even though i don’t care much for flowers, this winter has made me very amenable to thinking about the snow in terms of them. anything to change the tapestry of dirty, dingy, dank, dark, deep snow that is and will be forever and ever amen on the ground in massachusetts.
it’s easy to box coworkers into the role they play at work, but all it takes is one moment to realize how rich and varied they are outside of work.
what is one person’s trash (30 moving boxes) is now my treasure!
sometimes all it takes is to ask for help. sometimes the hardest thing to do is ask for help.
change is all around, all engulfing, all encompassing and so we have to hug the familiar while we still can.
this on how being a writer really means you’re a thief and an artist.
this on bravery and inspiration.
this on self-worth.
this GPS induced life lesson.
this on not comparing yourself to others.
this picture.
this set of pictures from antarctica.
this recipe which changed my mind about brussels sprouts.
a major component of writing is finding your voice, but i’ve recently discovered it’s also a major component of life. hearing it, listening to it, and trusting it are complicated tasks when the world and your family and friends are adding to the cacophony. trying to pick out what’s best for you is never simple, easy, or straightforward, especially when the advice offered is provocative or simpler.
i surround myself with people i respect and like and so it made sense to survey them for help. the suggestions came flooding in and i had to wade past the overwhelming choices, including what i had every legal right to do, because in the end, it was about me feeling safe and secure. after two weeks of holding on as all the emotions and choices and decisions and actions ran the gauntlet over me, i dried my eyes and made my choice.
apparently i’m impulsive when big decisions need to be made.
the debris finally settled and i stepped out into the land of clarity and into a chance conversation with a coworker which revealed she had just moved out of the building next door to where i’m moving to and which is owned by the same people as my new building. her immediate reaction was the opposite of what i wanted to hear, but other than a slight flush in the very hot conference room, i remained stable. i waiting for the eruption or avalanche or tsunami of emotion. nothing came. i knew i’d made the right decision for me at this time and she’d made the right decision for her at this time and i’m moving into a different environment and building than hers so maybe/probably i’ll have a different experience. plus, she has 30 moving boxes she needs to get rid of and i find myself in need of some. the conversation turned out better than it started.
maybe this is also called adulthood?
this winter has granted me quite the education.
snow farms do exist. their main and only crop is snow. all the snow. oh, and cranes and bobcats to move it around.
there are machines designed to melt snow when the sun and mother nature don’t work fast enough.
the colder the temperature, the fluffier the snow.
the term blizzard refers to visibility conditions, not the amount of snow. it just so happens the two usually correlate.
@growingwisdom is a rock star meteorologist who explains in great detail the hows and whys of what he’s forecasting.
in the middle of extreme weather people are a bit nicer. they are gentler and more accommodating as they step aside to let you pass in the skinny sidewalks or point out icy / slushy conditions or wish you a safe journey. the longer the weather stays, the shorter everyone’s patience becomes. the higher the snow piles up, the lower everyone’s spirits fall. the skinnier the roads and sidewalks get, the fatter everyone’s anger becomes.
this article. (link via N’s website.)
i’m ready for an education in sunshine.
Abigail Mumford 