Weekly Roundup 42: Pebbling

As evidence that medium-sized flightless birds can teach humans something about relationships, please consider the concept of pebbling.

This "love language" that's all over social media began with literal stones. Gentoo penguins often mate for life. During breeding season, the male will select a perfect little pebble and present it to the female. Once accepted, it becomes part of the rocky nest the birds will build on the ground together.

Even with (or maybe because of?) all the words humans have at our disposal, communication can be a tricky thing. Enter the metaphorical pebble. These small tokens of kindness, affection, and love might include texting a funny .gif or meme, sending a card, buying a coffee, collecting some beautiful autumn leaves, recommending a good book, and, yes, finding a smooth, pretty stone...anything that says "I'm thinking of you and want to brighten your day."

A lot of people in the world right now seem to be trying to convince us it's okay to treat each other badly. I do not agree. So, over the next few weeks, I'm going to try focus more on the pebbles and less on...well, you know, that other stuff.

Halloween is tomorrow! However you choose to celebrate, or not, I hope you have a safe and fun holiday and get only the best candy in your trick or treat bag.

Weekly Roundup 41: Spirals

The spiral is one of the most beautiful and most common shapes in nature, ranging in size and scope from galaxies such as our Milky Way down to the famous double-helix of DNA. You might see a spiral in a sunflower, a pinecone, a snail shell, the curl of a pea sprout or a chameleon's tail.

Yet when people talk about spiraling, it's almost always negative. Spiraling into depression, chaos, anxiety. Feeling less able to cope with life's stressors. Feeling out-of-control, dragged down as if by the vortex of a whirlpool (another of nature's spirals). 

I predict that the days between now and the upcoming presidential election will cause many of us to feel the pull of the downward spiral. These are such deeply unsettling times. So let me take this opportunity to remind us all that life is about opposites, which means there is also an upward spiral.

The psychological power of the upward spiral, where positive emotions lead to positive change, is well established. Researchers are finding that it often doesn't take a huge effort to turn a negative mindset into a more helpful one. If you need a boost, please read this post from my favorite joy blogger about the power of the upward spiral. 

Take some time over the next few weeks to seek out the people, activities, and experiences that feel uplifting to you. Humor almost always helps. So do chocolate, cinnamon tea, and scents such as citrus, pine, and rose. Self-care is paramount these days, my friends, so please take time to prioritize your physical and emotional health.

See you next week!

Weekly Roundup 40: Magnetism

Magnetism has long been recognized as a physical phenomenon produced by the movement of electric charges. (It's also what keeps our souvenirs stuck on the refrigerator.)

In the 18th century, the idea of "animal magnetism" suggested that all living things possessed an invisible force or fluid consisting of "fire, air and spirit," which flowed in and out of our pores and affected health and healing. 

Pseudoscience was big in those days, and of course that idea has since been debunked. Later, animal magnetism took on a different meaning, that of an irresistible charm or appeal, especially sex appeal. 

Generally speaking, I think most of us outside of physics class see magnetism as the act of being drawn toward something or someone with a certain appeal. Music, art, a personality, an experience, these things can all be very compelling.

The other side of magnetism is the opposite of attraction: repulsion. When two like magnetic poles are brought close enough together, they will push each other away.

Though we may welcome attraction into our lives, it's a different case with repulsion. Yet, sometimes it is present--not so much in a "gag me, that is so gross" kind of way, but more like a "why do things keep getting in my way?" kind of way.  

If you've been in that position, as I am now, the position of feeling like you can't get the poles to line up, you have my sympathy. It's a frustrating place to be, and it takes a lot of patience to work toward realignment. 

But it is possible. If the Earth's magnetic poles can undergo a geomagnetic reversal, there's certainly hope for those of us who function on a much smaller scale.

I hope you attract great things this week!

Weekly Roundup 39: A Month By Any Other Name

October was the eighth month in the ancient Roman calendar, which explains the "octo" in its name. After Julius Caesar added January and February, October was pushed down to the tenth spot, but it was not renamed. (The same kind of fate befell November and December.)

But October is definitely the best month name to portmanteau.

Here are some October riffs on my radar. (Please note, many of these already exist out there in the world, and I claim absolutely no affiliation with any of them. This is my personal list only.)

Walktober: weather permitting, I'll get out as much as possible

Croctober: we have no crocodiles here, and I don't own any of the shoes, so I'll stick to slow cooker recipes

Socktober: gotta keep my feet warm

Spocktober: I do like Star Trek

Mocktober: a non-alcoholic cocktail perhaps?

Bachtober: J.S. Bach's Toccata & Fugue in D Minor is a Halloween classic 

Rocktober: I saw Jeff Lynne's ELO in concert and spied more painted rocks

Hawktober, Flocktober, Squawktober: bring on the birds! (And maybe Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds.)

These are some things I will not try:

Shocktober: I don't like to be startled, horrified, or appalled

Frocktober: no frilly dresses for me

Mocktober (of a different kind): ridiculing someone is not a good look

Lochtober: no plans to be in Scotland

I hope you're having fun with whatever makes you smile this month. See you next week!

Weekly Roundup 38: Detours

 

Summer is road construction season of course, and this year my neighborhood has been affected more than usual. The way in and out has either been closed, restricted, or rerouted for weeks. So I've had to take some detours.

The word detour (from the French detourner, meaning to turn away) has a few definitions that basically mean the same thing: a roundabout way or deviation from a direct way; a circuitous way or course, especially when the main road is closed; a temporary route made to avoid a problem.

That last one is my favorite, because I feel that I have set myself on some personal detours of avoidance this year.

So I have to remind myself that although a dead end might require a detour, a detour itself is not a dead end. It's just a different way to get where I'm going. It's usually slower, but sometimes slowing down is not a bad thing. Neither is learning to navigate a different route between point A and point B.

And when the detour is removed, there's real joy in getting back on track. I hope to be there soon.

Happy October! See you next week.