Jul 30, 2016
Sometimes I work in a library and I’ve seen how some people crave kindness like a person parched. There’s no reason it should be that way.
Dee, the List Serve
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Sometimes I work in a library and I’ve seen how some people crave kindness like a person parched. There’s no reason it should be that way.
Dee, the List Serve
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[The Listserve] Could you really refuse a grandma's request?
Hi!
My name is Eloísa Valdes (AKA Helewidis). I'm a 30 years old girl from Portugal who studied Anthropology and now wants to change her gears into the world of Comp.Sci.. I love comics, sci-fi, beta-testing, photography & social media and this is what I was eager to share with the Listserve for ages:
-> #Smilography
About 5 years ago my grandma heard on the news there weren't many pictures of people smiling. She asked me to change that reality.
How could I refuse a grandma's request? I immediately made a tumblr, a deviantART group and the #Smilography hashtag on G+ (which is where this project still runs kinda on its own).
I'm now asking the Listserve to join and help me change that!
Please use the #Smilography tag whenever you post a photo of a smiling person (be it on Instagram, G+ or Tumblr) and, together, we'll bring the world more smiles.
I'll try my best to keep up with you and replying, etc. Thank you! This is that part of the email where I show you an old poem of mine:
"Caution - Wet Floor"
I never stood a chance.
My lower extremities perform, faced with the slipperiness of it all. The crowd expects a fall for the Grand Finale. Satisfaction ensues. My lower limbs end the dance with a plié and I feel equilibrium abandoning my company.
The floor is merciless - as always. It hits me with the force of gravity and my weight combined. Math isn’t an ally.
The impact leaves a wound and I lick it. It’s bittersweet. It smells like alcohol.
I was offered a different kind of inebriation that night: an Eau de Cologne composed of delight with a top note of injury. I learned to use it every day and to be eager for it.
The sum of all the caution signs in the world couldn’t have prepared me for this love.
May, 2010
-> For my photography, blogging, writings & more yadda, yadda, yadda follow me:
. Eloísa V. on G+
. @eloisavaldes (instagram, twitter, tumblr, Ello, steam...)
-> Casa da Pirralha
If you understand Portuguese you may like my blog Casa da Pirralha, where I write about lots of stuff, do some reviews; share my arts&crafts tutorials and upcycling projects!
- Shoutout to Diogo Shini Resende who gave me his Lottery "ticket"! TY!
Eloísa Valdes [email protected] Coimbra, Portugal
P.S.: Bow ties are cool! ;)
-> Originally posted on The Listserv itself and sent to thousands of people all over the world. Can also be read at the Listserve archive!
I subscribe to this thing called “listserve” which randomly selects a different person everyday to send an email about anything they want to all the other subscribers on the mailing list. It’s a good reminder of how boring and predictable people are in general; which is par the course but occasionally surprising.
Case in point, the person randomly selected for today’s post is Kamal, a Moroccan living in Paris for the last year. The subject of the email, “An alien in Paris” set me up with some obvious expectations in a news cycle enthralled by the aftermath of the coordinated #terror attacks that took place in Paris just last Friday. So it’s fascinating that in the face of this event, which you would think weighs heavily on all residents of Paris, especially an immigrant from a largely Muslim North African country, the subject he chose to comment on is in fact an exclusively personal and relatively banal internal debate.
Should he commit to marrying his long term gf at the ripe young age of 28? You see Kamal has some FOMO wrt single life and difficulty reconciling marriage at 28 with the fact that he always “imagined himself married at 32 or 33.″
He ends his Dear Abby-esque monologue with a very off-handed “Yeah anyways, I didn’t know what to write about and this is all I had in mind.” And a very human, kind, ingratiating, “Thanks for listening :)”
The surprising part here is that this could be the only thing he “had in mind” at a moment when these violent, political acts seem to be the only things on everyone else’s mind, not only in his adopted city of Paris, but in many pockets of the world and certainly very prevalent on the internet, where presumably someone who subscribes to the “listserve” spends a good amount of time.
It fits into our narrative to think that someone with a captive audience, who might be able to shed a personal light onto an event that seems so focal. To use the opportunity instead to vent about something that is not only apolitical, but deeply hermetic feels strangely transgressive. It begs to be seen as the height of vanity and self-involvement at a time when social media invites us to constantly dream that the universe revolves around our personal lives.
Yet, I suspect there might also be strong psychological forces at work here. Pushing — precisely a person whose background (in the eyes of others) would demand that he get swallowed up into a generic designation at this historical moment #migrant #muslim — against the need to address the blaring sirens and the larger implications of this act, because frankly it had nothing to do with him as an individual. That’s some kind of freedom right?, The right, no matter how selfish, to blindingly spout off about personal concerns in the face of a crumbling and evil world. The right to prioritize your drama as THE drama, in the face of an endless series of crippling world dramas. Some may call it a lack of empathy or egomania. Others a subconscious assertion of liberal freedom. But I just think it’s human, all too human.
Thanks for listening :)
“The problem, often not discovered until late in life, is that when you look for things in life like love, meaning, motivation, it implies they are sitting behind a tree or under a rock. The most successful people in life recognize, that in life they create their own love, they manufacture their own meaning, they generate their own motivation. For me, I am driven by two main philosophies, know more today about the world than I knew yesterday. And lessen the suffering of others. You'd be surprised how far that gets you.”
Neil deGrasse Tyson (reddit, 2012)
I am at that point in my life where approaching the big six 0 has had me reorganizing priorities, possessions, people, time. It has meant the downsizing, discarding, minimizing of work and stuff. It has meant simplifying activities and relationships. It has given me more time to read, travel, and discover new things. To reconnect with friends and family. This increased quality of life, way outweighs the decrease in income.
Sandra Wetzel
Anya is live and ready to show you everything. Watch her strip, dance, and perform exclusive shows just for you. Interact in real-time and make your fantasies come true.
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Enjoy art. Make art. Be art.
On the last day of 2012, I turned 47. As I look back on my life, I'm sometimes amazed at how strange and interesting my journey has been. I joined the Air Force at 18, spent two years in England, came back to the U.S. and spent the remaining 8 years of my military career in northern Maine. I was involved in fundamentalist Christianity for nearly 15 years. I raised a family of six amazing children whom I love more than anything. I left the faith, divorced, and rebuilt my life from scratch. I've found amazing people who welcomed me into their lives. I spent a week in the desert at Burning Man. I've loved freely, and have been loved. If I can indulge a bit, here a few principles that have helped enrich my life. Perhaps one or more will speak to you: - I can't control the people around me. All I can do is control my own actions, words, and responses. Understand that everyone is on their own journey, and has their own reasons for their choices and actions. - Regularly escape my comfort zone. If I'm not challenging myself, I'm not growing. The universe is too big, wonderful, and full of amazing people for me to stand in the corner and watch it go by. - Love more, and follow the campsite rule. Leave the people in your life better off than when you found them. (Nod to Dan Savage.) - Enjoy art. Make art. Be art. - Safety Third. - Don't give a crap about what other people think. Follow your joy. - Life is short. Don't sacrifice joy in the present for worry about the future. Live in the moment that is now. Thanks for reading! I'm looking forward to hearing from my fellow Listserve readers. Brian Schantz
If you ever get bored, just open your eyes
From The List Serve mailing list
I have two young sons, aged 2 and 4 and before they were born I started to make a list of things they might find useful as they grew up. I keep adding to it, but thought I'd share a few to my fellow listservers. You won't find any 'live as if every day is your last' or 'follow your dreams' because for me they don't add anything. If anyone has others to add, then email me and I'll send then all I receive to those who submitted! 1. If you ever get bored, just open your eyes: This is a great reminder for me that we normally stumble around the world on automatic mode, missing so much around us. It's a reminder to stop now and then, especially when bored, to look around and try to see things that you may have not seen before. This also reminded me of a great quote by the late hypnotherapist, Milton Erickson: "have you ever noticed that every blade of grass is a different shade of green?". it still amazes me that simply asking yourself this question directly affects your perceptual system. Highly recommend books by Harvard prof, Ellen Langer on western scholastic mindfulness which will blow your mind (start with the power of mindful learning). 2. You rarely need more time, but more time limits: I've been my most productive when I've only had a limited time to complete things. I did my Masters, another course of study and worked managing a college (= available all hours) all at the same time, and really had to partition out my time. I would have struggled if they were at separate times in my life. This links with another one, "self imposed discipline is always better than forced upon you". 3. Anyone can be creative: so many people go to their graves thinking they don't have a creative bone in their bodies. I teach creativity and there are three enduring myths: you have to be born creative; creativity is only for those in the Arts & you have to wait for creativity to strike. All are unnecessary and crap! Instead I believe that: creativity is a set of techniques, which can be learnt by anyone in any industry/background, and can be employed at any time. Highly recommend the books by Edward De bono, especially "Serious Creativity".he recycles his ideas but this is the best book to smash these myths. 4. Compassion starts with seeing how we are similar: those of us reading this are better off than most people in the world. Compassion and gratitude for me go hand in hand and I've enjoyed reading some of the arising works/research on positive psychology. Simple implementation: start writing three new things you're grateful for at the end of each day. Agreed, it sounds a little light and fluffy, but I found it makes me more resilient in the day as it forces you to actively seek out what's good in your life. Check out Shawn Achor's TED Talk for a simple introduction. 5. Enjoy the journey because you'll never get there: this is hugely important.too many people work towards Imagined happiness rather than trying to live it day to day. Happiness should come first: it makes everything much easier 6. Arrogance is weakness: simple as that. Pity the arrogant and pretentious, it's all just a wank. There's more but I'm limited by time and words. Happy to receive any from you.who knows, yours may be the one that changes my boys' lives!! Thanks for your time. Paul
In life, like in yoga, all the strength and love I need, is within me. In every pose, a building, I am the foundation, with unique lines and beautiful architecture, imperfections and clutter. On the mat... every breath, a renovation... letting way to off the mat... a revelation! Clearing the clutter, cleaning up the negative. Self- love, positive body image, confidence in our uniqueness and intelligence… strength in the positive, that’s what I want to teach, teach teachers to teach, mothers, fathers, communities. My gift to you: You are strong, you are enough, in you, find love and never be lost.
Yoga teacher