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Thanksgiving month, days 28-30
Nov. 30th, 2011 09:36 pm(Crossposted from Google+)
Thanksgiving month, day 28:
I am thankful for impermanence.
Nothing, however wonderful, lasts forever. Nothing, no matter how exhausting, terrifying or stressful, lasts forever. Eventually the baby sleeps through the night. Eventually the job is done, the house is paid for, the garden is put to bed for the winter. A day comes when you don't have to go to work. And eventually, you go to sleep, most likely not knowing that this time you won't have to wake up.
Thanksgiving month, day 29:
I am thankful for the endless fascination of science.
If, like me, you tend to geek out over biology, or astronomy, or archaeology, then the universe has a gift for you: you are never going to be bored. There is always something new to learn, and there is usually someone who is just as excited as you are about whatever it is, and will happily tell you all about it. Better still, not only do we have books, libraries, universities and research institutions; we now have TEH INTARWEBS where you can get a mind-boggling amount of content FREE. You can watch videos of surgery. You can watch webcams of squid, or birds feeding their young, or the pandas in the zoo. You can see the amazingly diverse but brief TED talks and learn about stuff you had no idea existed. You can access articles from peer-reviewed journals, a good number of them free. You can keep up with the blog of an Antarctic explorer or an astronaut.
If you're less of a couch potato, you can volunteer to work on a research project: tag sea turtles. Work on an archaeological dig. Clean up a historic cemetery and document the graves. If you have a health problem and you live near a university or a major medical center, chances are you can be a participant in a clinical trial (this can actually be fun) or a subject in a psychological research study (sometimes fun, sometimes weird, sometimes a bit disturbing--and it's always a challenge to try to guess what they're actually studying).
If you're still young, you could be an actual scientist, a job Stephen Jay Gould compared to "continuous orgasm". Bet they never let THAT slip in your 6th grade science class!
Thanksgiving month, day 30:
I am thankful for warm things.
Hot chocolate. Coffee. Hot tea. Hot spiced apple cider. Soup. Chili. Casseroles. Down jackets. Fleece. Silk long johns. Hats, scarves, gloves and mittens. Ear warmers. Microwavable hot packs. Pocket-sized hand warmers. Ski socks. Fuzzy bedroom slippers. South-facing windows. Blankets, comforters, and afghans. Flannel sheets. Lap dogs. Cats that like to sleep on feet.
And eventually, spring.
Thanksgiving month, day 28:
I am thankful for impermanence.
Nothing, however wonderful, lasts forever. Nothing, no matter how exhausting, terrifying or stressful, lasts forever. Eventually the baby sleeps through the night. Eventually the job is done, the house is paid for, the garden is put to bed for the winter. A day comes when you don't have to go to work. And eventually, you go to sleep, most likely not knowing that this time you won't have to wake up.
Thanksgiving month, day 29:
I am thankful for the endless fascination of science.
If, like me, you tend to geek out over biology, or astronomy, or archaeology, then the universe has a gift for you: you are never going to be bored. There is always something new to learn, and there is usually someone who is just as excited as you are about whatever it is, and will happily tell you all about it. Better still, not only do we have books, libraries, universities and research institutions; we now have TEH INTARWEBS where you can get a mind-boggling amount of content FREE. You can watch videos of surgery. You can watch webcams of squid, or birds feeding their young, or the pandas in the zoo. You can see the amazingly diverse but brief TED talks and learn about stuff you had no idea existed. You can access articles from peer-reviewed journals, a good number of them free. You can keep up with the blog of an Antarctic explorer or an astronaut.
If you're less of a couch potato, you can volunteer to work on a research project: tag sea turtles. Work on an archaeological dig. Clean up a historic cemetery and document the graves. If you have a health problem and you live near a university or a major medical center, chances are you can be a participant in a clinical trial (this can actually be fun) or a subject in a psychological research study (sometimes fun, sometimes weird, sometimes a bit disturbing--and it's always a challenge to try to guess what they're actually studying).
If you're still young, you could be an actual scientist, a job Stephen Jay Gould compared to "continuous orgasm". Bet they never let THAT slip in your 6th grade science class!
Thanksgiving month, day 30:
I am thankful for warm things.
Hot chocolate. Coffee. Hot tea. Hot spiced apple cider. Soup. Chili. Casseroles. Down jackets. Fleece. Silk long johns. Hats, scarves, gloves and mittens. Ear warmers. Microwavable hot packs. Pocket-sized hand warmers. Ski socks. Fuzzy bedroom slippers. South-facing windows. Blankets, comforters, and afghans. Flannel sheets. Lap dogs. Cats that like to sleep on feet.
And eventually, spring.
