Lately I've been on a mission to learn how to take care of myself again. In prison, a lot of things fell by the wayside, like the ability to make good dietary decisions and be open about weaknesses. After years of depending on Dave, I'm also rusty on a myriad of life skills, even simple things like doing my hair and picking shoes. I am recovering, and finally recovered enough to have some say in the process.
In my usual manner, I'm throwing all the darts at all the walls and hoping that one or some stick, and- also in my usual manner- I've had incredible luck thanks to the right types of people, tools, and motivations in my life. I sat myself down and asked if this throw-everything-out-there strategy was really the best to be employing, which is when I stumbled upon this article by Cory Doctorow where he suggests that in some endeavors, we think like a dandelion.
He says, "Take the dandelion: a single dandelion may produce 2,000 seeds per year, indiscriminately firing them off into the sky at the slightest breeze, without any care for where the seeds are heading and whether they'll get an hospitable reception when they touch down. And indeed, most of those thousands of seeds will likely fall on hard, unyielding pavement, there to lie fallow and unconsummated, a failure in the genetic race to survive and copy. But the disposition of each - or even most - of the seeds aren't the important thing, from a dandelion's point of view. The important thing is that every spring, every crack in every pavement is filled with dandelions."
I guess my point is that I don't necessarily have the goal of realizing one perfect wish, and so I'm not disheartened when something doesn't work out. Instead, I just want to fill up all the cracks in my sidewalk. I'm going to make myself a better person, a more capable person, by doing all the things I know are right and true and do-able. And maybe I'll do a few impossible things, too.
What about you?
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Because chia pudding is delicious and tastes like a silver lining on the rain cloud that is morning. It's also really healthy, but don't remind me. I'm enjoying it.
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Because it's raising money for a cause that saved, not my life, but perhaps my humanity. You can take part, too. Every comment left on Beth Ann's blog through the month of March counts as $0.50 towards the Women's Prison Book Project.
http://www.itsjustlife.me/comments-cause-books/..... ... .. .
Because following his Instagram feed is like looking at the sun a smidge too long and then seeing little spots of it everywhere you go. Except instead of light, you see opportunities for encouragement in yourself and others. He makes me want to pretend to be purple, too.
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Because it always helps.
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Because it is true and seemingly timeless. I am working to improve myself, even going so far as to enroll in the WordPress Blogging U.'s Comment class. We'll see if it helps.
http://rarasaur.com/sorry-for-my-late-response-to-your-awesome-comment/..... ... .. .
Because apparently water is really important and apparently carrying around a green glass container with a built in straw makes you drink more of it. If you're me.
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Because, thanks to AR sending me this link, I almost want to travel. Almost.
http://www.boredpanda.com/travel-photography-dinosaur-toys-dinodinaseries-jorge-saenz/..... ... .. .
Because I've tried out a zillion to-do apps and Any.do seems to keep me on point the most. I have programmed everything in here- from brushing my teeth and feeding my cats, to every poem I want to include in my book of ugly things. It's simple, the reminders are persistent, and the motivational outbursts entertain me.
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Because it's pretty great and filled with wondrous people- and every time I begin to feel as if I have outgrown its capacity, it reminds me that I have only just begun. It's ability to hold my audio recordings is a blessing. I've put them in the sidebar and I think I will be adding audios of posts regularly. Let me know if you'd like an old one recorded.
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Because even though I only listed 10 beans here, I am grateful for everything. I am grateful that a friend - once a friend of a friend, originally a stranger of a stranger- gifted it to me and Mamasaur. There's so much to love in this world. I am grateful for it all.
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Do you use any planning apps? Do you audio record your posts or a podcast? Do you eat chia pudding? Do you get comment anxiety?
What are you lovin' right now? Older 10 Bean Posts: http://rarasaur.com/2015/09/24/all-beans-no-cow/ http://rarasaur.com/2015/10/01/how-i-roll/