Dad’s old toolbox tells me so much about his life

By Jim Coyle

My father was born into tragedy(ˈtrajədē) and a world that no longer exists, a two-room Irish(ˈīriSH) cottage(ˈkädij) with thatched(THaCH) roof, stone floor, no electricity(əˌlekˈtrisədē) or plumbing(ˈpləmiNG). His own father had been born in an Irish workhouse. His mother died five days after giving birth to him in the spring of 1931. My father’s schooling ended in the seventh grade(grād). There was no money. There was not much of anything, save the scraping(ˈskrāpiNG) of subsistence(səbˈsistəns) from the bogs(bäg,bôg) and stony(ˈstōnē) hills(hil).

At 14, my father went to work in a limestone(ˈlīmˌstōn) quarry(ˈkwä-,ˈkwôrē). At 17, he left for better prospects(ˈpräsˌpekt) on the building sites(sīt) of Scotland(ˈskätlənd). Four years later, he sailed(sāl) from Southampton(souTHˈ(h)am(p)tən) for Halifax(ˈhaləˌfaks) and the promise(ˈpräməs) of Canada(ˈkanədə), my mother soon to follow. He arrived in this country with three pals(pal), little education, little money and a cardboard suitcase(ˈso͞otˌkās). He had worked up until three days before leaving Scotland. He had a job in a Toronto(təˈräntō) lumberyard(ˈləmbərˌyärd) three days after he arrived in March, 1953.

He never really looked back. This was his country now. In Canada, he built a life and a family, had a chance to drink from the Stanley(ˈstanlē) Cup, carried(ˈkarē) the Canadian(kəˈnādēən) flag for the legion(ˈlējən) he belonged to in a Remembrance(rəˈmembrəns) Day parade(pəˈrād).

He never had much money, and during leaner(lēn) years, didn’t have enough. What needed repairing(rəˈper), he fixed. Much of what he dreamed of, he built. He had an aptitude(ˈaptəˌt(y)o͞od) for figuring out how things worked. He had the stubbornness(ˈstəbərnnəs) of a team of mules(myo͞ol). He took pride(prīd) in self-sufficiency(səˈfiSHənsē). He rebuilt much of the house his family grew up in, finished the cottage he retired to, bought only one new car in his life. For most of his life, he tended toward battered(ˈbatərd) old heaps he purchased on their last legs and from which he squeezed(skwēz) a few more years.

…
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/first-person/article-dads-old-toolbox-tells-me-so-much-about-his-life/

The Way of Less

By Leo Babauta

Our lives naturally(ˈnaCHərəlē) get filled with clutter(ˈklədər): possessions(pəˈzeSHən) that we ordered online pour(pôr) in week by week, we take on more and more, we are constantly reading and watching and responding, messages pour in daily as well.

The modern world is one of more, more and still more.

What would it be like to declutter(ˈdēklətər) our lives and live with less?

The Way of Less is one of:

Less clutter, fewer possessions, just the essentials(əˈsen(t)SHəl)
No need to reach for the comfort of buying things or holding onto things, because you have learned to take care of your stress without things
Less doing and busy-ness, because you’ve said no to more things, and have focused only on the things that make the most difference
Less distractedness(dəˈstraktəd), because you’re checking on things less, more focused and less responsive
Less on your to-read list, less on your to-watch list, less that you have planned because you’ve let go of needing to read and watch and do everything that looks interesting

By reducing down to less, you learn to become content with little. You have space in your life. You can breathe(brēT͟H). You can give focus to what matters most to you. You can find joy in the simple things.

This is the Way of Less, and many people I know have found it to be a joyful way of living. I often get off the path myself, but returning to it is always like coming home.

…
https://zenhabits.net/way-less/

Your body’s hidden language: How smell reveals(rəˈvēl) more than you ever knew

We can sniff(snif) out fear, find solace(ˈsäləs) in the smell of a loved one, breathe(brēT͟H) in the scent(sent) of happiness. How we’re deciphering(dəˈsīfər) the subliminal(səˈblimənl) signals of human scent

By Kate(ā) Douglas(ˈdəgləs)

I am standing in a bright(brīt) and airy(ˈe(ə)rē) converted(kənˈvərt) barn(bärn) in the English countryside sniffing vials(ˈvī(ə)l) of pure(pyo͝or) armpit(ˈärmˌpit) odour(ˈōdər). The contents(kənˈtent,ˈkänˌtent) of these five tiny bottles are so pungent(ˈpənjənt) they actually knock me back. I’m getting top notes of cheeses(CHēz) – stinky(ˈstiNGkē) as they come – lots of sulphurous(ˈsəlfərəs) onion(ˈənyən) and a hit of ammonia(-nēə,əˈmōnyə). The least(lēst) offensive(əˈfensiv) has a citrusy(ˈsitrəsē) undertone(ˈəndərˌtōn). The bottles are provided by Camille Ferdenzi of the French National Centre(ˈsen(t)ər) for Scientific Research (CNRS) in Lyon, whose work includes recruiting(rəˈkro͞ot) volunteers(ˌvälənˈtir) to sniff sweaty(ˈswedē) T-shirts. Clearly, studying human smells isn’t for the squeamish(ˈskwēmiSH).

Our bodily(ˈbädl-ē) scents provide a channel of communication that evolved(ēˈvälv) to help us survive and thrive(THrīv), and in recent years Ferdenzi and others have revealed this language to be far richer than we realised. We have now discovered that each person’s scent is unique – not even identical(ˌīˈden(t)ək(ə)l) twins smell exactly alike. Each of us also has a one-of-a-kind nose for smells. What’s more, we have learned that scents wafting(wäft, waft) from our bodies and wisping(wisp) into our nostrils(ˈnästrəl) help us to forge(fôrj) family bonds and draw us to partners, divert(dəˈvərt, dīˈvərt) us from danger, illness(ˈilnəs) and aggression(əˈgreSHən), and even allow us to sniff other people’s happiness.

Yet throughout history and across cultures, people have scrubbed(skrəb), perfumed(ˌpərˈfyo͞omd) and deodorised(dēˈōdəˌrīz) to disguise(disˈgīz) their natural smells – perhaps never more than today. “Every day, we control our olfactory(älˈfakt(ə)rē, ōlˈfakt(ə)rē) image,” says Ferdenzi. If these smells are such a powerful form of communication, our aversion(əˈvərZHən) to them is puzzling(ˈpəz(ə)liNG). And recent evidence suggests we are getting less stinky(ˈstiNGkē) and losing(lo͞oz) the ability to detect(dəˈtekt) certain scents.

…
https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg24432510-700-your-bodys-hidden-language-how-smell-reveals-more-than-you-ever-knew/

Memorial(məˈmôrēəl) Circle(ˈsərkəl), may the circle be unbroken(ˌənˈbrōkən)

ripples(ˈripəl)

at our best we are connected to each other,
open enough to those outside us,
to let them into us,
to feel their joys and sorrows(ˈsärō),
to learn from them,
to let their lives touch ours,
and make us better,

each life ripples outward,
and who we are moves in response,
as we hope theirs does, too,
to that which pulses(pəls) out from us,

I feel a calling to remember and honor(ˈänər)
those who have gone before,
and whose lives touch me at my best,
helping me to not feel so lonely,
to help me move in ways and directions
that feel more right to me
than what I come up with just by myself,

we should feel ourselves part of communities
that seek us, embrace(əmˈbrās) us,
help us see ourselves as the best
that others can persist(pərˈsist) as seeing in us,

I sorrow when connections break,
and someone is alone,

even when a person has died,
I want to hold to the connection,
and still feel the ripples.

https://henryspoetry.blogspot.com/2019/11/memorial-circle-may-circle-be-unbroken.html

What you learn by travelling

By Derek Sivers

I wanted to learn about the world, so I went travelling(ˈtravəl).

People in the east are so graceful(ˈgrāsfəl), I felt like an inconsiderate(ˌinkənˈsid(ə)rət) pig.

People up north are so serious(ˈsi(ə)rēəs), I felt like a lightweight(ˈlītˌwāt) clown.

People down south are so laid(lā)-back, I had to escape north again.

The way we define ourself is all relative to our surroundings(səˈroundiNGz), right? However we differ from the people in our home town is how we define ourself. That’s where we shape(SHāp) our self-identity, growing up. Those are our defining traits(trāt).

But when we go to a different place, the relative comparisons(kəmˈparəsən) collapse(kəˈlaps). Traits like speed, ambition(amˈbiSHən), independence, bravery(ˈbrāv(ə)rē), and humor(ˈ(h)yo͞omər) — they’re all relative.

Back home I’m considered(kənˈsidərd) quiet(ˈkwīət). Here I’m considered loud.

Back home I’m a slacker(ˈslakər). Here I’m a workaholic(ˌwərkəˈhôlik, ˌwərkəˈhälik).

Back home I’m normal. Here I’m strange. Or vice(vīs,ˈvīsē,ˈvīsə)-versa. So how do I define myself now?

I always want to know why a culture is this way. What’s the difference? What are the core beliefs? So I ask questions and observe(əbˈzərv).

On the surface and from a distance, I see their actions. But deeply and closely, I see my reactions.

I want to learn about the world, so I keep travelling.

About the world, I learn a bit. About myself, I learn a lot.

https://sivers.org/trav1

Starbucks’ new store(stôr) concept(ˈkänˌsept): Pick-up only

By Jordan(ˈjôrdən) Valinsky

Starbucks has begun construction(kənˈstrəkSHən) on a new location dedicated(ˈdedəˌkādəd) exclusively(ikˈsklo͞osəvlē) to mobile orders.

The new store format(ˈfôrˌmat) is called “Starbucks Pick-Up,” only accepting orders from the Starbucks app. The first-of-its-kind location in the United States will be located(lōˈkāt,ˈlōˌkāt) near Penn(pen) Station in New York City. Starbucks hasn’t announced an opening date.

The location is based off “Starbucks Now,” a similar store format that only exists in China. At Starbucks Now stores, customers order ahead and pick up their drinks in a store that’s smaller than a typical(ˈtipikəl) cafe(kaˈfā,kə-). The concept is similar to Luckin Coffee(ˈkäfē,ˈkôfē) (LK), a rapidly(ˈrapədlē) growing regional(ˈrējnəl,ˈrējənl) rival(ˈrīvəl) that only accepts payments and orders through(THro͞o) its app.

The Pick-Up store in New York City is part of Starbucks plans to modernize(ˈmädərˌnīz) its business with a greater emphasis(ˈemfəsəs) on digital(ˈdijidl).
Starbucks has also said it wants to expand its “third place” idea: Starbucks has long said it is another place for customers to congregate(ˈkäNGɡrəˌɡāt), in addition to work and home. But as people continue to change their purchasing(ˈpərCHəs) habits, Starbucks said it is looking for ways to adapt(əˈdapt) its strategy. The smaller-format store is a further(ˈfərT͟Hər) evolution of the idea. The company has previously(ˈprēvēəslē) said it wants to bring “convenience, comfort(ˈkəmfərt) and connection” to its customers.

…
https://edition.cnn.com/2019/09/19/business/starbucks-pickup-location-new-york/index.html

How Children Get Hooked(ho͝okt) on Sugary(ˈSHo͝ogərē) Drinks

Misleading(ˌmisˈlēdiNG) marketing and labeling may confuse parents about the health value of many juices(jo͞os), a new report finds.

By Andrew(ˌandro͞o) Jacobs(jākäps)

Slave(slāv) to your sweet tooth? Researchers say the predilection(ˌpredlˈekSH(ə)n, ˌprēdlˈekSH(ə)n) for sweetened(ˈswētn) drinks — a major driver of the nation’s obesity(ōˈbēsədē) crisis(ˈkrīsis) — begins in childhood. That’s one reason health experts recommend children under 2 never be given fruit juice. When it comes to children 2 to 18, the American Academy(əˈkadəmē) of Pediatrics(ˌpēdēˈatriks) recommends a daily limit of 25 grams(gram) of sugar, or six teaspoons(ˈtēˌspo͞on).

Nice try.

Last year, nearly two-thirds of the $2.2 billion in beverages(ˈbev(ə)rij) marketed to children contained added sweeteners, according to a report released last week by the Rudd(rəd) Center for Food Policy & Obesity at the University of Connecticut(kəˈnedəkət).

At a time of mounting(ˈmountiNG) childhood obesity, food and beverage giants like Coca-Cola, Kraft(kraft) Heinz(hīnts) and Harvest(ˈhärvəst) Hill(hil) spent nearly $21 million last year advertising(ˈadvərˌtīziNG) sugary drinks to children. Although beverage companies have been developing healthier options like blends(blend) of juice and water, the report found that the packaging and marketing of these products often leaves parents confused.

Another problem, the center found, is that drinks made with 100 percent fruit juice and those devoid(dəˈvoid) of wholesome(ˈhōlsəm) ingredients(iNG-,inˈgrēdēənt) are often sold side by side in supermarket aisles(īl).

Some of the confusion is intentional(inˈtenCHənl). Labels on drinks that contain no fruit juice are frequently splashed(splaSH) with images of apples, oranges and grapes(grāp), and many tout(tout,to͞o) prodigious(prəˈdijəs) amounts of vitamin(ˈvītəmən) C. Others shout “no added sugar” on the front but bury(ˈberē) any mention(ˈmenCHən) of artificial(ˌärdəˈfiSHəl) sweeteners in fine print on the back.

…
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/22/health/drinks-sugar-children.html

Happy Thanksgiving

By 王渊源John

Thanksgiving in the United States is a holiday with somewhat problematic(ˌpräbləˈmadik) origins(ˈôrəjən), but it also one of my favorite holidays. It is celebrated on the fourth Thursday(-dē,ˈTHərzdā) of each November in the United States, and it is a time for families to gather and be thankful.

The somewhat problematic origins go back to what is often referred(rəˈfər) to as the first Thanksgiving, which was a gathering of European(ˌyo͝orə-,ˌyərəˈpēən) settlers(ˈsed(ə)lər, ˈsetlər) and Native Americans. The settlers gave thanks for their harvest(ˈhärvəst) and their health, and perhaps also for the help of the Native Americans. The problem with this as the origin story of Thanksgiving in the United States is that many Native Americans had already died from the plague(plāg) brought by the Europeans, and they would eventually have their land taken away. So, from the perspective of Native Americans, it’s probably hard to be thankful for the arrival of Europeans.

Despite this, I love the idea of a holiday for giving thanks, and Thanksgiving brings back many fond memories and recalls the traditions of my childhood. Celebrations of thanks also have origins that go back further than that “first Thanksgiving”. So my choice is to acknowledge the complicated origins of the holiday in the United States, and to continue to value and celebrate it as a day to give thanks.

When I was a child, we would often have Thanksgiving dinner(ˈdinər) with my paternal(pəˈtərnl) grandparents, and then travel(ˈtravəl) to the mountains to meet with my family on my mother’s side. Along with the tastes and smells of turkey(ˈtərkē), stuffing, mashed(maSH) potatoes, broccoli(ˈbräk(ə)lē) casserole(ˈkasəˌrōl), and cranberry(-bərē,ˈkranˌberē) sauce(sôs), I have fond memories of time with grandparents, games with cousins(ˈkəzən), and sometimes snow up in the mountains.

This Thanksgiving I am particularly grateful(ˈgrātfəl) for my family and my health. We added a new baby to our family this year, and, even though it’s been challenging at times, it has been such a gift to see our family grow. Also, my brother and parents were able to visit recently, and we were able to visit my wife’s family in southern China. I had pneumonia(-ˈmōnyə,n(y)o͞oˈmōnēə) earlier this year, so I am particularly aware of what a gift it is to be in good health.

I’m also grateful to you for reading this and for joining me here each day.

Working with the Heartbreaking Feeling That Something is Wrong with You

“I found the Divine(dəˈvīn) within my Heart.”

~Rumi

By Leo Babauta

The most common problem I’ve found in the people I’ve coached(kōCH) and worked with in my programs is a very fundamental problem:

Most people have the feeling that something is wrong with them. And it is heartbreaking.

Actually, most people would say that their problem is that they want to be more disciplined(ˈdisəplind), more focused, better at sticking(stik) to their health habits, better at finances(fəˈnans,ˈfīnans), more mindful … so more of something, or better at something else.

But underlying all of that is the feeling that something is wrong with us.

We are not disciplined enough. We’re not focused enough. We’re not fit enough. We’re not mindful enough. We’re not organized enough. We’re not good enough. We’re not enough. We’re never enough.

It breaks our heart, because we try our best, but we come up short. All of our efforts can’t solve the fundamental flaws(flô) in us, the parts that will never be good enough. There are parts of us we don’t want to face, that we don’t like, that we don’t want anyone to see. And so we hide(hīd) it, cover it up with activity that shows how great we are. Maybe if we show how awesome(ˈôsəm) we are, no one will notice the shameful(ˈSHāmfəl) parts.

The most heartbreaking thing is that nothing could be farther from the truth. Nothing is wrong with us. We are whole, we are good-hearted, we are beautiful and full of love.

…
https://zenhabits.net/wrong-hearted/

are we a melting(ˈmeltiNG) pot? or . . . ?

A Metaphor(-fər,ˈmetəˌfôr) for the U.S.A.

By Henry H. Walker

traditionally(trəˈdiSH(ə)n(ə)lē), we are a melting pot,
where all differences dissolve(dəˈzälv) into a collective whole,
with individuality(ˌindəˌvijo͞oˈalədē) of group lost,
subsumed(səbˈso͞om) into the larger,

maybe, a tossed(täs,tôs) salad(ˈsaləd), with each group
keeping its differences but together making a unity(ˈyo͞onədē),
though(T͟Hō) mouth and stomach(ˈstəmək) make it into a melting pot,

maybe a stew(st(y)o͞o), with each group retaining(rəˈtāniNG) some uniqueness,
but at the edges(ej) slipping(ˈslipiNG) into the whole,

maybe a choral(ˈkôrəl) group, where the individual voice shines(SHīn)
within a larger shining of the wholeness of the piece(pēs),

in our private(ˈprīvit) school, we trumpet(ˈtrəmpət) the value of diversity(dəˈvərsədē, dīˈvərsədē) and inclusivity(ˌinklo͞oˈsivədē),
still we require that members of the community
accept(əkˈsept) our unifying(ˈyo͞onəˌfī) philosophy(fəˈläsəfē) which chooses(CHo͞oz) some truths as not relative(ˈrelədiv):
love over hate(hāt),
peaceful problem-solving, not violence(ˈvī(ə)ləns),
empowerment(əmˈpouərmənt) over disenfranchisement(disənˈfran(t)SHīzmənt)
the rights of non-traditional genders
over the rigid(ˈrijid) denying(dəˈnī) of a fundamentalist(ˌfəndəˈmen(t)ələst) belief system,

how much are we as a country a confederacy(kənˈfedərəsē)
of separate(ˈsep(ə)rət) but equal subdivisions(ˈsəbdəˌviZHən),
with no common(ˈkämən) purpose, no common set of values,
a hundred flowers(ˈflou(-ə)r) blooming(ˈblo͞omiNG)?

it seems that now we are stuck
in a schizoid(ˈskitˌsoid) country with two different realities,
between which we have to choose,
as if we are not really part of the same whole,

we need to find common ground, and build upon it,
whatever the metaphor that best describes who we want to be.

https://henryspoetry.blogspot.com/2019/09/are-we-melting-pot-or.html