Food for the Brain (and Soul)

I've read so many spectacular articles lately and have wanted to write about each one. Unfortunately, that would take me way too long, so I'm sharing a few of them here in a link roundup:

• Seth Godin: The race to the bottom
• Maira Kalman: "To have an empty brain is a complete delight."
• The science of vocal stereotyping
• America's genius glut
• Wise words from Ted Hughes
• Kevin Kelly on the kindness of strangers

Happy reading! I hope you enjoy these just as much as I do.

National Poetry Month 2013

National Poetry Month starts in just two months! I'm particularly excited because I have recommitted myself to participating in NaPoWriMo, so this April will hopefully be a productive one. To get yourself excited, take a look at this year's beautiful poster (and order your free copy while supplies last):

On Reaching Goals

"Nobody tells this to people who are beginners, I wish someone told me. All of us who do creative work, we get into it because we have good taste. But there is this gap. For the first couple years you make stuff, it's just not that good. It's trying to be good, it has potential, but it's not. But your taste, the thing that got you into the game, is still killer. And your taste is why your work disappoints you. A lot of people never get past this phase, they quit. Most people I know who do interesting, creative work went through years of this. We know our work doesn't have this special thing that we want it to have. We all go through this. And if you are just starting out or you are still in this phase, you gotta know it's normal and the most important thing you can do is do a lot of work. Put yourself on a deadline so that every week you will finish one story. It is only by going through a volume of work that you will close that gap, and your work will be as good as your ambitions. And I took longer to figure out how to do this than anyone I've ever met. It's gonna take a while. It's normal to take a while. You've just gotta fight your way through." --Ira Glass

Edit: Coincidentally, I just discovered this quote on another blog, albeit with a cool graphic. Take a look.

"Froth"

Beneath the dying Mexican sun,
the tide carried us on its shoulders
and promised us one last time
that we were giants.

We came out of the sea,
limp weeds clinging to our water-worn ankles,
dried cheeks stinging.
The blue sang behind us, foaming,
chasing our salt-flaked legs.

Come back, it called.
We stumbled away, blinded by the softening darkness.

From behind windows,
we gazed out:
the moon rising like a tributary halo.

"Song for the New Year"

The trees lean in.
The last of the autumn leaves rustle.

The wind crinkles
and stirs the basket in your hands.

Today, you are here,
in the crisp cusp of morning,
shivering.

Somewhere, a teacher erases a blackboard.
A student erases an answer.
You drag your soles across patterns in the mud.
Erasure, closure,
beginning.

You reach into your ocean heart
and pull out promises,
words smooth and rough, tall and small.

Today we learn resilience,
purpose, faith, strength.
Chance, forgiveness, possibility.

You close your eyes.
The sky broadens and lightens.
The market opens its doors.

The lights flick on like tongues
lapping at your heels.

Forward.

Reinventing Work

One of my favorite things about the end of the year is that it's a perfect opportunity to reflect on your year and start thinking about improvements you can make for the next year, in all aspects of your life. Arguably, one of the most important things that we as a society can collectively improve on is our work ethic. In 1949, William Reilly wrote a book entitled How to Avoid Work, which discusses the long-debated issue of passion versus conventional, "safe" careers. I find it especially apt for the time of year, because it gives me a few things to think about as we move into a brand-new year, brimming with possibility and opportunity. Here are some gems from his book.

To my mind, the world would be a much pleasanter and more civilized place to live in, if everyone resolved to pursue whatever is closest to his heart’s desire. We would be more creative and our productivity would be vastly increased.

Altogether too much emphasis, I think, is being placed on what we ought to do, rather than what we want to do.

For you, life can be a succession of glorious adventures. Or it can be a monotonous bore.

Take your choice!

The following snippet is perhaps my favorite because it speaks to every single one of us. I can't begin to count the number of times I've used lack of time as an excuse not to do something. I think we can all benefit from learning a little about how to use our time!

The next time you feel that you ‘haven’t the time’ to do what you really want to do, it may be worthwhile for you to remember that you have as much time as anyone else — twenty-four hours a day. How you spend that twenty-four hours is really up to you.

(via Brain Pickings)

"Nocturnal"

Even though it's December (hooray!), I still thought it would be fun to continue posting a few more of my poems from the November PAD challenge. This one is from Day 29.

White walls.
White lights.
Bleach. Disinfectant.
Linoleum floors
that squeal under wet shoes.
Machines hum
in hypnosis.
This ward is a jungle.
Bones wait, fluttering,
curious,
wings ready.
You are breathless.
You wrap your cold fingers
around her warm ones,
stare at charts and graphs
like you know what they mean.
Clock. Rain. Chair.