I came across this quote this week and was really moved by it. (Hat tip: Charl)
“Life will break you. Nobody can protect you from that, and being alone won’t either, for solitude will also break you with its yearning. You have to love. You have to feel. It is the reason you are here on earth. You have to risk your heart. You are here to be swallowed up. And when it happens that you are broken, or betrayed, or left, or hurt, or death brushes too near, let yourself sit by an apple tree and listen to the apples falling all around you in heaps, wasting their sweetness. Tell yourself that you tasted as many as you could.” — Louise Erdrich (The Painted Drum)
That’s what life is about really. Even with all that can go wrong, you have to live to the fullest. We often think that in our old age, our regrets are going to be things that we did that turn out ending every poorly. But in fact, the most common regrets are actually things that people didn’t do because they were afraid, or dissuaded, or self-conscious. We have to live out loud and squeeze as much as possible out of life, while accepting that we’re going to get slapped across the face a number of times.
It’s this attitude, I believe, that makes all the difference. It’s what separates a full life from a carefully curated one.
Time is limited. So, let’s make the most of it.
New Podcast: The Perils of the Female Experience
On this episode of the podcast we discuss the tragic murder of Sarah Everard and this sparks a much-needed conversation about the male harassment of women that is still so prevalent in our society today. To provide the female perspective we have two guests who share some of their thoughts and anecdotes, making this an Across the Pond first. We then finish the show with a road that makes music, some Tom Cruise Deep Fakes, the environmental impact of blockchain technology, and a potential Malaria vaccine. This might just be our most important episode yet. Don’t miss it.
Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube
Links:
I’ve read a lot about the art of learning and one of the most highly regarded books that come out of the field is ‘The Inner Game of Tennis’ by W. Timothy Gallwey. This week I discovered this video clip from years ago which shows the author working with a new tennis player and encoding so much of the magic from the book into one lesson. It’s fascinating to watch. (Link)
I’d never really thought about it, but it seems that bands are disappearing from mainstream music. The charts are filled only with solo artists and we aren’t seeing many new bands take the world by storm in the way that happened in previous decades. Here’s a great write-up on why. (Link)
Things you’re allowed to do. (Link)
Marc Rober is one of my favourite YouTubers and when he teamed up with Jim Browning to do some scambaiting, it was a Venn diagram that delivered so much joy. I don’t know why I loved it so much, but I did. (Link)
There was something very cathartic about watching these guys hitchhike on a coal train 20 hours across the Sahara desert. To me, was just a stark reminder about how humans have made this world their own, no matter what the conditions. (Link)
That’s all for now, I hope that you have a great week ahead and that you live it to the fullest! Be kind to yourself.
Barry