Mount Ascutney, Vermont September 23, 2020
Posted by nrhatch in Nature, People, Sustainable Living, Travel & Leisure.24 comments
I’ve never skied Mt. Ascutney (no big surprise, right?), but I’ve hiked it in the summer.
Many times.
Here’s how the town of Windsor (next town over from where Dad grew up), saved the mountain’s accessibility for the community.
Aah . . . that’s better!
Godspeed RBG! September 20, 2020
Posted by nrhatch in Books & Movies, Gratitude, People.16 comments
Ruth Bader Ginsburg transformed the landscape of America, increasing gender equality and acting as a moral compass for her brethren on the Supreme Court.
She rocked!
If you want more insight, I recommend two recent films ~ RBG and On the Basis of Sex.
She stood for equal rights for all.
Aah . . . that’s better!
A Place to Start June 5, 2020
Posted by nrhatch in Life Balance, Mindfulness, People.34 comments
Many of you have expressed shock and outrage and sadness and grief at recent events.
You know that Black Lives Matter ~> that ALL lives matter.
And perhaps you want to be more involved in efforts to level the landscape and achieve the dream expressed so eloquently by Martin Luther King, Jr. half a century ago.
If so, here’s A Place to Start ~ an incomplete list of resources and organizations for fighting racism and supporting justice and equality put together by MoMA.
Another list of resources and organizations that support of justice and equality has been collated by Poets & Writers.
One world. One people.
Let’s remember that we are all in this together.
Aah . . . that’s better!
Acceptance Is Power March 26, 2020
Posted by nrhatch in Health & Wellness, Life Balance, Mindfulness, People.21 comments
I read an interesting article yesterday in the Harvard Business Review about the “grief” we’re feeling as a result of CoVid-19 and its inherent uncertainty:
That Discomfort You’re Feeling Is Grief
The article is worth a read. Here’s a brief excerpt:
You said we’re feeling more than one kind of grief?
Yes, we’re also feeling anticipatory grief. Anticipatory grief is that feeling we get about what the future holds when we’re uncertain. Usually it centers on death. We feel it when someone gets a dire diagnosis or when we have the normal thought that we’ll lose a parent someday. Anticipatory grief is also more broadly imagined futures. There is a storm coming. There’s something bad out there. With a virus, this kind of grief is so confusing for people. Our primitive mind knows something bad is happening, but you can’t see it. This breaks our sense of safety. We’re feeling that loss of safety. I don’t think we’ve collectively lost our sense of general safety like this. Individually or as smaller groups, people have felt this. But all together, this is new. We are grieving on a micro and a macro level.
What can individuals do to manage all this grief?
Understanding the stages of grief is a start. But whenever I talk about the stages of grief, I have to remind people that the stages aren’t linear and may not happen in this order. It’s not a map but it provides some scaffolding for this unknown world. There’s denial, which we say a lot of early on: This virus won’t affect us. There’s anger: You’re making me stay home and taking away my activities. There’s bargaining: Okay, if I social distance for two weeks everything will be better, right? There’s sadness: I don’t know when this will end. And finally there’s acceptance. This is happening; I have to figure out how to proceed.
Acceptance, as you might imagine, is where the power lies. We find control in acceptance. I can wash my hands. I can keep a safe distance. I can learn how to work virtually.
I can accept the what is.
Aah . . . that’s better!
Avoiding A Case Of “My Corona” March 5, 2020
Posted by nrhatch in Health & Wellness, Humor, Less IS More, People.24 comments
New Scientist suggests that people can minimize the risk of infection from coronavirus (or the flu) by practicing “social distancing” and good hygiene:
1. Move at least a meter (or more!) away from anyone who appears ill if you can.
2. Don’t shake hands, hug or kiss people as a greeting.* (See Op-Ed Below).
3. Wash your hands often with soap and water, or use an alcohol hand rub, especially after touching surfaces that might be contaminated.
The World Health Organization (WHO) says there is no need for healthy people to wear face masks.
It also says there is no evidence that pets can get and spread covid-19, or that the virus can be passed on via letters, packages or food.
To read more: Coronavirus: What You Need To Know (New Scientist)
* * *
* Op-Ed: Tip #2 is good advice
In my opinion, WAY TOO MANY people expect a hug, a kiss, or a hand shake when greeting others . . . even when said people are virtual strangers.
You know the type. Anytime an introduction is made, muscle memory causes them to mindlessly shove their hand forward in a gesture designed to signify, “damn glad to meetcha!”
Before you mindlessly reciprocate, think about this ~> you don’t know where that hand has been OR when said hand was last washed, if ever. For all you know, it spent the last hour scratching/grooming/cleaning up after a troop of monkeys.
Or, you know, just one filthy monkey.
Since I’ve never been a fan of the hand shake (or of forced hugs and kisses), I’m going to use “Coronavirus Concerns” as a convenient excuse to “bow out” of hellos and good-byes involving any form of physical contact.
Henceforth and herewith, instead of shaking hands, or sharing a perfunctory hug or kiss, I’ll keep a SAFE distance, place MY scrupulously clean palms together, and give a brief nod in greeting:
Namaste.
It’ll be interesting to see peoples’ reactions, especially those who (on auto pilot) shove their germ-laden mitts forward without first considering whether physical connection/ contact is (a) necessary or (b) desired.
Aah . . . that’s better!
Utopia January 31, 2020
Posted by nrhatch in Mindfulness, Music & Dance, People, Spirit & Ego.25 comments
I would love to live in a world where everyone gets along.
I would love to live in a world where everyone is color blind.
I would love to live in a world where everyone respects everyone.
I would love to live in a world free of greed & corruption.
I would love to live in a world with a level playing field.
I would love to live in a world where the powerful didn’t prey on the weak.
I would love to live in a world of cooperation, not competition.
I would love to live in a world where people engage in dialogue.
Sans judgment.
I would love to live in the world Alanis describes in Utopia . . .
Aah . . . that’s better!
Here’s To The Roaring Twenties! December 27, 2019
Posted by nrhatch in Humor, Life Balance, People.20 comments
The 1920’s brought in a decade of change, known as the Roaring Twenties:
The Roaring Twenties got their name from the exuberant, freewheeling popular culture that defines the decade. The most obvious examples of this are jazz bands and flappers.
It was the decade that bought dramatic social and political change, flare and freedom to women, and advances in science and technology.
Also known as the Jazz Age, the decade of the 1920s featured economic prosperity and carefree living for many. The 1920s was a decade of change that began with a roar and ended with a crash.
Maybe the 2020’s will be a reprise!
Let’s hope the decade doesn’t end with a *CRASH*
Happy New Year . . . and Decade!
Need A Lyft? December 23, 2019
Posted by nrhatch in Mindfulness, People.21 comments
If you plan to use Uber or Lyft over the holidays (or thereafter), this is a useful read with good tips:
Staying Safe When Using Ride Hailing Services (Consumer Reports)
Merry Christmas!
Life Continues After Death December 19, 2019
Posted by nrhatch in Humor, Life Balance, People.23 comments
An Iowa convict convicted of murder in 1997 and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole filed his third petition for post-conviction relief on his own behalf, without counsel.
He claimed that, during a 2015 hospitalization, he was legally dead for a period of time before he was revived by the doctors’ efforts.
Therefore, he argued, his “death” completed his life sentence, and he should be free to go.
The courts did not buy his argument:
The district court granted the state’s motion to dismiss the petition without an evidentiary hearing, and refused to appoint counsel for him. On appeal, the Court of Appeals of Iowa, in an opinion by Judge Amanda Potterfield, affirmed the lower court’s decision.
She wrote, “Schreiber is either still alive, in which case he must remain in prison, or he is actually dead, in which case this appeal is moot.” She further noted that since Schreiber had signed the PCR application and his motion for reconsideration, the latter did not seem likely.
Aah . . . poetic justice!
Source: Disciplinary Board, PA Supreme Court, December 2019 Newsletter
O Little Town of Bethlehem December 9, 2019
Posted by nrhatch in Animals, Happiness, Humor, People.24 comments
We joined a Bethlehem Walk last night at a local church.
The re-creation was authentic down to the last detail (except for the Christmas lights decorating the “inns,” the microphones, the loudspeakers, and the asphalt upon which Mary & Joseph trudged while looking for shelter).
The event, oddly reminiscent of Noah’s Ark, included 2 spitting llamas, 2 Aflac-ing ducks, 2 bleating goats and a miniature horse who remained silent for the duration (no doubt annoyed that his mate had stood him up).
We sang carols (off key of course) while diners seated on the outside patio at The Waterfront restaurant looked on in awe.
After Mary & Joseph got settled into “the stable,” they invited us in to meet the star of the show ~> Baby Jesus!
Following a brief introduction to the bonny boy, the people who peopled the procession stayed to enjoy cookies, sandwiches and chips (a menu served at all the finest establishments in Bethlehem back in the day).
I doubt it will become an annual tradition for us, but it was an eclectic ecclesiastic event.
Aah . . . that’s better!
