Cooking Healthful(ˈhelTHfəl) Joyful(ˈjoifəl) Meals(mēl) with a Picky(ˈpikē) Family

By Leo Babauta

Shifting(ˈSHiftiNG) from a convenient(kənˈvēnyənt) but unhealthy(ˌənˈhelTHē) diet(ˈdī-it) to one of healthful, delicious joy can be a challenge when you’re living alone — but there’s a whole new level of challenge if you are part of a family.

The problem: while you might want to change to a new style of eating, picky eaters (kids, but also spouses(spous)) can disagree with the change.

Who wants to eat kale(kāl) when fried(frīd) chicken and pizza(ˈpētsə) are go-to staples(ˈstāpəl)? Who wants to eat oats(ōt) and fruit(fro͞ot) when Poptarts(tärt) and sausages(ˈsôsij) are the usual(ˈyo͞oZHo͞oəl) breakfast(ˈbrekfəst) foods?

Well, me. And maybe you. But how do we deal with a family full of picky eaters?

I’ll share what has worked for us:

We try to find things that the whole family likes that are healthy and tasty(ˈtāstē). That might mean veggie(ˈvejē) tacos(ˈtäkō), veggie spaghetti(spəˈɡedē) (with whole wheat((h)wēt) noodles if we can get away with it), sushi(ˈso͞oSHē) bowls(bōlz), anything they might all like.

Other times, we cook something less healthy that they would like, and either join them or cook our own meals (which we might make to last for a few days).

We often make a lot of food for the family dinner(ˈdinər) and then have leftovers for lunch, and possibly(ˈpäsəblē) another dinner or two (like a big pot(pät) of soup(so͞op) or chili(ˈCHilē)). If your husband doesn’t like the same dinner twice in a row, he might be open to having it again in a few days.

We talk to the kids and try to get them to explore(ikˈsplôr) foods they don’t always like. This doesn’t always work, though. But it’s worth an ongoing conversation(ˌkänvərˈsāSHən). You might try this with your husband as well. It helps to cook the vegetables(ˈvejtəb(ə)l, ˈvəjədəb(ə)l) in different ways that make them tastier(ˈtāstē), just to get them to open up to it. For example, if they don’t like kale(kāl), they might enjoy kale chips (baked(bākt) with olive(ˈäləv) oil(oil) to a crisp(krisp), with seasonings(ˈsēzəniNG)).

Sometimes we cook a dish that has something one of the kids doesn’t like (mushrooms(-ˌro͝om,ˈməSHˌro͞om), for example), but we cook the mushrooms on the side, and allow them to leave off the mushrooms. This can get complicated(ˈkämpləˌkātid) but sometimes it’s not too hard.

If someone doesn’t like the dinner, they can just have a little of it and then make themselves a PB&J sandwich or grilled(ɡril) cheese(CHēz) or something. Our kids can cook simple things for themselves.

Finally, we get everyone involved in the meal planning. Everyone looks for meal ideas online. Vote(vōt) on what to eat. Take one meal a week to cook themselves. If they cook it, they’re likely to eat it!

You don’t have to do all of these, but there might be a couple ideas here that work for you.

In the end, embrace(emˈbrās) the Zen(zen) Habits philosophy(fəˈläsəfē) of small, gradual(ˈgrajo͞oəl) change. You don’t have to do all of this overnight. But there’s also the Zen Habits philosophy of loving the change you’re creating — how can you show them that this is a joyful change to delicious(dəˈliSHəs) nutritiousness(n(y)o͞oˈtriSHəs)?

https://zenhabits.net/picky/

The truth about generations(ˌjenəˈrāSHən): Why millennials(məˈlenēəl) aren’t special snowflakes(ˈsnōˌflāk)

We increasingly(inˈkrēsiNGlē) form opinions about people based on the generation they belong to, but these labels are often lacking in science

By Amelia(əmilēə) Tait(tātə)

People born between the mid-80s and early 2000s have been called many things: Generation Y, the Net Generation and, more usually, millennials. Now, a new name is growing in popularity(ˌpäpyəˈlerədē): the Burnout(ˈbərnˌout) Generation.

The argument, laid(lād) out in a viral(ˈvīrəl) BuzzFeed(bəz) article last month, is that growing up, millennials were unduly(ˌənˈd(y)o͞olē) affected by the financial(fəˈnanCHəl) crisis(ˈkrīsis) of the late 2000s and pressured(ˈpreSHər) by a new wave(wāv) of intensive(inˈtensiv) parenting. As a result, they are uniquely(yo͞oˈnēklē) overambitious(ˌōvəramˈbiSHəs), overworked and overwhelmed.

The description(dəˈskripSH(ə)n) rang(raNG) true to many millennial readers, but also left a lot of people in the previous cohort(ˈkōˌhôrt), Generation X, wondering why no one was paying attention to the difficulties they face. This disparity(dəˈsperədē) exposes(ikˈspōz) the looseness(ˈlo͞osnəs) with which we talk about generations. So is it even useful to divide(dəˈvīd) people up in this way?

“If you want to draw a boundary between two historical(-ˈstär-,hiˈstôrikəl) generations, there needs to be a reason for it,” says Elwood Carlson, a sociologist(ˌsōsēˈäləjəst) at Florida(ˈflôridə) State University. Generally, that should be a collective(kəˈlektiv) difference between the two groups that can be identified(īˈden(t)əˌfī) empirically(əmˈpiriklē), he says. It isn’t clear whether “burnout(ˈbərnˌout)” fulfills that criteria(ˌkrīˈti(ə)rēə), but it might. “Deciding which differences are important for separating(ˈsepəˌrāt) generations is more of an art than a science,” says Carlson.

…
https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg24132162-300-the-truth-about-generations-why-millennials-arent-special-snowflakes/

The best| (and worst)| first-date story ever

By Djanka Gajdel

We met the good, old-fashioned(ˈfaSHən) way. In a bar. It was a time when Tinder(ˈtindər) was inconceivable(ˌinkənˈsēvəbəl)| and computer dating| not yet invented. I’m grateful(ˈgrātfəl) our courtship(ˈkôrtˌSHip) was void of technology| because at least no one could record our first date. It was an event ripe(rīp) to become a sketch(skeCH)| on Saturday Night Live.

It was 1983| in the dead of an Alberta(alˈbərtə) winter. My date picked me up in a van| I thought was the colour of rust(rəst). When in fact, the rust| was what was holding this clunker(ˈkləNGkər) together. The interior(inˈti(ə)rēər) was covered with a sickly(ˈsiklē) orange-brown shag(SHag) carpet(ˈkärpit). A dye(dī)-lot of which I had never seen. Straight(strāt) out of a seventies thriller(ˈTHrilər), it boasted interior(inˈti(ə)rēər) design elements| one might see in a kidnapping(ˈkidˌnap) movie, and yet| I was immune(iˈmyo͞on) to all of it. Considering the severely(səˈvi(ə)rlē) frigid(ˈfrijid) temperatures, as long as there was heat(hēt), I was fine. I typically dated guys who drove(drōv) shoddy(ˈSHädē) vehicles(ˈvēəkəl,ˈvēˌhikəl). My experience was that they were kinder and gentler, confident(-fəˌdent,ˈkänfədənt) and sweet – not needing a shiny(ˈSHīnē) fast car to impress or define who they were. This thing on wheels((h)wēl) was the absolute(ˈabsəˌlo͞ot,ˌabsəˈlo͞ot) worst car yet. According to my reasoning, this guy| had the potential(pəˈtenCHəl)| of being a gem(jem).

…
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/first-person/article-the-best-and-worst-first-date-story-ever/

The Most Effective(əˈfektiv) Form of Exercise(ˈeksərˌsīz)| Isn’t “Exercise” At All

By Emmanuel(əˈmanyəwəl) Stamatakis(staˈməˈtəlks)

Have you recently carried(ˈkarē) heavy(ˈhevē) shopping bags up a few flights(flīt) of stairs(ste(ə)r)? Or run the last 100 meters(ˈmēdər) to the station to catch your train? If you have, you may have unknowingly(ˌənˈnōiNGlē) been doing a style of exercise| called high-intensity(inˈtensədē) incidental(ˌinsəˈden(t)l) physical(ˈfizikəl) activity.

Our paper, published today in the British Journal of Sports Medicine(ˈmedəsən), shows this type of regular, incidental activity| that gets you huffing(həf) and puffing(pəf)| is likely to produce health benefits, even if you do it in 30-second bursts(bərst), spread(spred) over the day.

In fact, incorporating(inˈkôrpəˌrāt) more high-intensity activity into our daily routines|—whether that’s by vacuuming(-yəm,ˈvakˌyo͞o(ə)m) the carpet(ˈkärpit) with vigor(ˈvigər)| or walking uphill to buy your lunch—could be the key| to helping all of us| get some high quality exercise each day. And that includes people| who are overweight and unfit(ˌənˈfit).

What is high-intensity exercise?

Until recently, most health authorities(əˈTHôrədē) prescribed(prəˈskrīb) activity lasting for at least 10 continuous minutes, although there was no credible(ˈkredəbəl) scientific(ˌsīənˈtifik) evidence(ˈevədəns) behind this.

This recommendation(-ˌmen-,ˌrekəmənˈdāSHən) was recently refuted| by the 2018 US Physical Activity Guidelines Advisory(ədˈvīzərē) Report. The new guidelines| state any movement(ˈmo͞ovmənt) matters for health, no matter how long it lasts.

This appreciation(əˌprēSHēˈāSHən) for short episodes(ˈepəˌsōd) of physical activity| aligns(əˈlīn) with the core principles of high-intensity interval(ˈin(t)ərvəl) training (HIIT). HIIT is a hugely(ˈ(h)yo͞ojlē) popular regimen(ˈreZH-,ˈrejəmən)| involving repeated(rəˈpēdəd) short sessions, from six seconds to four minutes, with rests(rest)| from 30 seconds to four minutes| in between.

…
https://qz.com/quartzy/1557217/how-to-integrate-hiit-exercise-into-your-daily-routine/

True Loyalty(ˈloiəltē)

By Steve Pavlina

Positive relationships| are growing relationships.

A positive relationship| is a delicate(ˈdelikət) balance of someone| who accepts you as you are| yet also recognizes your potential| to keep growing. A positive relationship| makes it hard for you to settle(ˈsetl). It lets you feel loved| and accepted, but it makes it difficult for you| to be too complacent(kəmˈplāsənt). When you stagnate(ˈstagˌnāt), you can feel the strain(strān) it creates in your positive relationships, but your negative relationships| have no trouble with your stagnation.

Positive relationships are available(əˈvāləbəl)| and abundant(əˈbəndənt). They’re yours to enjoy. Commit yourself to a path of growth, and take action on it each day. Push yourself, and don’t settle. Positive people will recognize you as a kindred(ˈkindrid) spirit(ˈspirit)| and befriend(bəˈfrend) you. Negative people| will push you away| because you’re a threat(THret)| to their stagnation.

You don’t even have to deliberately(dəˈlib(ə)rətlē) cut ties with negative people. Just be unwaveringly(ˌənˈwāv(ə)riNG) committed| to your own path of growth, and hold them fully responsible| for their own results in life. When they vent(vent) excessively(əkˈsesivlē) at you, call them out for it; hold them responsible| and tell them to stop whining((h)wīn) so much. You will disgust them in short order, and they’ll very likely feel compelled(kəmˈpel) to dump you in short order.

Commit to no longer using relationships with negative people to slow yourself down. This behavior is beneath(bəˈnēTH) you. You have better things to do with your life.

If you cocoon(kəˈko͞on) yourself in a bubble(ˈbəbəl) of denial(dəˈnīəl), your negative relationships| will surely(ˈSHo͝orlē) permit(ˈpərmit) it. But you’re only making yourself look ridiculous(rəˈdikyələs) to the positive people in your life — if there are any left.

Being loyal(ˈloiəl) to negative relationships| is being disloyal to courage. Disloyal to growth. Disloyal to your path with a heart.

Drop the ridiculous belief| that you’re somehow being a loyal friend| when you serve as someone’s go-to outlet for whining. That isn’t loyalty. It’s disloyalty to that which genuinely(ˈjenyo͞oənlē) deserves(dəˈzərv) your enduring(enˈd(y)o͝oriNG) faithfulness(ˈfāTHfəlnəs) and steadfastness(ˈstedˌfast).

Be loyal to courage. Be loyal to the greatness within you. Be loyal to your path of growth. Challenge and invite(inˈvīt) your once negative relationships to join you in this exciting adventure(adˈvenCHər,əd-).

https://www.stevepavlina.com/blog/2014/11/true-loyalty/

Past
PAST

INT: A BEDROOM.

Ellen is writing(ˈrīdiNG) in a notebook. Whether it is a letter(ˈledər) or a journal(ˈjərnl) entry(ˈentrē) is unclear.

ELLEN

I didn’t miss any one thing about you today. It was just a general(ˈjenərəl) sort of bad feeling. I woke up| and it was suddenly September, 2010. Not our anniversary(ˌanəˈvərsərē) or anything, just that morning we woke up after a thunderstorm(ˈTHəndərˌstôrm)| and the whole room was awash(əˈwäSH,əˈwôSH) in light |as yellow as butter(ˈbətər). We didn’t even have a bedframe then, just a blowup(ˈblōˌəp) mattress(ˈmatrəs) on the floor. The air was still warm| and humid(ˈ(h)yo͞omid) as anything, so your arm| was inches from my bare(be(ə)r) shoulder, almost touching me, but not quite(kwīt). I didn’t know then| that it was possible to be without you.

I don’t miss those days. Kind of wish I did, if I’m being honest(ˈänəst). I live them| every day instead. Just over| and over again| and I wake up and it isn’t today anymore. Instead| I’m living inside small moments| that end too soon| and then replay themselves. Like the last time| I watched you walk to your car with your dark hair starting to curl(kərl) under that ridiculous(riˈdikyələs) linen(ˈlinin) hat you loved. I wish you had turned around. I wish I’d asked you to.

People are wrong| when they say that you can’t fix(fiks) the past, that you can only change today. I can’t do anything about the fact that these days I open my eyes and I’m cold| and alone under opaque(ōˈpāk) skies. But that memory…sometimes now| I can wake up, and in my mind| the light is still yellow, the blowup mattress dangerously deflated(dəˈflāt) underneath(ˌəndərˈnēTH) me, and the air humid(ˈ(h)yo͞oməd) as anything, but your arm is around me this time, warm against my skin.

https://www.instantmonologues.com/preview/Past

Why Do Zebras(ˈzēbrə) Have Stripes(strīp)? Scientists Camouflaged(-ˌfläj,ˈkaməˌfläZH) Horses(hôrs) to Find Out

If you spend time around horses or flies, you might want to invest in some zebra print.

By JoAnna Klein

What’s black, white((h)wīt) and striped all over — except for its head?

Horses wearing zebra coats(kōt) on a farm in Britain(ˈbritn).

The animals(ˈanəməl) weren’t attending a masquerade(ˌmaskəˈrād). They were dressed for studies investigating(inˈvestəˌɡāt) a mystery(ˈmist(ə)rē) that has puzzled(ˈpəzəld) scientists for more than a century(ˈsenCH(ə)rē).

With solid(ˈsäləd) coats of brown(broun) or gray(grā), “most mammals(ˈmaməl) are pretty(ˈpridē) boring(ˈbôriNG),” said Tim Caro, who studies animal coloration(ˌkələˈrāSHən) at the University of California(-nēə,ˌkaləˈfôrnyə), Davis(ˈdāvis), and is co-author of a study published on Wednesday(-dē,ˈwenzdā) in PLOS One. “So when you see these bold(bōld) patterns like on a giraffe(jəˈraf) or zebra, as a biologist(bīˈäləjəst) you say, Why?”

At least since the days when Charles(CHärlz) Darwin and Alfred(ˈalfrəd) Russel(ˈrəsəl) Wallace(ˈwôləs) were theorizing(ˈTHi(ə)rˌīz,ˈTHēəˌrīz) about evolution(ˌevəˈlo͞oSHən), scientists have debated(dəˈbāt) the function of this sassy(ˈsasē) animal print. It’s been called camouflage to confuse big predators(ˈpredətər), an identity(ˌīˈden(t)ədē) signal(ˈsignəl) to other zebras and a kind of wearable(ˈwe(ə)rəbəl) air conditioner. Now most scientists agree that the function of a zebra’s stripes is to ward(wôrd) off biting(ˈbītiNG) flies that can carry(ˈkarē) deadly(ˈdedlē) diseases(dəˈzēz).

But what exactly is it about a zebra’s wardrobe(ˈwôrˌdrōb) that flies don’t like?

The answer to that question has been hard to find. Zebras in the wild are not easy to get close to. So Dr. Caro and a colleague(ˈkälˌēg), Martin How, went to Hill Livery(ˈliv(ə)rē), a horse farm moonlighting as an orphanage(ˈôrfənij) and a conservation(ˌkänsərˈvāSHən) hub for captive(ˈkaptiv) zebras near the University of Bristol(ˈbristl) in Britain. With their students, they observed(əbˈzərv) and filmed horse flies trying to bite(bīt) zebras. They also dressed some horses in zebra print to see if it helped them avoid fly bites.

…
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/20/science/zebra-stripes-flies.html

The Joy of Meaningful Work

By Leo Babauta

Not everyone| has the luxury(ˈləgZH(ə)-,ˈləkSH(ə)rē)| of doing meaningful work. I get that. I’m incredibly(inˈkredəblē) lucky| to have work that I find meaningful.

But| it is one of the most incredible things I’ve been able to create in my life. Purposeful(ˈpərpəsfəl) work. Work that feels like I’m doing something good in the world.

People in all kinds of fields| have found meaningful work — it’s usually when you’ve done some good in the lives of others. Teachers| who see a kid’s eyes light up| when they do a science experiment| or read a good story. Nurses(nərs)| who help someone| who is in pain(pān). Volunteers(ˌvälənˈtir)| who help with a project| that makes a community better. Writers| who inform| or delight(dəˈlīt)| or provoke(prəˈvōk). Mothers| who help babies grow into wonderful people. A bus driver| who keeps his students safe| so they can learn. Scientists| who are advancing(ədˈvans) human knowledge(ˈnäləj). Yoga(ˈyōgə) teachers| who bring a measure of inner peace to people’s mornings. A flower gardener(ˈgärdnər)| whose product will make people’s homes happier. A counselor(ˈkouns(ə)lər)| who helps someone deal with their grief(grēf) or anxiety( aNGˈzīədē). A software engineer| whose app empowers(emˈpou(-ə)r) creators(krēˈādər). An artist| whose work gives people a new way| of seeing the world. A personal trainer| who helps her clients get healthier(ˈhelTHē). A coach| who helps his clients make breakthroughs(ˈbrākˌTHro͞o) in their lives.

And| it’s my belief| that anyone| can find meaning in their work. Work in an office? Maybe it can feel meaningful| to serve your team| so that their work| gets done easier, or so that the project they’re doing| actually gets done. Maybe you help brighten(ˈbrītn) people’s day with your positivity(ˌpäzəˈtivədē)| or sense of humor(ˈ(h)yo͞omər). Maybe you delight your customers with your service. Work as a janitor(ˈjanədər)? Imagine not cleaning for a week| and think about how miserable(ˈmiz(ə)rəbəl)| people would be — your work makes their lives better, even if they don’t realize it. A feeling of meaning| can come even if the people benefitting| don’t realize what you’ve done. Just knowing you’ve made lives better| is a wonderful thing.

Meaning| is anything| that makes lives better — your own life included. If you are putting smiles on people’s faces, helping them find mindfulness, helping them make a living, making their jobs easier| or their headaches(ˈhedˌāk) smaller … you’re doing something meaningful.

Meaningful work| is all around us, and it is deeply satisfying(ˈsadəsˌfīiNG).

https://zenhabits.net/meaning/

Have you looked under the chickens(ˈCHikən)?

By Derek Sivers

One of the problems with being an expert at something, is you forget| what it’s like| to not know the basics(ˈbāsik).

Because I like being very easy to contact(ˈkänˌtakt), I get all kinds of questions about the music business| and entrepreneurship(ˌäntrəprəˈnərˌSHip).

Some of them| are so basic, I’m almost stumped(stəmp)!

It’s like someone asks you, “I’ve got this henhouse(ˈhenˌhous) full of chickens, but I don’t see any eggs. What should I do?”

You think, “Hmmm… Maybe it’s a strange disease(dəˈzēz)? Maybe the chickens are old? Maybe it’s temperature(-ˌCHo͝or,ˈtemp(ə)rəCHər)?”

Before getting complicated(ˈkämpləˌkātid), you dare(de(ə)r) to ask the obvious(ˈäbvēəs), “Uh… have you looked under the chickens?”

You hear a pause(pôz), and then: “Hey! There they are! Wow! I never thought of that! Thanks so much!”

Computer technicians(tekˈniSHən), plumbers(ˈpləmər)| and doctors| must have this more than anyone.

I like getting these questions, though. They’re a good reminder(riˈmīndər)| of beginner’s mind. I try to remember all the questions| I must have asked| when I was just getting started.

https://sivers.org/chickens

us and the arts

the arts

By Henry H. Walker

the arts can be denied(dəˈnī),
when schools have to cut expenses(ikˈspens),

academics(ˌakəˈdemik) are hard to deny,
for reading, writing, math, science(ˈsīəns),
social studies, languages,
shout(SHout) of their value,
the kinesthetic(ˌkinəsˈTHēZH(ē)ə), if expressed(ikˈspres) as sports,
opens purses(pərs), but expressed as art, as dance,
can be denied,

what seems true to me is
that a school’s most important task
is to help each young person learn to believe in self,
to hit the “on” switch that doubt(dout) and frustration(frəˈstrāSHən) can gum(gəm) up,

this week near half of our middle school
are pulling off a musical(ˈmyo͞ozək(ə)l) in our new Performing Arts Center,
there is a wholeness, a life, that comes real on stage:
as actor, set designer(dəˈzīnər), costumer, makeup artist, prop(präp) maker, all excel(ikˈsel),
light and sound people, stage managers(ˈmanijər),
all together pull off what needs doing
so that each individual(ˌindəˈvijəwəl) can shine(SHīn) bright(brīt)
within a whole that shines bright,

the closest analogy(əˈnaləjē) to me is a team in sports,
where the collective(kəˈlektiv), acting together,
somehow reveals(rəˈvēl) individuality(ˌindəˌvijo͞oˈalədē),
the sense of self as part of a larger whole,

the arts are one way to help empower(emˈpou(-ə)r) the student,
we teachers, we advisors(ədˈvīzər), work all the time
to do our best for the empowerment of the young person,
this week, the arts shout of how well
a full-scale(skāl) musical can blaze(blāz) of empowerment,

it is hard to sacrifice(ˈsakrəˌfīs) part of one’s own journey(ˈjərnē) with kids
to enable another’s journey,
but of such is how a community does its best to stumble(ˈstəmbəl) forward.

https://henryspoetry.blogspot.com/2019/02/us-and-arts.html