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| Photo courtesy krrass |
“It is good to love
many things, for therein lies the true strength, and whosoever loves much
performs much, and can accomplish much, and what is done in love is well done.”
—Vincent Van Gogh
We’ve nearly made it through the first month of a brand new
year. Have you been thinking about your goals and dreams for 2016? I have, and
I’ve begun working towards making them reality. Here are a few links that have
inspired me so far:
Laura Vanderkam fascinates me. She has four children, and
she’s ridiculously productive as a writer and speaker. I do know how she
does it, because she writes often about the intricacies of combining work
and family on her blog, and has also written a book called I Know How She Does It, (which I haven’t read yet). There are several bits of useful
information about making the most of your time in “14 Time Management Strategies From Highly Productive People.”
Click here for a list of 100 ways to do something nice for
someone else. As blogger Dani DiPirro writes, “We all have the power to do something kind
for others, to make the world a better place by taking positive action….”
Laure Ferlita pointed me in the direction of “12 Things I AmToo Wise For.” I liked the author’s use of “wise” rather than “old,” because,
as she notes, “Wisdom is affected by your own experiences, preferences and
thoughts. You can be wise at any age.” While I’m not young anymore, I
don’t feel like I’m old either. This
reminded me a little of “Just (Don’t) Do It.”
Do you want 2016 to be your most productive year ever? This
interview with Spark Planner creator Kate Matsudaira is full of great
information.
Five science-based habits that will make your brain happy. I
did the last one this morning!
It’s the end of January and many people are already struggling with their goals and resolutions. In “The Great Myth About Getting in Shape (and Every Other Goal),” David Cain explains why trading
quality of life now for quality of life later isn’t sustainable. As he writes,
“We’re too interested in keeping our lives enjoyable. You cannot voluntarily
make all your days worse for months in the name of optional rewards in the
future. A good goal has to improve your life now, and nearly every
day between now and the final result. The long-term reward is never going
to drive you to keep living a life you don’t like in the short term.”
And just for fun, sing along with Adele as she sings along with the
radio (and James Corden).
Happy Friday!
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| Photo courtesy Ulrike Mai |
Introduction by Ted Kooser: This column is more than
ten years old and I've finally gotten around to trying a little origami! Here's
a poem about that, and about a good deal more than that, by Vanessa Stauffer,
who teaches writing at Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan.
Lessons
To crease a sheet of paper is to change
its memory, says the origami
master: what was a field of snow
folded into flake. A crane, erect,
structured from surface. A tree
emerges from a leaf—each form undone
reveals the seams, pressed
with ruler's edge. Some figures take
hundreds to be shaped, crossed
& doubled over, the sheet bound
to its making—a web of scars
that maps a body out of space,
how I fashion memory: idling
at an intersection next to Jack Yates High,
an hour past the bell, I saw a girl
fold herself in half to slip beneath
the busted chain-link, books thrust
ahead, splayed on asphalt broiling
in Houston sun. What memory
will she retain? Her cindered palms,
the scraped shin? Braids brushing
the dirt? The white kite of her homework
taking flight? Finding herself
locked out, or being made
to break herself in.
American Life in Poetry is made possible by The Poetry Foundation (www.poetryfoundation.org), publisher of Poetry magazine. It is also supported by the Department of English at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln. Poem copyright ©2015 by Vanessa Stauffer, “Lessons,” from third coast, (Winter, 2015). Poem reprinted by permission of Vanessa Stauffer and the publisher. Introduction copyright ©2016 by The Poetry Foundation. The introduction’s author, Ted Kooser, served as United States Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress from 2004-2006. We do not accept unsolicited manuscripts.
Since I decided not to participate in any reading challenges
this year, I’ve been having so much fun! Instead of considering whether or not
a book falls into any of my chosen challenge categories, I’m reading almost
entirely at whim. Yes, I’m still reading from my own shelves—lest the books
completely overtake my closet—but when a book catches my attention, sometimes I
immediately request it from my library. Here’s a peek into what I’ve been
reading since 2016 began:
Elizabeth Peters’ Vicky Bliss novels. I’ve finished Street of the Five Moons and I’m reading Trojan Gold. (I read Borrower of the Night and Silhouette in Scarlet last year.) Even though I
know I’ve read these before, I don’t remember anything about them. I’m
thoroughly enjoying Vicky’s adventures with that slippery character Sir John
Smythe.
Ngaio Marsh’s Death in Ecstasy. Last year, I bought a
handful of Marsh’s Inspector Alleyn mysteries at my library’s bookstore. These
vintage mysteries are a cut above the average—interesting plots and characters
as well as some humor. I’m now developing a literary crush on Roderick Alleyn.
Last week, I read about How to Blog a Book on Leanne
Sowul’s blog. I picked it up from the library this morning, though I haven’t
yet had time to open it.
The Cruelest Month is the third book in Louise
Penny’s Three Pines series. I just discovered these books, and I’m loving them.
Oh, to be enjoying the hospitality of Gabri and Olivier in the local bistro.
How am I keeping track of all these series books? I just
learned about FictFact.com from Danielle over at A Work in Progress. FictFact
is free, and in addition to keeping track of your series reads, it can also
help you with recommendations of other book series, help you connect with
readers with similar tastes, and let you know when a new book in your series is
about to be released. Sometimes it’s tricky to find out which book comes first,
or next, in a series, and now I don’t have to rely on my memory to keep track
of where I am in the ones I’m reading.
To round out the month, I borrowed two books that had been
on my TBR list for ages: Bridget Jones’s Diary and Beatrix Potter’s Gardening Life. Bridget was a hoot, and Beatrix Potter is fast becoming one
of my heroes.
Even though I loved participating in reading challenges, I’m
rediscovering how much simple pleasure can be had when I have no agenda, and no
rules to follow. Now let’s see what that Vicky’s up to…
What have you been reading lately?
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| See what I mean about the books taking over? This is just one shelf. |
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| Photo courtesy Maria Victoria Heredia Reyes |
“The absence of unhappiness is not happiness.”
—Peter Jones, How to
Do Everything and Be Happy
