I’m a photographer who writes to paraphrase Austin Kleon. Therefore, my blog combines posts on books (reading, writing, musing over), lots of photos (all taken by me, unless otherwise stated), culture and arts in general, some astronomy and space (I’m a Science-Fiction fan), and cats as cats rule the internet.
Not much time? Read My Top Ten Blog Posts.
Every long journey starts with a small step; the easiest way to change is through tiny steps in our daily lives. Earth Day, celebrated today, can seem overwhelming when one browses their site. So much to do! How much would one person’s actions matter?
I feel disheartened sometimes when I look at the plastic debris on beaches or the garbage left behind by people in the woods. When I see how people buy houses and then cut down all trees and bushes, remove the flower beds, and build swimming pools instead. Or when the gardens consist of only perfectly manicured lawns, thoroughly cleaned up of any “weeds” or leaves.
All this has a terrible effect on the wildlife environment. Small animals like squirrels or hedgehogs, insects, and birds cannot find shelter or food in these sterile environments. For instance, dry leaves in the autumn may look unpalatable on that perfect lawn, but they offer shelter to overwintering insects and hedgehogs. Likewise, withered plants with their seed pods provide food for birds during winter.
But where to start? What to do? We can start here, where we live. Yes, the devastation in some faraway countries may be terrible, and we give money to organizations that help protect the environment. I won’t argue with that. But there are small things we all can do in our everyday life to make life on Earth better for other than human beings. We’re setting an example by our actions, not by what we are talking about. More people may be inspired and will follow our example. But it all starts with the steps we’re taking at home.
I love lists, so I’ve compiled one for you, small things you can do in your garden to attract wildlife and improve biodiversity. It’s good for nature and a lot of fun watching animals and birds go about their business. This is how I found myself sitting quietly for hours to photograph squirrels or small birds.
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Easter is around the corner, so I added some new cards to my Freebies page. They’re completely free to download; feel free to have a look and use what you like, no strings attached.
I hope you like them. I love working on greeting cards; I don’t feel any performance anxiety as I’m not an illustrator. It’s just a pleasant hobby, and it makes me happy to see people using them.
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What better way of celebrating World Poetry Day today than by writing or reading a poem? I wrote this haiku a few days ago, on the night of the full moon.
full moon
watching its twin
In the pond
To read more poetry, click here.
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I do not know whether I shall make progress; but I should prefer to lack success rather than to lack faith. Once again, Seneca hits the nail on its head. My writing mornings have become more and more torture sessions after the almost euphoric beginning. I write and write, one sentence after another, and I write almost anything, no matter how bad or irrelevant to the topic, just to record something in the log and say, See, I’ve written that much today. But do I believe in what I’m writing? Not anymore. I’m losing faith, and that’s about the worst. In survival situations, mental strength is the difference between who dies and who lives; in writing, between who finishes a book and who doesn’t.
I finish the daily quota and go for a walk, unsatisfied by the day’s production. A jumble of words, a bright spark here and there … how can all this become a book? How could I think I could write? But isn’t every author saying that you have to write, no matter how bad, in order to learn how to write? You’ll suck at first, they say, and you’ll continue sucking for a while; you have to make your peace with that. But with every word scribbled down in anguish, with every sentence excavated from the depths of your creative mine, with every doubt encountered but dismissed on the way – you learn.
That is, you learn if you have faith and keep at it long enough to notice your progress. That’s the difference between those who finish a book and those who don’t. Learning how to write means learning how to live with inadequacy and doubt and how to keep going despite your mind screaming in protest. “What’s the use?” that traitor would say, “You call that writing? You’re lucky your life doesn’t depend on it.” You hear it scream, yet you continue, you endure it and write another sentence, and another one, and another one.
“I am always doing that which I cannot do, in order that I may learn how to do it”; Picasso’s words comfort me. Have faith and keep going. Never stop working; never lose faith. You’ll make it.
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January 21st is the International Squirrel Appreciation Day – what better excuse do you need to throw a party, especially if you live in the Northern hemisphere and long for summer and green pastures? Host a squirrel-themed get-together and have some fun in the middle of gloomy January. Or celebrate it by learning more about squirrels and putting out some nuts for them!
You may be mad at them for raiding the bird feeders, but they’re just small creatures trying to survive – as we all do. Instead of fortifying the feeders, create a squirrel feeding station someplace you can see from inside your house. Drag an armchair to the window and enjoy the show. In time, one timid squirrel will grow bolder, and soon, more bushy-tailed cuties will entertain you with their antics.
You’ll have fun watching them chasing each other or running around to burry nuts and seeds, and in the meantime, nature will benefit as the many forgotten nuts will grow into trees. A win-win!
Happy Squirrel Appreciation Day!
Bonus: NASA engineer designed a squirrel-proof birdfeeder. Or so he thought.
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“I don’t know what to write about.”
“Of course you do. You must know something.”
“I know nothing.”
OK. Let’s see.
I know my name and the name of the street I live on. And of this tiny island I call home.
I know the sun rises in the east and sets in the west. I’ve seen it. It’s real.
I know the blackbirds are early risers and catch the worms indeed.
I know a jay can scoop and carry away twenty peanuts in one go.
I know the sounds of the trees when the wind catches in their long arms.
“See, you do know something. What else do you know?”
How quickly rabbits and squirrels demolish my Halloween pumpkins. (Very).
What finches and blackbirds love to eat (hemp seeds and apples).
The funny way the squirrels or the woodpeckers chase each other around the old oak in my back yard.
The way the cat twitches her whiskers in her sleep, chasing squirrels and sparrows and growling softly.
The blare of the emergency broadcast testing on Mondays at 3 pm, always on schedule, always unexpected.
“That can’t be all. Surely there’s more.”
“Very funny.”
“Very well. A writer’s life is lonely.”
“Would you want it any other way?”
“Of course not.”
“Go on.”
Writing is a curse and a blessing.
It’s hard to start and even harder to stop.
All first drafts are atrocious. Awful. Lousy. Get used to it.
Words form slowly on the paper, and when they do, they don’t sound as good as they did in your head. So get used to this, too.
It’s most likely that your writing will be misunderstood, but that’s OK. Once you send something out into the world, it doesn’t belong to you anymore. So let it be and move on.
Other people’s work is always better, you think. Don’t. What others do is not your business. Your business is to write.
Know that there’s plentiful in the world to keep you from writing: airing the mattresses; checking if there’s milk in the fridge and potatoes in the pantry; looking up what a baby porcupine is called (a porcupette – you’re welcome!); and a myriad other needs that arise suddenly the moment you sit down to write.
Resist the urge to rush to the bedroom or the pantry. Instead, write down the porcupine question for later. If need be, tie yourself to the chair like a modern Odysseus, but keep your butt on the chair. This is called the BIC technique by the people in the know.
“What’s BIC?”
“Butt in the chair.”
“Oh, I see.”
Talent is good, but self-discipline is better.
If you want to be a writer, write. Don’t talk about writing; write.
The self-appointed inner critic is a jerk; ditch him.
Doubt is the writer’s constant companion, as is fear, perfectionism, and other delights you’ll discover on your own. It’s normal; you’re not alone.
Write, write, write. Then write some more. It’s the only way to stay sane; that, and some strenuous walking every day—bonus points for wandering in the woods. (Look up Japanese forest bathing after you’ve done your writing for the day).
Having high expectations of your work is the surest way of failing. So do your best and call it good enough.
Does a little perfectionist live inside you? Lock him up and throw away the key. Always striving to become better is good; never being satisfied with anything you do is bad. Nothing is ever purr-fect but a cat.
“What did I tell you? It’s hard to start but even harder to stop.”
“What can I say? You were right.”
“I always am. I have to go now, though; the mattresses need airing this very moment, I’m afraid.”
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I hope that in this year to come, you make mistakes. Because if you are making mistakes, then you are making new things, trying new things, learning, living, pushing yourself, changing yourself, changing your world. You’re doing things you’ve never done before, and more importantly, you’re Doing Something.
So that’s my wish for you, and all of us, and my wish for myself. Make New Mistakes. Make glorious, amazing mistakes. Make mistakes nobody’s ever made before. Don’t freeze, don’t stop, don’t worry that it isn’t good enough, or it isn’t perfect, whatever it is: art, or love, or work or family or life.
Whatever it is you’re scared of doing, Do it. Make your mistakes, next year and forever.
Neil Gaiman
I wish you a very, very Happy New Year! May 2022 bring you and yours much joy and happiness!
It’s that time of the year, so I’ve just completed my annual personal review. This is something I do every year, although in a slightly different form. I was thinking about publishing it here, but it felt too personal. I couldn’t. Maybe next year.
(I use this Year Compass form which is excellent; it supports multiple languages, and you can choose whether to complete it online (PDF) or print it and work on the hard copy. I recently found this one which seems good, too. I had already completed this year’s when I saw it, but I’m thinking of combining them next year, taking the best of both in one customized version.)
In the meantime, I thought it might be worth sharing some of the insights of this second annus horribilis. I think we all hoped that things would go back to some kind of normal this year, especially with vaccines available. But, unfortunately, it seems we were mistaken.
No matter, no matter; new year, new prospects, I always say, the ever optimist. So let’s get to it, shall we?
This year, I struggled a lot with attention, or rather, the lack of it. Not being able to focus when working on a book (or doing anything, really) is stressful and anxiety-inducing. As I mentioned elsewhere, I had already reduced social media and news intake drastically but, obviously, not enough. So, I did an app audit and reduced the number of apps on my smartphone, deleting both the ones I seldom used and the attention stealers (you know which ones, don’t you?). I also took a time-out from social media (I’ve been sober for six months now!) and stopped reading the news. They have a way of trickling through anyway (especially the bad ones), and, fear not, I haven’t missed the news of the first woman to become Prime Minister in Sweden or the Omicron variant. I pruned blogs and newsletters as well, keeping a few core ones only (Austin Kleon, Seth Godin, Oliver Burkeman, Mason Currey, for instance). No TV except on Fridays and Saturdays.
And yet, I struggled. Then it dawned on me that I hadn’t meditated or done any yoga in some time. Like, in a long time. A very long time. So, I’ve just taken up mediation and yoga again, and I’m almost back on track! The wild monkey mind is not easy to tame, but I feel good about where I am at the moment.
If you haven’t meditated before, Pema Chödrön’s wonderful book Meditation: How to Meditate is an excellent place to start. It’s short and simple and beautifully written.
As for Yoga, Adriene Mishler has this wonderful YouTube channel called Yoga with Adriene, where you can pick and choose from a variety of yoga sessions, and they’re all free. If you don’t know where to start, she has a series of videos for beginners.
This is by far the most important lesson of the year. It’s incredible how these practices impact my mind (and body), something I tend to forget. I’ve now included yoga and meditation in my daily tracker to make sure I don’t fall off the wagon again.
Partially related to the above. Whenever I could, I would nap after lunch since in high school (I’m not kidding). I don’t seem able to function optimally for a whole day without some rest. I don’t necessarily have to sleep, but I do need to lay on the bed for half an hour someplace dark and quiet. I did this at work, too, whenever I didn’t have any meetings or calls around lunch. I would eat a quick lunch then go and lay down for 30 minutes (the perks of working from home, long before Covid-19 taught the world how to).
What did I do this year, knowing all this? In my search for efficiency, I started skipping my naps. More time for me and my book, yay! Only it became “nay”! The result was that I had more awake time, but I was too tired to do anything worthwhile (my house shines, though, there’s that). If naps were good enough for Churchill and Einstein, I guess they’re good enough for me, too. And I’m not alone to think that. I’m back to my post-lunch nap now, together with my cat, who seems to be the wiser of us.
(By the way, I love that nap line from “The Darkest Hour” movie when Churchill is asked to meet the King at 4 pm, and he replies: “I nap at 4.” I was SO tempted to tell that to my boss sometimes when he wanted to have a meeting at 1 pm). There are so many great lines in that movie, brilliantly written by Anthony McCarten; here are a few more.)
I think of myself as a person who values friendship and friends; in fact, being a good friend is one of my core values. I thought I was a good friend; I know I’ve tried. But how was I a good friend?
If we take birthdays, I would always make sure to send a message to a friend on their birthday. Note I said “send a message” (as in DM), not send a card or make a phone call. We’re all busy, I was busy, and I thought my friend was busy too, so a short and quick message to congratulate her was an efficient way of dealing with that.
But was that a good way of keeping in touch? Since many of my friends are scattered on four continents now, social media is the only way to keep track of what’s happening in their lives. I could see their updates and would occasionally comment on something, and then I’d, of course, send a DM on their birthday. Even at Christmas! I was a good friend, wasn’t I? Wasn’t I?
I thought about this and realized it was a superficial way of being a friend, more like a social obligation. So this year, I’ve started creating personalized birthday and holiday cards (now you know where that Freebies section came from) and writing e-mails with a few more lines than “Merry Christmas”! Handwritten letters would be much nicer, of course, but I need to be realistic. I feel that what’s important is writing more than a DM and more than once or twice a year. And making phone calls as we used to, despite the logistic challenges of different timezones.
Does this make me a good friend? I don’t know; you’d need to ask my friends. But I think I am a better friend at least.
As I’m planning 2022 now, I’ve added reminders in my calendar to reach out to friends every now and then, not only during holidays.
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Look up the previous year’s list here.
Best Fiction Books
Best Non-Fiction Books
I’ve used the publishers’ book descriptions for all the books on the list this year.
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It’s Christmas Eve. It’s the one night of the year when we all act a little nicer, we smile a little easier, we cheer a little more. For a couple of hours out of the whole year, we are the people that we always hoped we would be.
Frank Cross
I wish you a Merry Christmas and a wonderful day with family and friends!
