What I’m Reading - 3.2.24
Apparently, I missed sending out a newsletter in January and February. I knew this in the back of my mind, but I didn’t think folks were keeping tabs. I was surprised when my friend Michelle (formerly of Shona’s Food Co and now off on her own culinary adventure) mentioned she hadn’t seen me taking up space in her inbox lately. It’s nice to know when you’re missed. If you don’t feel like slogging through my thoughts, here are the three things I’m reading/listening to. I hope you’ll continue reading after you’ve explored the links. Bonus Gigi video if you read to the end.
Alternate Realities: A Strange Bet
Is it possible to have meaningful conversations with people who don’t share your belief systems?
Making Time
Emphasizing being and making over doing and producing.
Instructions for Traveling West
”A lush debut collection that examines what happens when we leave home and leap into the deep unknown.” For people who think they don’t like poetry.
Let me catch you up real quick. Since our last chat, the CEO of our Destination Marketing Organization left for greener pastures in Casper, Wyoming (somewhat of a childhood stomping ground as my grandparents lived there my whole life and we visited occasionally) so work has been even more “workey”. My precious pickle Gigi has been experiencing horrific tummy troubles, and I’ve been spending a lot of cash dollars searching for a diagnosis. And over the past few weeks, the America I’ve identified with my entire life now feels like that friend who’s embraced conspiracy theories, and I’m trying to figure out how to keep her in my life without swallowing Morpheus’s blue pill.
Pretty much every time I sit down to write, I question whether I should put it out into the world. I’m told a lot of writers feel this way, so I know I’m not alone. I just wonder if this feeling will ever ease up a bit. But as I get older, the voice in my head that’s always told me I shouldn’t talk out loud about things that might make people think less of me is slowly being overpowered by a new, louder and more glorious voice that shouts things like, “What you think matters!” and “Who cares what people think of you if you’re being true to yourself!” and “It’s okay if you don’t send out a newsletter this month - the world will keep on turning!”
Let’s address the elephant in the room: I care a lot about the current administration and their efforts to downsize government. Let me go on record here and share that I don’t trust this administration any more than I’ve trusted any other administration to have my everyday man’s interests at heart. Donald Trump, a guy who loathes the government he’s presiding over, doesn’t care any more about the people who voted for him than the people who didn’t vote for him.
Do I think we should evaluate government reach and spending? I’m pretty sure we would all say that needs to happen. But I have people in my life who are directly experiencing the fallout of the administration’s illegal efforts to do so, so I’m taking it personally. What’s massively unsettling is the administration’s willingness to let their fear of scarcity mandate that we no longer “have enough” to help others weaker than us—both inside and outside our borders—and that these people are somehow beneath us as Americans. It’s also insane that they’re firing people from the FDIC. This organization has a crucial role in regulating banks and maintaining stability within the U.S. financial system when they’re already short-staffed, and THEY’RE NOT EVEN FUNDED BY THE GOVERNMENT. They’re funded by the banks. Firing people at the FDIC is not saving taxpayers a dime. I’ll spare you my thoughts on what’s going on with Social Security and the IRS.
I’m sure my opinions differ from some of my readers, and that’s okay. This is my space. Feel free to share your thoughts, and if you’re interested in learning how to have more meaningful conversations with people who don’t share your opinions, check out the podcast link above to a really great story by Zach Mack, whose father’s belief system began alienating him from his family. While the end result isn’t particularly rosy, the idea of being able to talk to people I care about who think differently than me is hopeful.
Shifting gears, I’m excited about some new learning opportunities. When I pulled up stakes and moved to the PNW four years ago (what?!?) I downsized quite drastically and got rid of a lot of the photography equipment I wasn’t using - mainly artificial lighting and stands and the accessories that went along with flash photography. Living in the sun-drenched state of Arizona, it was easy to take advantage of natural lighting for my still photography because I had a lot of windows and pretty stable sunlight throughout the day.
My current situation is a bit moodier with fewer windows and less room, so I’m working through an online course to refresh my skills as I slowly begin to acquire new equipment. Adding this to my repertoire will also create more opportunities for me to shoot on-site. Like at restaurants, maybe.
Realizing I was limiting myself creatively became apparent as I read Making Time by Maria Bowler, in which she challenges our obsession with productivity. Like most creatives, I hunger to make meaningful things, but I find myself putting a ton of pressure on myself to “do more” and “be productive,” which turns into using productivity as a measure of my self-worth. Maria argues that unlike producing, making doesn’t demand a result to matter. It asks for presence over product, and I really want to get behind that way of thinking.
Gigi eats a home-cooked meal.
