Anti-Social Media
Something good, every day.
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.
Allons-y!
Make a Habit of Showing Up
You* can’t play if you don’t show up. And you won’t get better if you don’t practice.
First: show up. Be there. Commit. I will show up every week. Make it a habit. Make it obvious. Make it easy.
Log in. Write a few words. Are they dumb? Who cares. You did it. You attended.
You can’t depend on inspiration. You can’t rely on your mood. These things don’t always show up. But you can.
Be dependable. Be reliable. Be accountable. To yourself.
You will feel better. You will get better. You will be better.
But don’t get ahead of yourself. Don’t expect to be better than you are and risk not showing up because you are afraid you’re not good enough.
You might not be good enough. That doesn’t matter.
What matters is showing up and trying to make/do/be good. That’s enough.
Show up. Work hard. Accept what you make and let it go.
Do it again next week. And the week after. Keep showing up. Keep doing it.
Keep playing.
*In case it isn’t obvious. You = Me
Birthday AF (After Facebook)
One of the main activities that users engage in on Facebook is wishing people on their friends’ list a “Happy Birthday.”
It’s often cited as an actual reason not to quit the beast. “But I wouldn’t know when my friends’ birthdays are.” That’s silly, right?
I know I’m not the only one who believes that the greatest trick Facebook ever pulled was convincing the world it was necessary.
Calendars: made for dates
I believe in using the best tool for the job, and a calendar is an excellent tool to remind us of important dates. It’s a fairly simple task to set up an annual calendar event on the date your friend or loved one came into existence. In fact, you can even import/export your contacts’ birthdays from Facebook. If you’re truly a person who cares about birthdays, this is a much more effective way to keep track.
There’s no need to login to FB every day just to make sure you don’t miss a birthday. Does it really matter if today is the day that woman you met at a conference 3 years ago turns 50? Do you really care if your boss from the summer job you had in high school is one year older today? And if you do care, isn’t there something better you can do to show it?
Facebook birthday wishes are lazy. They feel superficial. They’re too easy and too abundant and that makes them less valuable.
Birthdays without Facebook
But I’m over here, writing from the other side of the chasm. I just celebrated my second birthday post-Facebook and I did not get a lot of birthday wishes. That’s OK. I’m a grown-up (sort of). I didn’t expect them, I don’t need them and I’m not disappointed. I had a great birthday!
Do you know who wished me an unprompted “Happy Birthday?” Mostly people whose birthdays are in my calendar. I remember their birthday and they remember mine.
Perfection is not an Option
My current mantra.
This is what’s getting me through the day.
This is what’s getting this post online.
I know it’s not a new idea, but it’s resonating with me now. I read it in a blog post on The Zero-Waste Chef and it struck me and has really helped me stay motivated lately.
I adore her “Don’t Be Perfect” attitude about the zero-waste movement, the name of which is so intimidating that it can scare people away from even considering it.
But the idea that perfection is not an option, that the goal is simply to keep moving in the right direction… that is movement I can get behind.
It’s similar to another mantra I’ve used: Do Something. Anything.
“Don’t do nothing because you can’t do everything. Do something. Anything.”
Colleen Patrick-Goudreau, the Joyful Vegan
If doing everything is perfection, how about we just do the best we can today. And maybe, try to do more tomorrow. Just keep moving in the right direction whenever you can. Don’t despair. Don’t give up. Keep going.