Today's prompt:
What is burning deep inside of you? If you could spread your personal message RIGHT NOW to 1 million people, what would you say?
Live more lightly. Recognize that we and our world are deeply connected. Become alive to how the way you live affects plants, animals, the sea, the air, the soil. Gently take a step to live more kindly in this world.
Thursday, June 09, 2011
Wednesday, June 08, 2011
Too Scary to Write About
Today's prompt has not yet arrived in my email. At last I looked it up. The question is What is too scary to write about?
This question falls at an interesting time. I just finished Calculating God by Robert Sawyer, and it did leave me afraid. I am afraid the world is ending. Maybe we have passed the tipping point in the changes we have made to our planet. Maybe the universe is quiet because someone or something removes intelligent life when it notices it. Maybe we are doomed, by our own unconsciousness to what we are doing, or by the malevolence of something out there.
What really scares me is the Drake equation. Those numbers seem to show so plausibly that there should be many worlds with intelligent life out there -- unless the span of civilization is very small. So if it is -- how does it end? What becomes of burgeoning technological civilizations -- why can we not see them? Are we and those like us inherently too much a danger to ourselves to last? Are we doomed? Is the sky empty of those who can look out and be conscious of its beauty? Or did some civilization make it beyond their own shores and now jealously guards against another civilization expanding?
In a short time, I will go back to doing what I can do, moment by moment. The fear does not help me do anything useful.
There it is, though. That is what scares me.
This question falls at an interesting time. I just finished Calculating God by Robert Sawyer, and it did leave me afraid. I am afraid the world is ending. Maybe we have passed the tipping point in the changes we have made to our planet. Maybe the universe is quiet because someone or something removes intelligent life when it notices it. Maybe we are doomed, by our own unconsciousness to what we are doing, or by the malevolence of something out there.
What really scares me is the Drake equation. Those numbers seem to show so plausibly that there should be many worlds with intelligent life out there -- unless the span of civilization is very small. So if it is -- how does it end? What becomes of burgeoning technological civilizations -- why can we not see them? Are we and those like us inherently too much a danger to ourselves to last? Are we doomed? Is the sky empty of those who can look out and be conscious of its beauty? Or did some civilization make it beyond their own shores and now jealously guards against another civilization expanding?
In a short time, I will go back to doing what I can do, moment by moment. The fear does not help me do anything useful.
There it is, though. That is what scares me.
Tuesday, June 07, 2011
5 Years Either Way
Yesterday's prompt seemed repetitive and not terribly applicable to me. I skipped it! I'm free.
Today's prompt asks what I would say to myself of five years ago, and what I would say to the person I'll be in five years. Cool.
Five years ago, I had just moved to Las Cruces. I'd tell myself that that comes out ok. I'm really pretty happy with the choices I made between then and now. I kept feeling my way along to creating a business and finding good projects to work on.
One thing I could say is not to take an unpleasant person I ended up working with too seriously. Another is to treasure the really great people who have been the largest majority of the people I have worked with since then.
I might also recommend I save a little more money. The recession was still to come. Having a little more in savings would have made my transit through it a little easier. It's no big deal, though. We've been getting along.
To my future self -- remember how excited I was about my idea for a thesis? How did that come out? If I'm still working on the systems that might let the results of that research spread, I bet I could use a reminder of why I started the process. This could help a lot of people. If not -- if the research didn't turn out, or I couldn't find a way to apply it -- I'd like to remind myself of how passionate I felt about that project now. Is there some other way to accomplish those ends? If I have grown tired, can I reconnect with what excited me?
And I'd like to send ahead some fond memories of Las Cruces. I am truly enjoying living here. I have good friends and good support, and good local food, and a good house. I enjoy the weather and the vistas and the ease of life here. If my life, for some reason, ends up taking me somewhere else, remember -- this was a good place and a good time.
Today's prompt asks what I would say to myself of five years ago, and what I would say to the person I'll be in five years. Cool.
Five years ago, I had just moved to Las Cruces. I'd tell myself that that comes out ok. I'm really pretty happy with the choices I made between then and now. I kept feeling my way along to creating a business and finding good projects to work on.
One thing I could say is not to take an unpleasant person I ended up working with too seriously. Another is to treasure the really great people who have been the largest majority of the people I have worked with since then.
I might also recommend I save a little more money. The recession was still to come. Having a little more in savings would have made my transit through it a little easier. It's no big deal, though. We've been getting along.
To my future self -- remember how excited I was about my idea for a thesis? How did that come out? If I'm still working on the systems that might let the results of that research spread, I bet I could use a reminder of why I started the process. This could help a lot of people. If not -- if the research didn't turn out, or I couldn't find a way to apply it -- I'd like to remind myself of how passionate I felt about that project now. Is there some other way to accomplish those ends? If I have grown tired, can I reconnect with what excited me?
And I'd like to send ahead some fond memories of Las Cruces. I am truly enjoying living here. I have good friends and good support, and good local food, and a good house. I enjoy the weather and the vistas and the ease of life here. If my life, for some reason, ends up taking me somewhere else, remember -- this was a good place and a good time.
Sunday, June 05, 2011
Living or Preparing to Live?
Today's prompt asked in what areas of my life I was preparing to live, and how I could start living instead.
That's probably more relevant for 20-somethings than for me. This is my life, already.
Each day, I spend time with someone I love: my top ally, the fabulous Doug Weathers. 25 years of marriage have only given us a richer shared language and more appreciation for each other.
I do work I love. I tend my home and family, and practice daily self-care, and have learned to enjoy it. I sing and create jewelry and write, making beauty in several ways.
I continue to learn -- my life has forward motion as well as the enjoyment of what I am doing now. I revel in new ideas and new techniques, and I increase my skills. All of that, too, is part of living.
I have a very good life.
That's probably more relevant for 20-somethings than for me. This is my life, already.
Each day, I spend time with someone I love: my top ally, the fabulous Doug Weathers. 25 years of marriage have only given us a richer shared language and more appreciation for each other.
I do work I love. I tend my home and family, and practice daily self-care, and have learned to enjoy it. I sing and create jewelry and write, making beauty in several ways.
I continue to learn -- my life has forward motion as well as the enjoyment of what I am doing now. I revel in new ideas and new techniques, and I increase my skills. All of that, too, is part of living.
I have a very good life.
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