Start Your Engines

We're just back home from our trip -- slightly jet lagged and certainly sluggish.  That makes today a Super Monday.  Today it is really time to . . . 

On Mondays, I share things I've collected over the weekend . . . to get the week off to a good start.

==========

A Quote

"And if travel is like love, it is, in the end, mostly because it's a heightened state of awareness, in which we are mindful, receptive, undimmed by familiarity and ready to be transformed. That is why the best trips, like the best love affairs, never really end."  
--- Pico Iyer

==========

A Word

polymath

==========

To Read

I like to think of myself as an open-minded person.  But after reading this essay in the Washington Post over the weekend, I can see that, well . . . it's a bit more complicated than that.  I think the essay is fascinating -- and especially given that I've been thinking about polymaths already, since it seems that polymaths may tend toward more open-minded thinking.

What do you think?

==========

A Challenge

Be curious.
Challenge your own thinking. 
Use "however" more than "moreover."

==========

I hope your week is off to a good start.  I'm looking forward to catching up with all of you again!

Start Your Engines

It's Monday.  Time to . . . 

On Mondays, I share some things I've collected over the weekend . . . to get the week off to a good start.

==========

A Quote

"Every now and then go away, have a little relaxation, for when you come back to your work your judgment will be surer. Go some distance away because then the work appears smaller and more of it can be taken in at a glance and a lack of harmony and proportion is more readily seen."     --- Leonardo da Vinci

==========

A Word

There are certain words that we use in my household . . . because Chemistry.  Turns out that chemists describe things with very specific words that (I've discovered) sound odd outside the lab, when used by non-chemists in . . . oh, say . . . a social gathering.  Here's one:

It's not that it's such an unusual word.  You've probably come across it in your reading now and again - and understood exactly what it meant without needing to look it up in the dictionary.  It's just that you don't . . . hear it used in normal, everyday conversation all that often.  (Unless you're married to a chemist. . . )

==========

To Read

Last week, the Washington Post put together a list of the best books to read at every age (from 1 - 100).  Their premise is that certain books resonate best at certain ages.  Check out their list and see what you think!

==========

A Challenge

Try to use the word "turbid" in a sentence.  
Out loud.  
In public.

==========

Hope your week is off to a great start!

 

 

Start Your Engines

Another Monday.  Time to . . . 

On Mondays, I share some things I've collected over the weekend . . . to get the week off to a good start.

==========

A Quote

"There is a lie that acts like a virus within the mind of humanity.  And that lie is, 'There's not enough good to go around.  There's lack and there's limitation and there's just not enough.' The truth is that there's more than enough good to go around.  There are more than enough creative ideas.  There is more than enough power.  There is more than enough love.  There's more than enough joy.  All of this begins to come through a mind that is aware of its own infinite nature.  There is enough for everyone.  If you believe it, if you can see it, if you act from it, it will show up for you.  That's the truth."
--- Michael Beckwith

==========

A Word

There are a few words that just don't seem to stick in my brain.  I've looked them up over and over (and over) again.  For whatever reason, I continue to need to look them up every time I encounter them.  (Does that ever happen to you?)  (Please tell me it does.)  Anyway.  Here's one of them . . . 

==========

To Read

I often say flowers are magical.  According to this lovely essay by the late Oliver Sacks, they really ARE!  Read about the healing power of gardens.  Nature . . . is a powerful force!

==========

A Challenge

This week, make a point to spend some time in a garden -- either your own or a friend's or a public garden in your community.  Enjoy the blooms, listen for bird joy, watch the butterflies.  

==========

And in the Audacious BADASS Department . . . 

We have Ravelry (following in the footsteps of RPG.net) banning Trump and his administration in a brave, bold move to put an end to white supremacy, hate, and bigotry on the site.  I am so proud to be a knitter today.  Read Ravelry's statement here.  Check out RPG.net's list of citations and reference materials here.  And read this opinion piece from The Mary Sue for a glimpse of just how audacious and badass Ravelry's move really IS!

==========

And, lastly, if you're interested in my monthly Stash Giveaway, be sure to let me know by tomorrow evening at 5:00 pm EST.  I'll contact the winners by email on Tuesday night.

Start Your Engines!

It's Monday.  And that means it's time to . . . 

On Mondays, I share some things I've collected over the weekend . . . to get the week off to a good start!

==========

A Quote

Each week, as I set up my calendar, I find a quote that seems appropriate for the week ahead.  Here's my quote for this week:

"Sun is shining.  Weather is sweet.  Make you wanna move your dancing feet."
                            --- Bob Marley

This Friday, we celebrate the Summer Solstice.  Here in my corner of the world, summer can't seem to get a good grip on the season (very wet, very cool).   Maybe if we collectively think pleasant, sunshine-y thoughts, Summer will wake up and join us?  

==========

A Word

I first heard this word as a child (it's in the lyrics to Bippity-Boppity-Boo Impossible from Disney's Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella*).  I've always loved saying this word out loud (usually followed by ". . . and fiddle-dee-dee"), but never bothered to look up the definition or proper spelling until recently.  Now, I'm looking for more ways to use it in casual conversation!

==========

To Read

Looking for something new and interesting to read this summer?  Why not start here . . . with this new paperback series from The Modern Library.   Challenge the classical canon!  Discover overlooked women writers who deserve a place in classic literature.

==========

A Challenge

Remember to look up!  
(You find the most surprising things.)

==========

Happy Monday!  
I hope your week is off to a smooth start.

=========

One last thing.  I know that I typically do my monthly Stash Giveaway on the third Monday of each month.  I've decided to switch that feature to Wednesdays, beginning this month.  So be sure to check back on Wednesday when I'll be telling you about this month's Stash Giveaway.  (Hint:  It's sock yarn.)

==========

* And one more thing.  Thanks, Pam, for pointing out that I mixed up my Cinderellas!  (I always liked Rodgers & Hammerstein's version better, so I don't know what I was thinking. . . )

Sometimes Monday

. . . looks entirely different.  

But it's still Monday, y'know?  The start of a new week is always tough in that here-we-go-again kind of way.  But it's also an opportunity for a fresh start.  After all, a whole new week lies before us.  

However you feel about Mondays, it's definitely time to  . . . 

On Mondays, I'm going to share some things I've collected over the weekend . . . to start our engines and get the week off to a good start.

==========

A Quote

Each week, as I set up my calendar, I find a quote that seems appropriate for the week ahead.  Here's my quote for this week:

"If we listened to our intellect, we'd never have a love affair.  We'd never have a friendship.  We'd never go into business because we'd be cynical.  Well, that's nonsense.  You've got to jump off cliffs all the time and build your wings on the way down."
---Annie Dillard

==========

A Word

When I read, I keep a dictionary nearby.  Usually I just use an online dictionary, but I often drag out The Real Deal just for nostalgia's sake.  I love learning new words.  Here's one I looked up last week:

(For further reading, here's an interesting little blurb about how "liminal" is not a "fancy word.")

==========

To Read

Here's a fascinating article from The Atlantic, adapted from the book How to Disappear: Notes on Invisibility in a Time of Transparency by Akiko Busch.

==========

A Challenge

Today, set an intention for the week.  See where it takes you.

==========

Happy Monday!  I hope your week is off to a great start.