When it comes to birding, I constantly make mistakes. I think I know what is true, but I don’t. I discover my errors by taking the time to learn what is real for myself. My observations often challenge my assumptions and have recently taught me an important lesson about racism.
Continue reading What My Birding Mistakes Have Taught Me About Racism
It feels like the whole world is on fire. So many difficult and horrible things are happening right now and there is no end in sight. But the disruption from COVID-19 isn’t just an obstacle. It’s also an opportunity to examine our old ways and imagine new ones. How do we start?
Continue reading Change Starts With Kindness
I’ve spent the last two weeks struggling to write this blog post. My dilemma: Should I post about the Black Lives Matter movement? I don’t normally talk about human rights. I’m a well-to-do white woman who hasn’t had to face the violence and discrimination a black American does. And I’m far behind the rest of the crowd in even broaching this topic. What can I possibly have to say?
Continue reading Speak Up and Do Better
Wasting time comes in many guises. There’s time spent on “frivolous” activities like watching TV or playing games on your phone. There’s time spent on projects that don’t go as planned or have unexpected results (lace shawl I can’t seem to knit, I’m looking at you). There’s time spent mucking about when you are trying to create something new that results in nothing but a stack of awful sketches or pages of writing that you can’t actually use.
Continue reading A Waste of Time or a Lesson?
Before I fell down the bobbin lace rabbit hole, I made myself a medieval shift. Watching others sewing in videos about historical costuming made me want to sew, too. Morgan Donner’s video Making Basic Medieval Underwear inspired me to dig out some plain muslin, draft a pattern, and make a shift of my own. I had already finished it when I first heard a Hidden Brain podcast that made me laugh with understanding.
Continue reading Harder Than It Looks: DIY Videos and Overconfidence