Category: post

Beatrix owns at least a hundred books. Possibly more. Real books. Picture books. The kind five-year old kids have. Despite this age of tablets and e-ink, nothing has really matched the real thing for her. Most of the reading she personally does, or the things we read to her, are physical books.

Yet, while we have plenty of real books around the house ourselves — shelves upon shelves of them in our front entryway and the small library/den we have — these are all books we have already read. Most purchased before the age of iPads and Kindles. The books we actually read, the majority of any reading we do, are mostly on screens now. And though my wife and I read a lot, and read a large iety of books, periodicals, and other material at that, how is Beatrix to know?

I mean, we could be doing anything on the screen. And she knows it. She knows the Internet is sometimes on that screen. She knows that movies are sometimes on that screen. She knows that games and music are on that screen.

And, while she does know we can read books on that screen, even books for her, how is she to know the difference? How is she to pick up the physical cues that Mommy and Daddy read a lot of books? That this is what people should do. That it is something we believe passionately in. That it matters. That we believe she should read a lot of books too. Even when she is as old as we are.

I’ve decided that I want to start being very conscious of making sure to read real books as much as possible around her. That she not only see them closed and on shelves but also open and on tables and desks and their places being kept over the arm of a chair. I want to ensure that we have family reading time as much as possible and while one of us is reading a book to her the other is enjoying a physical book of their own.

This way, I hope she can see how important they are and make no mistake that reading books is something we believe in.

Bonus — Here are some of the favorite books (and mine too) in Beatrix’s extensive collection:

• Not Yet, Rose by Susanna Leonard Hill and Nicole Rutten

• Ten Moonstruck Piglets by Lindsay Lee Johnson and Carll Cneut

• Cinderella’s Dress by Nancy Willard and Jane Dyer

• The Man in the Moon (Guardians of Childhood) by William Joyce

• A Sick Day for Amos McGee by Philip C. Stead and Erin Stead

• Diary of a Wombat by Jackie French and Bruce Whatley

• Olivia Saves the Circus by Ian Falconer (Actually, all of the Olivia books are great. We have a few.)

Update Bethany actually came up with the nightly family reading time idea, based on my concerns, and we proposed it to Beatrix yesterday morning. Tonight, Beatrix specifically asked for it and I was so excited and proud. Achievement unlocked.

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Derek Sivers: Weird, or just different? | Video on TED.com.

I’ve been long fascinated by the thought that ideas only have value if there is agreement on them. In other words, that it is such agreement that really gives ideas true meaning.

The video is an excellent example of this. How something that has meaning in this country (a street name) does not have meaning in another simply because there is not agreement on the basic idea itself. In this case, that streets should have names.

Another example is the idea, the concept, of money. If you have a dollar and try to exchange it with me for something that is worth a dollar, the only way it can work is if we both agree on the value, the very idea, of what a dollar is worth. Furthermore, that dollars value to me is largely predicated on my faith that I can get someone else to agree to it’s value too. Entire economies have collapsed due to the failure of such agreements.

In order for us to have a discussion on the color of the sky, we first must agree on the name of that color (blue). If I decide that color should be called red, well, we have a fundamental flaw at the premise of our discussion. And if I call it red and everyone else calls it blue then, well, my ideas about the color of the sky will be written off as that of a crazy person. But, if I can convince everyone else to call it red, well, while the color of the sky has not changed the person still calling it blue will be in the wrong and not to be trusted.

The point here is that we must have some patience when discussing ideas. That in order to tackle a big problem or dispute it is important to get to the root of an idea and come to some fundamental agreements and understandings. It could be that the real problem is that we are talking about two different ideas entirely. That, by finding agreement on the idea itself, we may find that figuring out the rest is easy.

I’m a full-time independent writer who works hard to bring you quality ideas here daily. If you enjoy what you read and find agreement here, please consider a free will donation of any amount.

A thought occurred to me today as I was cleaning off my desk. As I removed everything from its surface, leaving only my MacBook, a notebook, pad of paper, and pen, an urge suddenly gripped me. The urge to remove the MacBook in order to have a space that is dedicated to writing with pen and paper.

Then, this has me thinking even further, what if one were to create an electronics free zone in their home or office? A desk, a small space, a room, or even a whole floor of the home where electronic technology was not allowed? No smartphones, tablets, tv’s, computers, or radios. Books, pen and paper, board games, and other such items were not only welcome in that space but championed. How would that feel? How would that change the nature of how we use that space or our home. How would it affect our perspective, habits, or dependence on these technologies that permeate so much of our lives? An Amish space, one where only the simplest of tools are allowed and every item has purpose and is considered carefully for the work or play to be conducted there.

You see, most Amish do not shun technology out of hand. They are just really careful about how it is adopted, when it is, to what extent, and where. It is not unusual for some Amish communities to have a shared car for those longer trips that a horse and buggy can’t make. Or a shared telephone in a central place where business can be conducted with those outside of the community.

Perhaps such an approach would be useful to adopt in our lives as well. Even on a small scale it could have tremendous impact. To know there is one space we can be to escape the distraction and expectations of a world insisting we react to every bell and beep.

I don’t know the answer to these questions. I have yet to implement this myself. It is just a thought for now. In fact, I’m not sure that this particular desk is right for it. It is made for use with a computer and an imperfect height for writing. That said, I now have the inclination to find a good old writing desk, one made in a time when pen and paper were the popular technology of their day. My Amish space.

Tools For Daily Learning

In my post yesterday about making note of at least one new thing you have learned each day, I did point to one or two suggestions for ensuring you have at least one thing to write down. That said, I wanted to give folks a nice list of my own that one could copy for such reference:

• Random page on Wikipedia — Just what it says on the tin. Click on this link and it will take you to a random page on Wikipedia. Chances are, you’ll land on something you did not know before 99% of the time. I just learned about mathematician Artemas Martin (best known for his puzzle columns in ious periodicals) while testing this link for you.

• Merriam-Webster Online Word Of The Day — Today’s word (as I write this) is inchmeal. An adverb that means gradually.

• Wonders & Marvels — A Community for Curious Minds who love History, its Odd Stories, and Good Reads — A wonderful history blog with a bent towards historical literature. I learn something new with every post.

• Random Facts | Fun Trivia | Interesting Insight — I sometimes have to check Snopes for verification because some of these facts seem unbelievable. No gotcha moments yet.

• Caesura Letters — I know I have said this before but I will say it again, every morning, this arrives in my email inbox and I always, always, learn something new. These are daily reflections wrapped in huge, delicious, doses of knowledge.

• Now I Know — A free daily newsletter;
  you’ll learn something new every day. Suggested by K.H. Schumann

Now, my bet is that there are many more I don’t know about. I’ve only mentioned a few that I use personally. That said, I always welcome even more sources of knowledge and learning. Feel free to suggest them to me on App.net or Twitter. Perhaps I’ll even update this post with some of them to share them with others.

I’m a writer. Writing is how I make this world better, friendlier, stronger place. If these words improved your day, please let me know by contributing here.

A practice I have been doing often for the past couple of years is to write down at least one new thing I learned every day. I sometimes fail or forget but mostly hit the mark. That said, when I get to the end of the year and review all of the things I learned, it makes me pretty darn proud. It is a great reminder that, no matter how old I get, there is always the capacity to learn and grow.

Sometimes, the one thing I learn comes from reading. Sometimes, it comes from observation. Sometimes, it comes from conversation. Sometimes, when I get to the end of the day and can’t think of anything new that I learned, I go to a random page on Wikipedia and learn something for the sake of learning.

There is no wrong way to capture this stuff. A paper notebook works well. The Levenger Five Year Journal is almost tailor made for it. Day One, with its quick entry menu item is fast and near frictionless.

The point is to note something in a way that is so simple and painless you won’t forget and it will become habit. Because, if you can make the capturing of your brain’s travels habit then, by association, learning something new every day will become habit too.

I’m a writer. Writing is how I make this world better, friendlier, stronger place. If these words improved your day, please let me know by contributing here.

My fingers are really cold today. I can’t seem to get them to feel warm. I’ve blown on them, clasping one hand over the other and cupping my mouth as I exhaled, hoping the warmth of my breath would help. I’ve tried sitting on them, hoping to find warmth for them somewhere between my thighs and the couch. I’ve tried rubbing my hands together, hoping the friction would produce enough heat. Nothing has worked so far.

This is a problem. Writers largely work with their hands. They need to be warmed up.

Before this, I had sat down to work on my morning pages. They too, are an act of warming up the writer. Of getting the fingers moving and the creative juices flowing so that an artist is warmed up to the craft that lay before them.

How does one warm up when they can seem to get warm? My fingers are too cold to write.

The morning pages are essential for me. Pioneered by Julia Cameron in her book, The Artist Way, the idea is to fill up three standard pages, hand written, long hand, with whatever thoughts come to mind. There is not supposed to be narrative or meaning or even the idea of being any good. In fact, it should barely be considered writing, really. Just stream of conscious thought poured out on the page done first thing in the morning. Morning pages are supposed to clear the mind and open the pathways to the deeper reaches of one’s mind.

And now my hands are grasping a hot cup of coffee. Still hoping for warmth.

Most often, I warm up to write one thing by writing another thing. An email is an excellent way to warm up to writing a blog post. A journal entry is a pretty good way to warm up to write a chapter of a book. A task list. A recipe. Transcribing the side of a cereal box. If you are feeling stuck, writing anything is always a good way to get unstuck.

And, now, I have written about warming up. My fingers are a bit warmer. As if thinking about it and writing about it were the only source of heat in the world. In this moment, that seems as true as any truth.

I can write my pages now.

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We like to believe that the Internet is this open public place. This place where everyone shares everything (even to a fault). Where if someone is struggling, they will surely share it on their blog or tweet it or post it on some wall. That you will have some chance to reach out and offer real help.

In fact, quite the opposite is more often true. The Internet is the perfect place to hide in plain sight. One can appear to be a part of this world while, in spirit, they left it a long time ago. We can put a good face on our otherwise anonymous lives and never mention the darkness that envelops and consumes us. We can focus public attention on our work and not our person. We can disappear for a whole year and then come back as if nothing has happened and most people won’t even notice. (“Oh, yeah. I guess you haven’t posted in a while.”)

It is far more difficult to hide such things in person. There are too many other cues that give our disposition away. Body language or a look in the eye or even a lack of skip in an otherwise skip filled step. Those who watch closely enough, especially those who we are closest too, can often tell the signs of the suffering. Such intimacy, for this reason, is always measured in distance.

I think, for many of us, we notice these things because we have seen them in our selves. As one who, far too often, has such darkness looming, thankfully untouchably, before him, I see it well in others. I’ve seen it’s face just behind my eyes when I have looked the mirror. Therefore, if I can be face-to-face with someone, I can almost always spot it.

Can’t do that, yet, on the Internet.

I only wish I knew the words and tools I use to keep it at bay well enough to impart to others no matter where and when it is made known to me. Such skills are often unique, individual, and mostly non-transferable. I barely manage myself most days. Most often all I can do for others is offer to let them know they do not suffer alone.

If that is you, hiding such suffering in plain sight, know that you are not alone and are welcome to reach out to me, in person or through the Internet, anytime.

I’m a writer. Writing is how I make this world better, friendlier, stronger place. If these words improved your day, please let me know by buying me a coffee.

Why wait for the eulogy to state what someone means to you? If someone’s life and accomplishments have great meaning the day after they are gone, my bet is they had even greater meaning the day before. Tell them today — right now — while you have the chance. Because this moment may be your only chance. Because none are guaranteed.

You never know how it might have an impact on someone who needs to hear it. We so often do not get the full story. Even from those we are close to. A kind word of gratitude for who someone is and what they mean to you could make someone’s day or even save their life.

I’m a writer. Writing is how I make this world better, friendlier, stronger place. If these words improved your day, please let me know by contributing here.

Not quite sure what it is that gives writers such rapt fascination with the lives and habits of other writers. That said, I’m certainly one with this affliction. And, it is not just writers I admire or who’s work I know. It is any writer. I love to read about their process, their workflow, their motivations, or their thoughts on the work of writing itself. In fact, I have long joked that the only things writers love more than writing about writing is reading other writers write about writing.

Writing is such a selfish, self-involved, and lonely business — fraught with fear and self-hatred. Perhaps, reading about others who share our struggle is the only place we feel we can truly find empathy. That in every other writer, and only in another writer, we see someone else who gets it. Who understands. We are not so alone after all.

With this premise laid, here are some recent writings about and by writers that I have enjoyed. Hopefully you will find these valuable too.

On Writing in the Morning : The New Yorker

On a good day, I’m caught up by something larger than myself, held in the light by some celestial movement. For a brief charged time I may be irradiated, able to cast a shadow version of something I only imagine. The shadow will never be the bright true self that I know exists, but it will be as precise as I can make it, as real, as sharp, as beautiful. I will cast this shadow into the air, where it may never be seen, or where it may be seen at a great distance, and only by one person, someone I will never know. The point is to cast the shadow out into the air.

George Saunders Has Written the Best Book You’ll Read This Year – NYTimes.com

You could call this desire — to really have that awareness, to be as open as possible, all the time, to beauty and cruelty and stupid human fallibility and unexpected grace — the George Saunders Experiment. It’s the trope of all tropes to say that a writer is “the writer for our time.” Still, if we were to define “our time” as a historical moment in which the country we live in is dropping bombs on people about whose lives we have the most abstracted and unnuanced ideas, and who have the most distorted notions of ours; or a time in which some of us are desperate simply for a job that would lead to the ability to purchase a few things that would make our kids happy and result in an uptick in self- and family esteem; or even just a time when a portion of the population occasionally feels scared out of its wits for reasons that are hard to name, or overcome with emotion when we see our children asleep, or happy when we risk revealing ourselves to someone and they respond with kindness — if we define “our time” in these ways, then George Saunders is the writer for our time.

Seth’s Blog: “Here, I made this,” is difficult and frightening

Your art is vitally important, and what makes it art is that it is personal, important and fraught with the whiff of failure. This is precisely why it’s scarce and thus valuable—it’s difficult to stand up and own it and say, “here, I made this.” For me, anyway, writing a book is far easier than handing it to someone I care about and asking them to read it.

Your free will donation of any amount helps to support this full-time independent writer. Thanks for reading!