Things of Beauty #12

Silence, Tik-Tok, and other people's trees

Well, well, well - welcome to December! In some ways it feels like it was just the holidays and now here they are again. In others, 2022 seems to have drawn out long. It’s a strange construct, time. Slows to a crawl and then careens around the next corner.

But always moves forward . . .

I’m sharing a couple articles I’ve read recently, which is directly related to my inbox reorganization project and being able to easily find all the things I want to read sorted neatly into my “To Be Read” section. The fact that I’m doing lots of reading is also directly related to a commitment to not scroll social media in the morning.

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So here’s some things you might want to add to your digital “To Be Read” pile and few other sparkly, fun things, too:

📕 Why We Need Silence in Our Lives This article confirms what I’ve been feeling for a long time. It’s noisy out there (both literally and figuratively) and we all need some good old-fashioned quiet time. Here was a favorite takeaway of mine, but the whole article is worth a read:

Silence is calming and sustaining. It may serve as motivation. It cultivates the spirit, body, and mind. In contrast, the din of the outside world stifles our imagination, disconnects us from our inner connection, and weakens our fortitude. Science is now demonstrating that stillness might be just what we need to restore our worn-out bodies and minds.

🍭 In attempting to explain the appeal of TikTok to me on Thanksgiving, my niece shared how much she loves to watch the candy maker at Logan’s Candies make ribbon candy. It was indeed fascinating- both from the actual process of weaving colors and flavors into hot sugar and bending them into ribbons and the fact that we live in a world where we can sit in a kitchen in Virginia and watch a skilled craftsperson across the country in California share the art of candy making. (I have since discovered that this content is available on Instagram as well. So I remain unmoved in my stubborn 40-something, Gen X stance to not take on yet another app.)

🎄 I haven’t put up a Christmas tree in quite some time. Luckily this beauty is close by at our local social club so I can visit it regularly (Not pictured: the wood burning fire in the same room, which is clearly maximum holiday coziness- unlocked):

Not my Christmas tree. :-)

📗How to Manage Your Attention in a World of Distraction This is a quick read with really good, practical tips. I especially like the idea of the “geography of attention” presented here— the idea that we focus our attention in three primary places: the body (breath, heartbeat); the world (five senses); or our thoughts (thinking about something we’re looking forward to or ruminating about something we said). Redirecting our attention to our body or the world always brings us back into the present moment.

🎶 Discovered this fun little Christmas ditty recently. Always love a good bar song:

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Read anything good lately? Have a great Christmas tree in your life? Or another awesome holiday tradition? Perhaps some compelling TikTok content to share? Would love to hear all about whatever it is you’re excited about!

Be well, find tiny joy,

Mary Chris