Lots of snow here in New England. So far, about a foot has fallen.
Usually, I’d be quite upset. Snow is fun and beautiful to look at but driving in it is awful. Shoveling is hazardous to your health.
Today, however, I’m celebrating the return of winter. I’m grateful it’s no longer eerily warm. Fifty degrees in January was crazy.
I know it won’t last. Meteorologists are saying it will be near fifty again by the end of the month. But for today, it’s really cold. And I’m happy about that.
This year, I’m trying to slow down and savor the holidays. Time with people I love, reflection, and time to play.
This weekend we made ornaments. It was so much fun. I think we laughed and smiled the whole time.
I wonder what we’ll do next.
Enjoy the season, my friends.
Theoretically, Spring began on March 20th here in Connecticut. But March did not go out like a lamb as promised. In fact, we’ve had a couple of Spring snow storms. I am so tired of cold weather.
You may be wondering how global WARMING can cause colder weather. This Forbes article might offer some insight. But what I know from observation is that the ice cap is melting, average temperatures are on the rise, and our weather is changing. According to EDF (the Environmental Defense Fund), heat waves are hotter, cold is colder, storms surges are fiercer.
We used to have 4 seasons. Spring was my jam! Moderate temperature, warm rains…but it is as likely to be cool as the summer is likely to be crazy hot. Although it may be too late to turn global warming around completely, we have to give it a try.
Green America offers some ideas about what we—you and I—can do about global warming. Ideas include
We can stop wasting food. Buy what you need. Eat what you prepare. Donate extra to food banks and shelters.
Eat less meat. I don’t know about the whole gassy cow rumor, but it takes a lot to raise the animals we eat—land, water, food. According to Bloomberg, livestock consumes most of the corn and soy grown. Our collective footprint would be less if we raised fewer animals to eat.
Use clean energy. Anything you can do to move away from fossil fuel will help.
Insulate our homes and offices better.
Recycle. Buy less. When we recycle and/or reduce our consumption, less junk ends up in landfills.
I understand if it doesn’t sound like much. But remember, individual drops of rain overflow rivers. If each person takes a few easy steps, all of us, future generations, and the one and our one and only Earth may survive.
Time is slowly creeping toward the end of summer. Unlike most people I know, September marks the beginning of a new year for me. I suppose it is ingrained in me from my youth, or habit from my kid’s schedule, or even from the years of working in organizations in sync with the academic year. Time to shop for a system that holds the key to organizational Nirvana.
Sadly, I have decision fatigue. It happens every year—There are just too many choices. Do I want a classic calendar or a planner? Digital or paper? What are the must-have features?
I typically like a funky way to track my personal goals. Lately I’ve been into this honeycomb design. I also need a great amount of space for my professional tasks, as I tend to have many every week. Some bullet journal space is nice, too, as these make for good, functional to- do lists.
Determining layout includes another set of decisions. Portrait or landscape? Weekly, monthly, daily, or some combination? Twelve months, or fifteen, or eighteen? And what size? That’s particularly critical for non-digital systems.
The absolute hardest decisions, however, are about the design. I like too many pretty, peaceful things?Beaches or lighthouses? Pink or multiple pastel? Or maybe flowers? This alone accounts for my purchase of at least two systems. I won’t admit to you how many I bought last year.
What about you? What system do you use?
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