love her raw honesty and I am inspired by her. Early in 2016 she began to launch an e-course. She almost immediately canceled the course. She wrote about that decision honestly. I really related to her feelings and ideas. It was abrupt and confusing at first, but her sharing her experience was thought provoking for me.


I don’t notice these types of changes as much in my personal life. Perhaps because I see and speak to my friends and family on a regular basis, it’s less abrupt when things change. Because of this, I don’t think about my own changes as much. It’s only when I witness what appears to be an abrupt change that I really start to think about my own changes.

I don’t have to stick to my goals. I can stop. I can change my mind. I can disappoint people and I can quit.

Wednesday, March 2, 2016

Wednesday, August 19, 2015

"Benga was brought to the Bronx Zoo (aka the New York Zoological Gardens) by Samuel Verner, an explorer who discovered Benga in Africa and brought him back to the United States. Once at the Zoo, Benga was displayed in a cage at a ‘Primate House’ exhibit. The floor of his cage was scattered with bones to suggest its inhabitant was a fearsome cannibal. Unlike other exhibitions of humans that occurred in this period of history, Benga was not housed with others of his own kind, but rather made to share his cage with another ‘primate’: an orangutan called Dohong."

From Science Alert

Tuesday, August 18, 2015

“It was insane, utterly unsustainable,” says Leary. “We tend to think of people during the Neolithic as somehow being at one with their environment, but they appear to have been just as bad as we are. They were clearing, felling, digging, and consuming their environment at an unsustainable rate in building these huge projects.”