Stuck on a sticky note. Send coffee.

I think some folks are conflating lifestyle curation with presenting a capital-L Lifestyle for others to consume.

This isn't about neatly capturing, tagging, and running filters on every facet of your life. It's about being mindful of who and what you choose to let into your life.

I'm willing to bet we all have things in our lives that cause pain/frustration that we could let go of or otherwise change, from toxic "friends" to that coffee mug you never use that takes up space in your cabinet.

These are all examples of questions I have asked myself that led to more mindful curation in my life (ymmv):

Did I buy [object] just to have or will I actually use it?

Would I be friends with [increasingly toxic person I've known since childhood] if I met them for the first time as an adult?

Do I use [room in my house] for its typical intent, or do I do something that's specific to my lifestyle knowing that may impact my home's resale value?

Does it take me 30 min to pick out an outfit because I like everything in my closet, or is it because I like nothing?

Am I holding onto [object] because I like it, or because [family member] guilted me into keeping it?

Do I pull over during errands to check out [roadside stand/attraction] or keep going, because of some imaginary timeline I have in my head?

Do I stop reading this book or watching this TV show because I'm not really into it, or slog my way through because I'm not a "quitter"?

Do I alter [common antique object] because it will make me happier, or do I leave it as-is because age somehow makes it "sacred"?

It really helps to have a little voice in your head that pipes up when you make decisions on autopilot, especially when the reason is "that's just how it's always been".

There's a lot we don't have control of in our lives, and a lot we where do have control, but are either afraid to exercise that control, or have never even *considered* we have control.

They wear suits, but they don't even know basic etiquette.

It is hope and love and compassion that saves each character individually, and because of that, the world. Frodo fails in the end, but his acts of compassion from earlier in the story save the day. And even as the world is saved, it is acknowledged that Frodo failed—without judgement, without blame. He fails, and he is still loved.

And like what can happen in the real world, he is still irrevocably changed by his trauma. But there is still hope—he has to leave, but he leaves with the promise of healing, and the promise that his ever-faithful Sam will follow.

Aragorn, Boromir, Frodo, Sam; each and every one of the characters are driven by their love of the people around them and their hope for the future. They cling to that love and hope throughout their trials, and that bears them through.

Of course people are watching it for comfort!!!! Lotr is eternally consistent in its promise, which Sam articulates so clearly in The Two Towers: “Even darkness must pass. A new day will come. And when the sun shines, it’ll shine out the clearer.”

and they're just absolutely horrified because now they know why the Blip-A never returned, they sent them all to die, now to save their sun they have to redo the entire program all over again and Adrian is devastated -

Beyond Vat Phou, the Champasak region of Laos is also known for its nature trails, waterfalls, and forested hills.

'Mallows in a Vase' (1895) by Henri Fantin-Latour (1836–1904).

Oil on canvas.

Norton Simon Museum.