Anti-Social Media
Something good, every day.
Fuck SEO
I’m such a dummy sometimes. I find myself doing things I’m supposed to do, and then when I take a minute to examine my actions I realize that I am doing something I should with no real reason to do so.
When will I learn to stop trying to do things the right way? I’m not actually interested in being like everyone else, so why do I keep falling into these traps?
This blog doesn’t need to be optimized. I have no reason to care about SEO. I am just a person writing silly words on my personal blog, and I’m OK with that. I’m not hiding, but I’m also not trying to be discovered.
If anything I’m using this practice to become more myself. To get better at expressing my thoughts and ideas in my own way. Trying to squeeze my writing/thoughts into a certain format in order to be more searchable is completely beside the point! I find it difficult enough to write at all, so why would I try to put more challenges in my way?
The fact is, I’m not really making this for anyone else. I don’t have answers for people. I have ideas, but who doesn’t? I’m not here to say my thoughts are better, more valid or more interesting than anyone else’s. They’re barely interesting to me! I’m far more interested in what other people are thinking most of the time.
My writing here isn’t about being discovered. It’s about getting the thoughts out of my head and into words. That’s it. No lofty goals here. I’m just trying to express myself. If someone happens to read it and decides they have something to add or ask or answer, that’s awesome, but I don’t need or want to go looking for that. Comments are open and appreciated, but unnecessary.
I am interested in the craft of writing, but this blog as it currently exists is a practice. A challenge for me to spend some time each week to exorcise some of the stuff in my head and let it go. Out into the world. Unoptimized.
Thoughtful
I am full of thoughts. Some are nice, some are mean, many are silly. My thoughts make up a huge part of who I am. They determine how I interact with the world, even though the world never has access to them, except through my filters.
I have always prided myself in being thoughtful towards others. To consider what they might want or like or need and, when I am able, giving that to them.
I’m not very good at gift giving. I’m not even all that good at sharing, but I do like to make others comfortable.
Sometimes that means I put others’ needs before my own. And sometimes that makes me feel good. But there are also the times when I am so concerned with making other people feel better that I forget about what I want or need. And then I feel exhausted and sad.
So it makes sense to spend more time and energy alone and with people who like and want/need similar things to me. Because then it is more likely that I can care for them and myself at the same time or with less effort.
But this can be limiting. I also want to challenge myself. I do believe that it’s a good idea to spend time away from the people and things that are comforting and easy.
I guess, as with everything, there’s a balance and when it tips too far in one direction, all I can do is try to adjust without overcorrecting. It’s important to care. And I want to give. But I also want to make sure that I am OK.
Mother’s Day 2019
This year I got to spend Mother’s Day with one of my best friends. Um, no, I don’t mean my own mother. But don’t worry, I did spend Saturday with my mom and we had a lovely day-before-Mother’s-Day (my mom is awesome, for the record). But I wanted to visit my friend, who is celebrating her very first mother’s day as a mom.
The baby was born in late January and is almost four months old. In addition to spending time with my friend and her partner, I also wanted to meet their daughter! I mean, she’s a baby, so not all that interesting, especially to someone like me who doesn’t have much interest in babies, but still. It’s nice to see this new tiny human, and I’m looking forward to seeing her grow and change and develop into a person.
I’m not a mom. I have no desire to be a mom. And I know that I will never know or understand what it’s like to be a mom. And I am absolutely fine with that. There are other things I get to experience. Say, for example, hopping on a plane and travelling to Ottawa to hang out with my friend and share in the joy and exhaustion that is her new life.
This is a quick visit to our capital city and I don’t expect to experience all that much. I’m here to be a friend and hang out. Yesterday was a nice day and we walked around Byward Market & Downtown. The tulips started to open for Mother’s Day. It was shocking to see the state of the flooding from the Ottawa River. I don’t follow the news so hadn’t seen any footage.
It’s going to be a quiet trip with lots of baby naps, and I’ll try to stay out of the way and help out as much as I can. It’s obvious that my friends are a bit sleep deprived and baby-crazed, but it’s so nice to be able to be here and spend some time with them at this phase.
And then I get to go home to my love, our quiet adults only home and keep living our wonderful life.
Sunday at Crooked Tree Trail
When friends asked if we’d like to join them for a Sunday afternoon hike at Crooked Tree Trail, the answer was a resounding, “YES!”
This excursion checks all the boxes:
- Fun with friends
- Being outside
- Walking in nature
- Exploring a new location
- Close to our new home
Crooked Tree Trail
This lovely 2.4 km loop is only a few minutes away from Sackville, NB, off the Trans-Canada Highway down Walker Road. It doesn’t seem to be pinpointed on any maps, so I suppose it qualifies as a hidden gem?
As we approached the trailhead I heard a quiet rustling in the dry leaves near my feet. A ground snake! I can’t remember the last time I saw a snake in the wild, even a cute little one like this. Of course I had to try to get a photo, but those little guys are pretty good at staying hidden.
We headed off on the trail and I made a conscious effort to really pay attention to our surroundings. To listen for sounds and enjoy the quiet, notice the unusual and unexpected, and to soak up as much of this special place as I could.
Volunteers maintain the ski and snowshoe trail. It was in great shape and free from trash. There are various markers in bright colours and orientation maps along the way. The kissing bell hanging from the big crooked tree is a nice touch. And they even built a little warming cabin that I’m sure is a treat in the winter months.
There were a few low-lying wet sections that we had to make our way through and around, but that just added to the adventure.
It was a fantastic day. The air was crisp and fresh, and the bright rays of sunlight shining through barren trees lit up sections of the forest like a magical faerie land. I wanted to curl up on the lush green moss covering the ground, but I knew it would be cold and damp this time of year.
I intend to get out and enjoy (and then document) many more adventures this year.
Cultivate Your Inbox
Clean up your neighbourhood.
I’m sure that I’m not the only one who’s overwhelmed by the amount of garbage online. The trash I’m talking about is the must-see click-bait, latest thing, buzzword bullshit. There’s gossip, noise and litter everywhere I look. I don’t know if there’s any way to clean up the toxic waste. I suppose what I can do is notice when I come across something wonderful, and try to encourage more of that.
You can find a lot of beauty online if you look for it. And in that magical way the internet has of making connections, one good thing leads to another. Turn towards the light and follow the path to… well, whatever it is you seek.
Me, I want to live well. With everything (always) changing, I like having a hand in directing that change towards improvement. For myself and others. I want to think, learn and grow. Some of that happens within, but I can’t do it alone. I need help: inspiration, ideas and instruction.
Online, you get to choose your neighbours.
So, I’ve started spending time in the blogger-hood again. I’ve always loved blogs and bloggers, even though I’ve never been a fan of the word. To me the spirit of the blog is one of sharing. Not the simplified one-click social media share, but a thoughtful commentary on something discovered, learned, experienced or appreciated. The sharing of something for others to consider.
I love it when I find someone who is thinking, writing and sharing ideas about the things I’m curious about. They don’t have to be an expert, but I want them to be interesting and interested. My personal preference leans toward the considerate, well-written, creative, self-aware, and intelligent type. And a wry sense of humour doesn’t hurt.
Send invitations to your inbox party.
I am a huge fan of the newsletter. In fact, I believe we are experiencing a newsletter renaissance. With a subscription, I can invite these wonderful folks to deliver their awesomeness to my immediate attention, directly to my inbox. And anti-spam laws mean that you can unsubscribe with a single click.
Is it strange that I like email? It’s still my preferred method of communication. Then again, I was (and still am) a big fan of sending letters. I like reading and writing. Complete sentences are my jam. And I’m proud of my meticulous inbox that reaches zero at the end of each day. If you cultivate your inbox with content you want to read, it’s an engaging task rather than a chore.
I also dabble with RSS feeds (I use a browser extension), especially if I’m trying out a new source. This way I can add new prospects to my feed and check-in when I have the time or desire.
I’m starting a collection of my favourites. Does anyone else remember the blogroll? It’s kind of like that, I suppose. These are the people and topics that inspire me. I want to share them in a single location, for anyone who might be curious. It’s a work in progress, like everything else in my life.
Do you subscribe to any blogs/newsletters that you think I would find interesting? I’m always up for trying something new!
Earth Day 2019
It’s hard to be grateful in times of crisis. And make no mistake, we are in the midst of an environmental crisis. We have been for a long time, and denying the existence of something real won’t make it go away.
Earth Day is supposed to be a celebration in support of environmental protection. So let’s celebrate. But then we need to go back to doing the difficult work of actually protecting the environment.
The only way to alleviate the impact of climate change is with culture change. And culture is hard to change. It starts small and grows. It’s happening right now, all around us, but it’s slow. How can we speed it up? When it seems like we take one step forward then two steps back (I found last week’s Alberta election results particularly disheartening), how do we keep moving forward?
But today I will celebrate and express my gratitude for the earth, our home, without which humanity cannot exist. It is a privilege to breathe this air, to grow this food, to drink this water. It’s amazing that the earth provides everything we need to survive. Because the planet doesn’t need people. We need it. And if we don’t figure out how to clean up our mess, we are going to lose our privileges.
Business Time
Let 2019 be known as the year I started a business.
And let me say upfront, I probably have no business starting a business. I am not a business person. And since my “business” is really just me, I should probably just say that this is the year I became self-employed.
I’ll admit that I have no idea what I’m doing. But, you know what? That’s OK. I suspect that most people have no idea what they’re doing most of the time.
What I do know is why I’m doing this. And I think that might be the important part.
Set Sail
So I started this business thing and I decided to call it Rising Tide. A sort of homage to the Bay of Fundy, home to the highest tides in the world. The ebb and flow of the tides here is phenomenal and I want to evoke that powerful feeling.
I’m also trying to bring to mind the fairly well-known aphorism “a rising tide lifts all boats.” I love the succinct simplicity of this general truth and I think it resonates with people in this region.
The idea of the rising tide that lifts all boats is an economic one, popularized by JFK in the 60s, implying that an improvement in the economy will benefit all participants. It’s idealistic and simplistic and perhaps it doesn’t hold much water these days (pun intended), but I’m an idealist and I like simple, and I believe it can still be effective.
The internet presence of small business in the maritimes is pretty abysmal. A lot of businesses here don’t have a website. Many who do have one don’t know how to update it. I can help with this, I want to help with this, and that’s why I started Rising Tide.
Anchors Aweigh
But again, I’m not much of a business person. I just want to help. So I am going to try to do that this year, in my own way.
This is not one of those succeed or die situations. I’m very fortunate that at this stage of my life I have the freedom to try something new. This is an experiment. I want to find out if I can do this in a way that supports the life I want to live. I want to figure out a way to help others while staying true to my own values. I’m giving it a year to see how it goes.
I’m determined to work hard at this new venture, but I don’t want it to take over my life, so I still plan to be present here, creating and struggling and sharing the rest of my life. I have a website for my business, and this is not it. This is for everything else. But I felt like I should share this big project that I have been working on. It’s all related.
So, here’s to trying something new. I have so much to learn and that excites me. I know it’s going to be really difficult, but I’m hoping that the challenges are surmountable and lead to new and exciting things that I can’t even imagine right now.