Good afternoon earth-huggers! 🤗
I personally am coming to the end of a rather tiring week, so I’m going to share some empowering resources, motivational mottos and nourishing music – as ever, I’m delighted to share with you this selection of 5 social tips, treats and talking points, all of which I’ve come across or re-discovered over the past two weeks. Please enjoy!
1. What I’m listening to: Judit Neddermann’s new album: Artean – I’ve been in love with Judit Neddermann’s music for the last couple of years now. Her gorgeous voice and fusion of folk and jazz has transported me all around Catalunya. This latest album is a warm, velvety and linguistically pertinent offering, a collection of songs flitting between Catalan and Euskara (Basque).
2. What I’m exploring: Activists Resource Hub – This recently released mini-site by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation has a superb collection of tools and inspiration for those working towards social change. Well worth sharing and using as we fight the good fight!
3. What I’m abiding by: ‘Make before you manage’ – I’ve re-read and enjoyed this little motto each morning over the past month as a reminder to focus on producing/creating each morning before getting distracted by the endless stream of emails, WhatsApps, Asana messages etc… Set up your day well by dedicating some uninterrupted time to making something and you’ll be winning! For me, ‘making’ might be 15 minutes of guitar practice, writing a first draft of an article, or getting an Apple Crumble in the oven. Whatever it is for you, do something that’s meaningful and everything else will flow!
4. What I’m leaning into: ‘JOMO vs FOMO’ – I’ve been reminded of this lovely expression. The Fear of Missing Out can very quickly rule our lives. Instead, let’s embrace the Joy of Missing Out: relishing that we can’t be in all places at all times, bringing our attention to where we are, and practising genuine curiosity as we find out from others where they’ve been and what they’ve done.
5. What I’m angry about (ok! I couldn’t resist one moan!): Emuskulation – A couple of weeks ago, George Monbiot wrote this article about a possible Trump win and its ramifications for Elon Musk. And, of course, that very worst of things came to pass. So be it. My moan here is just how much this man (Musk) riles me up. There aren’t many things that do. Usually, it’s limited to the ubiquitous use of phones in metros (hence Phone Free February) and lack of anything vegan in French motorway service stations (targeted campaign coming soon 🥖😂). Recently, however, Elon Musk is everywhere and we are all being emuskulated. But while it’s surely important to be part of the conversation that holds oligarchs accountable, I also just wish we could engage in a magical collective silencing act. If we all just stopped talking about him, would he just disappear?
That’s it for this fortnight! As ever, please let me know your thoughts and feedback – and send anything you’d like me to include in upcoming editions this way.
