Welcome to Friday,
What are you up to this weekend? We are making Greek food and planning travels for the next few months, once the weather calms down a bit. Spring is showing beautiful signs of life; the dogwood trees blooming throughout our neighborhood, the happy daffodils lining the sidewalks on my path to the grocery store, and repotting my indoor plants which have taken off growing with the new season.
Here are five things I thought worth sharing this week:
The World Economic Forum identifies “critical ignoring” as a key skill both now and in the future. There are always dozens of sources and conversations vying for our attention, but the discipline of choosing where to focus is paramount. Thinking deeply is impossible until one chooses where they want to direct their attention, therefore, eliminating and ignoring other attention-grabbing conversations, ideas, etc., is what must happen first.
“Plants have photoreceptors that respond to different wavelengths of light, allowing them to differentiate not only brightness but color.” I’m always impressed with how plants can teach us about living well.
An example of how constraints can help creativity blossom; after publishing his first children’s book, Dr. Suess limited himself to fewer words, with the result of producing more books.
Alan Jacobs’ theory about how social media impacts our emotions and mental health – derived in part from Hume’s A Treatise on Human Nature – is a thoughtful analysis of the smart phone problem, but also a fascinating concept. Imagine, a treatise published in 1740 holds wisdom for using a technology less than thirty years old! This is a great example of something we discuss often here; the enduring role of wisdom and how, though details may change, pursuing the good, the true, and the beautiful never ceases to be the utmost concern in life.
The Book Cover Review does an entertaining job of their title; funny at times, but always insightful, I’ve been enjoying hearing about beloved (or hated) covers, and picking up some fiction recommendations.
Currently reading: The Bookshop of the World: Making and Trading Books in the Dutch Golden Age by Andrew Pettegree and Arthur dur Weduwen
Have a creative weekend.
Image: Arranging Daffodils, Thomsen, Carl. 1894. Danish.
